Easy Paella Recipe

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This Paella is packed with flavour and it's the perfect no-fuss dish for a crowd

Prep Time20

Cook Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: chicken and shrimp paella, chicken prawn and mussel paella, easy dinner recipes, paella, spanish paella

Servings:

Calories: 308kcal

Ingredients

Prawn Marinade

16 large prawns see note 1
4 large cloves garlic minced
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon chilli powder
salt
pepper

Chicken Marinade

200 gram boneless chicken thighs
1 teaspoon chicken spice
1 teaspoon chilli powder

Paella

4 to 5 tablespoon olive oil
1&1/2 cups paella rice
16 mussels
1 onion diced
1 red pepper cubed
4 large garlic cloves minced
2 roma tomatoes skin removed and chopped
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon saffron
4 cups chicken stock see note 2
salt
pepper
2 tablespoon butter (optional)
parsley
lemon

Instructions

Prawn

Clean the prawns and ensure they are deveined. Marinate with all of the ingredients listed and refrigerate

Chicken

Cut the boneless chicken thighs into bit size pieces and marinate with all of the ingredients listed.

Cooking the Paella

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large flat pan. Fry the chicken until slightly brown, remove and set aside. Wipe the pan clean with some paper towels.
Add 2 tablespoon olive oil to the same pan and fry the prawns, you may need to do this in two batches. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil if required. Fry the prawns for about 30 seconds per side. Remove from pan and set aside. Do not clean the pan
To the same pan add the onion, red pepper and garlic. Add a little more oil, only if required. Fry for a minute
Add the chopped tomatoes and paprika. Fry for a few seconds. Toast the saffron slightly in a clean pan, smash it using a mortar and pestle. Add 2 tablespoons warm water to the saffron and add it to the pan. Return the chicken to the pan. Sprinkle the rice in a thin layer. Pour the chicken stock (3&1/2 cups) into the pan. Ensure everything is immersed in the liquid, do not mix. You can add the remaining 1/2 cup of chicken stock only if required.
Cook on high heat until the liquid comes to a boil. Reduce to a medium heat and allow the dish to simmer for 20 minutes. Do not cover the pan. You can do a taste test to see if the rice is cooked, it should be firm but you will be able to taste if it is cooked.
Add the prawns and mussels and cook for a further 5 minutes. Turn the heat up and cook on a high heat for another 2-3 minutes. This is how the socarrat is formed but be careful not to burn the rice. Scatter pieces of butter on top (not necessary but highly recommended)
Once the dish is fully cooked it will still be moist but the rice shouldn't be stodgy. Cover the pan for 10 minutes and serve with fresh parsley and lemon slices

Notes

1.You can choose to remove the shells of the prawns or keep it on. Marinating and frying the prawns makes the dish a little more flavorful but feel free to skip this step and add the raw prawns towards the end of the cooking process.

2. You can add 3&1/2 cups of the chicken stock at first and if you feel the need to add the other half cup then only add it. I felt that I needed it as we live at high altitude and dishes take a little longer to cook.

3. The pan is not covered throughout the cooking process. It is only covered once fully cooked and removed off the heat. It should stand for about 10 minutes before serving.

4. I used the frozen mussels which you purchase in bags, they are already cleaned but check again and rinse well. You can use this at least 2 times and perhaps create another dish with the remaining mussels.

4. The only store I managed to find the Paella/Bomba rice is at Yuppiechef (here in SA). You can look at major supermarkets to see if they stock them. If you are using arborio rice as a substitute you may need to add a little more stock. And no I do not recommend using any other rice for this dish.

Nutrition