Chicken & Chorizo Paella with Prawns
From Ainsley’s World Cup Flavours, ITV
Chicken and Chorizo isn’t really a traditional Spanish paella (they’re usually seafood based) and I think it probably only exists on restaurant menus to please us tourists but I’m happy about that as it’s a very tasty dish full of the smoky flavours of Spain. It’s easy to make, looks impressive and is a perfect sharing dish for friends or family – serve at the table, tuck in and enjoy!
Method
Add the saffron to the hot stock and leave to infuse.
Heat 2 tbsp of the oil in a paella pan or wide deep-sided frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes until just golden but not cooked through. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon. Add the remaining oil to the pan and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, chilli and pepper. Cook gently for 6-8 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and chorizo and cook for a few minutes until the chorizo releases its vibrant oil.
Stir in the paprika and return the chicken to the pan, Stirring to coat in the spices. Add the tomatoes and cook for another minute before pouring in the wine and letting it bubble away for a minute.
Add the rice, stir well for a couple of minutes until all the rice is coated with the wine and oil. Then add the stock, season and bring to the boil, reduce the heat, cover with foil or a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 16-18 minutes (check and stir once during the first 5-10 minutes of cooking and if it begins to look dry add a little splash of water but don’t stir again). Add the peas, lemon zest and prawns (if using), cover and cook for a further 3-4 minutes without stirring. If you want a crispy bottom (!) or soccarat turn the heat up very high for 30-60 seconds at the end of cooking but be careful – you want it to smell and taste toasty not burnt.
Turn off the heat and leave to rest, covered for 5 minutes.
Remove the cover, check for seasoning and garnish with chopped parsley and wedges of lemon to serve.
Ingredients
- 1 pinch of saffron
- 500ml hot chicken stock
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, peeled and thinly sliced
- 4 chicken thighs, skinless & boneless, chopped into large pieces
- 1 red chilli, deseeded, finely chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 100g cooking chorizo, sliced
- 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 200g ripe tomatoes, grated or 1 x 220g tin chopped tomatoes
- 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika
- 50ml dry white wine
- 200g Calasparra, Bomba or other short-grain Paella rice
- 120g frozen peas, thawed
- zest of 1 lemon
- 150g peeled king prawns, from sustainable sources (optional)
- 1 handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, cut into wedges