A weekend paella built on smoky chorizo fat and saffron, with a proper crust on the bottom of the pan.
Prep
20 mins
Cook
45 mins
Servings
4
Per serving
£3.15
Difficulty
medium
This is not a Valencian paella and I am not going to pretend it is - the chorizo would get me chased out of the region. What it is, is the paella most people actually want to eat: paprika-red rice, sticky chicken thighs and a socarrat crust worth fighting over.
Season the chicken thighs with half the salt and the pepper. Heat the oil in a wide paella pan or large shallow frying pan and brown them skin side down for 8 minutes, then 4 minutes on the other side. Lift out.
Add the chorizo to the same pan and fry for 4 minutes until the fat runs orange. Scoop the coins out with a slotted spoon, leaving the fat behind.
That orange fat is the backbone of the dish. Do not pour it away.
Cook the onion and peppers in the chorizo fat over a medium heat for 10 minutes until soft and sweet. Stir in the garlic, paprika and the rest of the salt and cook for 1 minute.
Add the tomatoes and cook down for 5 minutes until thick and jammy - this sofrito stage is what stops the finished rice tasting thin.
Crumble the saffron into the hot stock. Tip the rice into the pan, stir once to coat, then pour in the stock and scatter the chorizo back over. Nestle the chicken thighs in, skin side up.
Simmer briskly for 10 minutes, then turn the heat right down and cook for 10 minutes more without stirring. Stirring paella after the stock goes in makes it gluey.
Rotate the pan on the hob every few minutes if your burner has hot spots.
Scatter the peas over, cook for 3 minutes, then turn the heat up for a final 90 seconds and listen for a faint crackle - that is the socarrat forming on the base.
Take off the heat, cover loosely with foil and rest for 5 minutes. Scatter with parsley and serve with lemon wedges, scraping up the crust as you go.