Chicken Chorizo Paella

Paella tips:

1. The rice should be a medium grain such as Bomba, Valenciano, Goya or Arborio. I used the latter as it is widely available.

2. The pan should be a traditional paella pan which is wider rather than deep with small sloping sides. The key to making paella is that the rice is touching the surface of the pan so pans grow in width not depth. I used a 16″ pan.

3. The heat source. You want as much of the pan to be in contact with the heat source. Therefore we had it over two burners. You could also use your BBQ grill or an outdoor grill.

4. The sofrito is the mixture of aromatics you use. Tomato, onion, garlic and any other herbs you may want to add.

5. The cooking liquid. In Spain they frequently use water but I always like the flavour of a broth. I recommend a sodium reduced chicken broth or a homemade stock. You could even boil the shells of the shrimp and use that as a broth.

Let’s get started! In a small bowl, stir saffron into broth and let it sit for 10 minutes. Set aside until the saffron broth is required later in the prep.

Sprinkle salt over the chicken.

In a 16″ paella pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Cook the chicken until browned, stirring frequently. Transfer chicken to a platter with the pan juices. Add another tablespoon of oil and cook onion and celery over low heat until onion is translucent, 8-10 minutes. Stir in garlic and tomato paste let cook for 30 seconds. Stir in rice and cook stirring for 1 minute. Add the saffron broth, 1 cup water and paprika if using.

Cook 10 minutes then add chorizo and the chicken with its juices. Cook over medium low heat for another 20-30 minutes. If needed add more water mixed with a little tomato paste. You may need 1/4 to 1/2 cup more water plus a dash of tomato paste. Just make sure the rice is tender but also that there is no liquid left at the end. Add shrimp in the last 5 minutes of cooking. Sprinkle parsley on top and serve in the pan.