Chicken Paella with Prawns and Beans

By: Deborah

This chicken paella with prawns and beans recipe combines tender chicken, succulent prawns, and green beans in a saffron-infused rice dish. Perfect for gatherings or family dinners!

PREP: 15

COOK: 55

TOTAL: 1 10

Course: Main

Cuisine: Spanish

Servings: 4 people

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Equipment

Ingredients

4 tbsp olive oil
6 skin on bone in chicken thighs boned and cut in halves
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large or 2 medium onions chopped
180 g (6.4 oz) fine green beans trimmed and chopped in halves or thirds
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 clove garlic crushed
500 ml (2 ¼ cups) chicken stock (made using a stock cube or pot)
250 g (1 ⅓ cups) paella rice
2 fresh bay leaves
1 bushy rosemary sprig
160 g (5.7 oz) raw and peeled king prawns
a 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 1 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.

Vegetarian option - replace the chicken and prawns with artichoke hearts, courgettes or mushrooms.

Bean alternatives - try butter beans or chickpeas instead of green beans for different textures.

Nutrition

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

KEYWORDS chicken and prawn paella recipe, chicken paella recipe, paella recipe, prawn paella recipe

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