Recipe: Chicken & Chorizo Paella

Today: the perfect paella - made with chicken, chorizo and a lot of love - plus a side of fried sweet plantains. It’s all from Chef Rosana Rivera - click here to visit her website for cooking classes, gourmet foods and a calendar of her upcoming appearances.

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Chicken & Chorizo Paella

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled & minced
  • ¼ cup Spanish onion, diced
  • 4 oz tomato puree
  • ⅛ tsp Spanish smoked paprika (Pimenton de la Vera)
  • ¼ cup diced Spanish chorizo
  • 1 lb chicken thighs, cut into ½" cubes
  • ½ cup Spanish bomba rice
  • Pinch of saffron
  • 3 cups hot, high-quality chicken stock
  • ¼ cup white wine, optional
  • sweet green peas, optional
  • red piquillo pepper strips, optional
  • - ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

Directions

Heat olive oil  in a 10" paella pan over medium heat.

Add chicken and spread in an even layer. Season with salt. Cook on both sides until the chicken is light brown. Remove and set aside to add back later.

Add 2 more tbsp of oil to paella, then stir in onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, approximately 3 minutes.

Add chorizo and cook until the oils release, and chorizo is fragrant.

Add paprika. Cook for 1 minute. 

Add tomato purée and stir to combine.

Add rice, stirring to coat the rice with the sauce.  Cook for approximately 5 minutes.

Return the chicken to the paella and stir with the rice.

Add half the hot stock and bring to a boil, then add saffron and season with salt. 

Stir the rice during the first 5 minutes while boiling, then lower heat and simmer for an additional 15 - 20 minutes. 

Do not stir rice again as it may cook unevenly. As stock dries keep adding more stock until rice blooms and is tender. Paella is finished when rice has absorbed all liquid.

Remove paella from heat, cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Garnish with sweet green peas and peppers, optional.

Fried Sweet Plantains

Ingredients

  • 2 cups vegetable oil or lard
  • 3 - 4 extra ripe sweet plantains

Directions

Heat oil or lard on a deep sauté or frying pan over medium heat

Peel and slice sweet plantains approximately ¼ inch thick on a bias cut

Prepare plate or pan with paper towels and set aside

Working in batches, gently drop each slice of plantain into oil. Fry on each side until dark golden brown, turning once.

Remove from oil and drain on paper towels to remove excess fat.

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