When I was teen, I befriended a foreign exchange student from Spain who attended my small, rural high school. We became good friends and I really enjoyed our conversations. She was so much more worldly than me at the time. The summer after I graduated, she invited me to Spain to meet her family and friends. I jumped at the chance, of course! Spain was chaotic and exotic and completely thrilling. It was so very different than the little American towns that I grew up in and I was never the same after that trip. Spain opened my eyes (and palate) to new foods and flavors, such as octopus, squid and gazpacho. It was also on this trip that I first tried paella. I was instantly in love.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!Paella is full of flavor and absolutely delicious. It’s reminiscent of the jambalaya that I enjoyed as a kid, but with a unique taste rooted in spices such as saffron, ancho chili powder and cinnamon. Paella can be made with seafood, chicken, or sausage. In this recipe, I use a combination of chorizo and chicken. Chorizo, purchased at a grocery store can be really greasy, so I like to make my own, using ground pork. To make the chorizo, start with the spice mix. Grab a glass jar with a tight-fitting lid (I use a small mason jar), as this recipe makes more spice mix than you need for this recipe, so you will want a container to store what you don’t use. To the glass jar, add 1 tablespoon each of ancho chili powder, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, dried oregano and cumin, ¼ tablespoon of cinnamon, ½ tablespoon of kosher salt, ¼ tablespoon of hot chili powder and ½ tablespoon of brown sugar. Shake to mix. Next, add 3 tablespoons of spice mix and one tablespoon of red wine vinegar to one pound of pork. Mix with your hands to coat and marinate the pork for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
In a separate bowl, dice one pound of chicken breasts. Add to a bowl along with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and 1 teaspoon of dried oregano. Mix to coat chicken and marinate for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Once the meats have marinated, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a very large skillet and cook the chicken and sausage until cooked through and browned; drain off any excess fat. Place cooked meats on a plate and set aside. Heat up another tablespoon of olive oil in the same skillet and add one cup of chopped onion and two cups of green beans that have been washed, trimmed and cut into half. Saute the vegetables until the onion is translucent and starting to brown. Next, add four cloves of minced garlic, one 14.5 ounce can of diced tomatoes, 1 bay leaf, 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika, and ½ teaspoon of dried oregano. Stir and cook for one minute. Add two cups of uncooked arborio rice and three cups chicken broth (preferably homemade) to the skillet along with 1 teaspoon of kosher salt and about 25 strands of saffron. Make sure the rice is completely covered in broth. If not, add a bit more broth. Stir the rice, cover and cook at a simmer for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in the cooked chicken and sausage and continue to simmer the rice, uncovered for an additional 15 minutes. Stir occasionally. Taste the rice for doneness. It should be al dente, with a chew, but cooked through. To finish off the paella, you will create a socarrat or crispy, charred bottom to the dish. This adds caramelization and texture to the paella, so do not skip this step. To make the socarrat, use your spoon to flatten the rice and push it towards the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat on your stove to high and cook for about three minutes. Lift the rice and peer underneath. It should be toasted and dark brown. Remove bay leaf from the paella and serve with a nice glass of red wine. Enjoy!
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, diced and marinated (see ingredients for marinade below)
- 1 lb ground pork
- 1 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 3 tbsp chorizo spice mix (see ingredients below)
- 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
- 1 cup onion, chopped
- 2 cups green beans, washed, trimmed and halved
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp dried oregano
- 2 cups uncooked Arborio rice
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 25 stands of saffron
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp dried oregano
Chorizo Spice Mix
- 1 tbsp ancho chili powder
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp cumin
- ¼ tbsp cinnamon
- ½ tbsp kosher salt
- ¼ tbsp hot chili powder
Instructions
- Make chorizo spice mix.
- Mix 3 tablespoons of chorizo spice mix and 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar into one pound of ground pork. Let marinate in the refrigerator for at least one hour.
- At the same time, dice chicken and marinate it in the chicken marinade (olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and oregano) for one hour in the refrigerator.
- After one hour, heat one tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet and sauté the meat until cooked through and brown. Drain off any excess fat, place meat on a plate and set aside.
- Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the same skillet along with chopped onion and green beans. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Next, add garlic, diced tomatoes, bay leaf, paprika and oregano. Stir and cook for one minute.
- Add uncooked rice, chicken broth, salt and saffron to the pan. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 10 minutes.
- After 10 minutes, uncover rice, add cooked meats and continue to cook the rice for an additional 15 minutes. Taste the rice to ensure doneness. The rice should be al dente with a chew, but cooked through.
- Using a spoon or spatula, flatten the rice and push it to the bottom of the pan. Turn the heat to high and cook the rice until crisped and dark brown on the bottom. This is the socarrat and it adds lots of texture and flavor to the dish. Do not skip this step! It's what makes the paella.
- Remove bay leaf from the pan and serve the paella with a nice glass of red wine. Enjoy!
