Chicken Paella with Prawns and Beans
A delicious paella dish made with yummy Spanish flavours...you won't be disappointed!
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 6 skin-on chicken thighs boned and cut in half
- 1 large or 2 medium onions chopped
- 180g fine green beans trimmed and chopped in halves or thirds
- 160g raw and peeled king prawns
- 0.25 to 0.5 tsp saffron toasted in a dry pan
- 1 tsp smoked sweet pimentón
- 1 tbsp smoked hot pimentón
- 2 large fresh tomatoes on the vine finely chopped
- 1 fat garlic clove crushed
- 500ml chicken stock
- 250g paella rice
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 1 bushy rosemary sprig
- small handful of parsley chopped, for garnishing
- lemon wedges to serve
Instructions
- Heat a splash of the olive oil in a 34 to 36cm paella pan or large shallow casserole dish over a medium to high heat. Season the chicken, add to the pan and brown all over (this will take 15 to 20 minutes)
- Once well browned, transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside. Add the remaining olive oil to the pan, turn down the heat to low medium, then fry the onion and beans with a pinch of salt for 8 minutes until softened.
- Stir in the toasted saffron and both types of pimentón and cook for a minute until fragrant, then stir in the tomatoes and garlic. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to the boil, then sprinkle over the rice in an even layer, using a wooden spoon to stir it into the liquid. Stir only once – you’re aiming to create a crust (see Notes) on the bottom of the pan. Poke the chicken pieces into the rice with the herbs, bring back up to a fast simmer, then bubble over a medium heat, uncovered, for 10 minutes.
- Turn down the heat to low, simmer for another 5 minutes, then add the prawns in the spaces between the chicken pieces and cover the pan with a double layer of foil, tucking in the edges to seal the steam inside. Cook for a further 5 minutes, then take the pan off the heat and set aside, still covered, for 5 minutes to let the rice steam.
- Sprinkle over the chopped parsley, then serve the paella with lemon wedges for squeezing, some crusty bread and a nice glass...or 2...of Spanish red wine!!
Notes
- The crust on the bottom of the paella pan, known as socarrat, is prized. Cook the rice over a high heat, then rest the dish at the end to let the crust set
- Some supermarkets sell pimenton, however, you should be able to buy it online. I've bought from Amazon before...the last tins I bought were from the local market in Denia when we were there last September! Note, this recipe needs both sweet and hot. If you are struggling to get it, use smoked paprika.