Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Jump to Recipe
This chicken and chorizo paella is easy to make, loaded with Spanish inspired flavours and is whipped up in one pot.
Table of Contents
Why you’ll love this recipe
Chicken and chorizo paella feels like a recipe that you want to save and make for a crowd at the weekend, but being a 30 minute paella recipe, you could easily make it during the week. It also works amazingly as meal prep!
The Spanish dish paella originated in Albufeira, a rural lagoon located next to Valencia. There are many types of paella, with the meat/seafood being interchangeable. Chicken and chorizo is a less traditional combination, but it’s definitely my favourite.
Traditional elements of a paella include:
- Sofrito base: onion, peppers, garlic.
- Short grain rice, cooked within the other ingredients of the paella.
- Minimum stirring! This is not a chicken and chorizo risotto, where we have to stir with every ladle of stock. We just leave it be and let the flavours do their thing (making it super low effort).
- Yellow, saffron infused rice.
- Smoked Paprika – a stand out flavour that I associate with any paella recipe.
Other easy Spanish recipes you might also love … Vegetarian paella, Spanish Tortilla with tomato frito and Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Tray Bake.
How this paella is more budget friendly
The main reason that this recipe is more budget friendly, is that we use a tinyyyy bit of turmeric, as a saffron substitute. Saffron is super expensive and I find that I’m not looking for the flavour of saffron, I’m looking for the gorgeous yellow hue that it provides.
Enter turmeric.
Now I don’t want you to be spooked and think this recipe will taste like turmeric. We’re using such a small amount for the quantity of other ingredients we’re using. It’s just enough to add a nice colour to the rice, giving it that stunning glow to this chicken and chorizo paella.
Ingredients
Chicken thighs
I love the tenderness of chicken thighs and think they work best for any Spanish paella. Also thighs are generally cheaper than chicken breast and tastier.
Spanish chorizo
The smokiness of the cured Spanish chorizo sausage, infuses into the base of the paella which seasons the whole paella.
I always find that the fat that renders from chorizo when frying on a low heat, is so so flavourful and I think that’s why this chicken and chorizo paella recipe is my favourite. I also like to choose a chorizo with a hint of spice, as this adds more depth of flavour. If you love chorizo, try my Spanish Chicken & Chorizo Stew!
Paella Rice
Paella rice is a short grain rice that is cultivated in Eastern Spain. It absorbs moisture really well and is integral to the paella coming together perfectly.
Onion, Garlic & Peppers
Onions, gralic and peppers = the sofrito that is the base for this recipe. I chose frozen chopped mixed peppers which taste just as great, they’re frozen at prime freshness and no need for slicing!
See the recipe card for full information on all ingredients and quantities.
How to make this chicken and chorizo paella
- Start this easy paella recipe by adding the diced onion and olive oil into a large/deep non-stick frying pan on a low/medium heat. Season with salt and saute for around 3 minutes, until softened (Image 1).
- Then add the chopped chorizo into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, adding the garlic in after the fat starts to render from the chorizo (Image 2).
3. Add the rice, paprika, turmeric, and another pinch of salt and pepper (Image 3).
4. Gently fry for a couple of minutes. This will toast the rice slightly and bloom the spices (Image 4).
5. Pour the chopped tomatoes and continue to fry (Image 5).
6. Next add the chicken thighs and stock into the pan. Stir to incorporate everything and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover with a lid for 20 minutes (Image 6).
7. After this time, stir the peppers and peas into the pan and pop the lid back on to cook for another 5 minutes (Image 7).
8. At this point, everything will be cooked! Finish by squeezing the juice of half a lemon (or a whole depending on preference) into the pan and seasoning with salt if necessary. Enjoy! (Image 8).
If you like the one-pot element to this recipe, you might also love my Simple Prawn Thai Curry, Creamy Chicken and Bacon Pasta and Gnocchi Alla Sorrentina.
Tips and Tricks
Don’t stir your paella!
Except for when you add the ingredients, after you add the stock, you want to keep the stirring to a minimum. This will increase the sticky bits of rice at the bottom of the pan, which is called socarrat. When you add the peppers and peas, just make sure that the sticky bits aren’t turning into burnt bits.
Remove excess fat from chicken thighs
Due to the increased level of fat in chicken thighs, you usually get more visible fat attached to the meat. I like to trim this off as I don’t like the texture and it also reduces unnecessary fats, when the meat is already juicy and tender.
Ensure that the heat is well distributed on the bottom of the pan
As we aren’t moving the rice around a lot, we want to ensure that everything cooks evenly. You can do this by adjusting the placement of the burner every five minutes if you have a smaller hob.
If you have a really good pan, the heat will transfer evenly anyway. This will make the best socarrat for your chicken and chorizo paella.
Other recipes using chorizo for you to try, after this one … Gnocchi with Chorizo and Vegetables, Creamy Chorizo Pasta and Red Lentil and Chorizo burgers
FAQs
You want to use a short-grain rice and in particular a paella rice. Most supermarkets label them ‘paella rice’ but if they are labeled with their more traditional name, you might see bomba rice or calasparra rice on the packaging. Both are the most commonly used paella rices.
I use a regular deep/large non-stick frying pan for this recipe, not a paella pan. So this recipe is super accessible to everyone. Paella pans are great for distributing heat evenly and to get a large surface area of the pan at the base, but if you follow my tips above, you’ll still get a great end result.
After the rice enters the pan, only stir to add in the other ingredients. This will maximise the socarrat as described above and as we are using a low/medium heat, this will prevent burning of the sticky bits at the bottom of the pan
This paella is super easy to reheat. Simply add a serving to a bowl and microwave on high for 2 minutes. Serve with a fresh squeeze of lemon juice and enjoy. Refrigerate for up to 4-5 days.
Yes! Paella freezes well, which makes it perfect for meal prep. To defrost, leave a frozen serving of paella in the fridge overnight and then follow the reheat instructions above. We don’t want to defrost at room temperature in case the rice is left for too long.
If you tried this Chicken and Chorizo Paella recipe, it would be mean so much to me if you could leave a review & a star rating to let me know how you found it! I love hearing about your experiences – it motivates me to keep creating more and more recipes for you guys 💛 Let’s get cooking! – Mimi x
Explore More Recipes
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Ingredients
- 1 large onion, finely diced (£0.65/3)=(£0.22)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced (£0.69/3)=(£0.23)
- 110 g (½ pack) Spanish chorizo skinned and chopped into small cubes or half moons (£2.25/2)=(£1.13)
- 300 g short grain paella rice (£1.40)
- 400 g 1 tin chopped tomatoes (£0.28)
- 650 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, sliced into chunks (£3.85)
- 300 g (½ bag) frozen mixed peppers (chopped), defrosted (£1.20/2)=(£0.60)
- 80 g 2 handfuls frozen peas, defrosted (£0.70/10)=(£0.07)
- 1 lemon, juiced + wedges to serve (£0.40)
CUPBOARD ESSENTIALS
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1½ tsp paprika
- 1 tsp turmeric
- 700 ml chicken stock
Method
- Add the diced onion and olive oil into a large/deep non-stick frying pan on a low/medium heat. Season with salt and saute for around 3 minutes, until softened.
- Next, add the chorizo into the pan and fry for a couple of minutes, adding the garlic in after the fat starts to render from the chorizo.
- Add the rice, paprika, turmeric, another pinch of salt and pepper and continue to gently fry for a couple of minutes. This will toast the rice slightly and bloom the spices.
- Next, pour the chopped tomatoes, chicken thighs and stock into the pan. Stir to incorporate everything and reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover with a lid for 20 minutes.
- After this, stir the peppers and peas into the pan and pop the lid back on to cook for another 5 minutes.
- At this point, everything will be cooked! Finish by squeezing the juice of half a lemon (or a whole depending on preference) into the pan and seasoning with salt if necessary. Enjoy!
Notes
- Minimise stirring after adding stock to develop socarrat: Avoid excessive stirring of paella after adding the stock to enhance the formation of sticky rice at the bottom of the pan, known as socarrat. Only stir occasionally when adding peppers and peas to prevent burning.
- Remove visible fat from chicken thighs before cooking to improve texture and reduce unnecessary fat, especially when the meat is already juicy and tender.
- Ensure even heat distribution in the pan by adjusting the burner placement every five minutes on a smaller hob. Use a wide shallow pan and distribute heat evenly, resulting in the best socarrat for your chicken and chorizo paella.
Nutrition
Leave a comment and a rating!
- Weekly meal plans with a £20 budget
- 150+ exclusive recipes
- Personal dashboard
- Exclusive step by step videos
- Shopping list tools
- Advert Free experience
Comments