Spanish Chorizo Chicken Paella
This traditional Spanish paella recipe is filled with spices, chicken, chorizo & peppers to create an incredibly flavorful meal that's surprisingly easy to make in just one pan!
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs , cut into bite size pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 8 ounces spanish chorizo, sliced
- 1 large tomato, chopped (approximately 1 cup chopped tomatoes)
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, or cayenne pepper
- 2 cups medium grain white rice, preferably bomba rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup frozen peas
- ½ cup piquillo peppers, sliced into strips
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
- 1 lemon, sliced into wedges for serving with the paella
Instructions
- Combine the lemon juice and saffron threads in a small bowl, set aside.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet (preferably a 12 inch skillet) over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken thighs, season with the salt and pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the diced onion, bell pepper and crushed garlic, saute for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the sliced chorizo, cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chopped tomato, paprika, red pepper flakes and the saffron threads in lemon juice.
- Add the rice, chicken broth and peas, mix until all of the ingredients are well combined and the rice is completely covered in the broth.
- Bring the paella to a boil, then reduce the heat on the stove to medium low and simmer for 25-30 minutes, or until the rice is fully cooked and the liquid has cooked into the paella.
- Place the strips of piquillo peppers on top of the paella.
- Cover the skillet, remove the paella from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Garnish with the fresh chopped parsley.
- Serve with lemon wedges on the paella, or on the side, for juicing over the paella.
Notes
- Ingredient Substitutions -
- Roasted red peppers can be used instead of piquillo peppers.
- Medium grain calrose rice can be used in place of Spanish bomba rice.
- Ingredient Additions -
- If you'd like to add shrimp to the dish, add it at the same time as the piquillo peppers. Approximately 1/2 pound of raw, peeled and deveined, shrimp should be gently pressed into the paella before adding the piquillo pepper strips. After adding the shrimp and peppers, cover the skillet and remove it from the heat to rest for 10 minutes. The heat from the paella will cook the shrimp in the pan.
- Paella Pan - a special paella pan does not need to be used for this recipe. A 12 inch non-stick skillet will work just fine!
Nutrition Facts
Serving 4gCalories 502kcal (25%)Carbohydrates 61g (20%)Protein 28g (56%)Fat 15g (23%)Saturated Fat 5g (25%)Cholesterol 95mg (32%)Sodium 1546mg (64%)Potassium 605mg (17%)Fiber 4g (16%)Sugar 4g (4%)Vitamin A 1971mg (39%)Vitamin C 71mg (86%)Calcium 57mg (6%)Iron 3mg (17%)
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