Description
This Seafood Paella with Chorizo is packed with prawns, mussels, tender chicken, smoky chorizo and colourful peppers, all tossed through saffron-scented rice. It’s cooked in stages, so each ingredient gets the attention it needs without turning the seafood or chicken into an afterthought.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Rice
- 1 1/2 cups basmati rice
- 6 cups water
- 2 Knorr chicken hot pot broth sachets or 2 chicken stock pots
- A few strands saffron
- Salt, to taste
Paella
- 0.8 lb - 400 g Cape Point prawn meat, thawed, shelled and deveined
- 0.8 lb - 400 g Cape Point mussel meat, thawed
- 2 chicken breast fillets, washed, dried and cut into thin slivers
- 1/2 chorizo sausage, quartered and chopped
- 2 tbsp paprika
- 2 tsp cayenne pepper
- Salt and coarse black pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 2 green cayenne chilies, chopped
- 1 red pepper, sliced
- 1/2 green pepper, sliced
- 1/2 yellow pepper, sliced
- 3 tbsp garlic and chili paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp butter, plus extra if needed
- A few splashes lemon juice
- Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
- Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Add 6 cups water, 2 Knorr chicken hot pot broth sachets or 2 chicken stock pots, a few strands of saffron and salt to a large saucepan. Bring to a boil.
- Add 1 1/2 cups basmati rice, reduce the heat and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the rice is just tender but still has a little bite.
- Drain the rice well. I’d skip washing the cooked rice at this point because it can make it wet and a little bland. Instead, return the drained rice to the warm saucepan, cover it and let it steam over very low heat for 4 minutes. Fluff gently with a fork and set aside.
- Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large, deep-frying pan or paella-style pan over medium heat.
- Add 1 large, diced onion, 2 chopped green cayenne chilies, 3 tbsp garlic and chili paste, 1 sliced red pepper, 1/2 sliced green pepper and 1/2 sliced yellow pepper.
- Cook for about 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onion and peppers have softened. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and set aside.
- Add 2 tbsp butter to the same pan.
- Add 2 chicken breast fillets, cut into thin slivers, 1/2 chopped chorizo sausage, 2 tbsp paprika and 2 tsp cayenne pepper.
- Season with salt and coarse black pepper.
- Cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring frequently, until the chicken is cooked through and reaches 165⁰F (74⁰C) in the thickest pieces. The chorizo should be browned and giving off plenty of its smoky flavour.
- Transfer the chicken and chorizo to the bowl with the vegetables.
- Add the 400 g thawed prawn meat and 400 g thawed mussel meat to the same pan.
- Cook the prawns until they’re opaque, pink and just cooked through. This usually takes around 3 to 5 minutes, depending on their size. If the mussel meat is already cooked, only heat it through for the last couple of minutes so it doesn’t become rubbery.
- Add a few splashes of lemon juice while the seafood cooks. If the pan looks dry, add a little extra butter.
- Return the cooked onion, peppers, chilies and garlic mixture to the pan with the chicken and chorizo.
- Add the cooked saffron basmati rice and gently fold everything together. Don’t stir too aggressively or the rice can turn mushy.
- Taste and adjust with salt, coarse black pepper and a little more lemon juice if needed.
- Let everything heat together for 2 to 3 minutes, just until piping hot.
- Scatter over chopped fresh parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
- Serve straight away while the rice is hot and the seafood is still tender.
Notes
Prepared, tried, and tested by Gail
