Chicken Paella

Perhaps we should make it clear that we are no paella experts. After enjoying this dish several times on our Camino in Spain, we came back to South Africa and tried to make it like the Spaniards. Of course, it is not the same, but somehow over the years, we managed to achieve the same taste and flavour as the paella in Spain.

Put it on the table:

The main ingredients of a chicken paella are chicken, rice, vegetables and saffron. There are two ingredients that I would like to single out, namely saffron and rice.

Saffron: I think saffron might be the secret ingredient in paella (or that’s what an old man in Spain told us). It gives that distinct yellow colour and also unique taste to paella. My suggestion: Don’t leave this ingredient out when you’re making paella.

Rice: If you can find it, use Bomba rice. It is traditionally used in paella and will not go mushy. We couldn’t find it here in East London and used good old Tastic rice. It worked well, but I would suggest that you try using Bomba rice for your paella.

Ingredients for Chicken Paella

2 chicken breasts (boneless)

2 chicken wings (for garnish)

1 Chorizo sausage

¾ cup frozen peas

1 red pepper, chopped

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, chopped

3 tablespoons good quality tomato sauce (we used bottled Napoletana)

1 cup Bomba rice

750ml – 1 liter chicken broth

saffron water: a large pinch of saffron + 1 cup of warm water

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1 teaspoon turmeric

2 bay leaves

salt & pepper, to taste

olive oil, to fry

Start by seasoning the chicken wings with your favourite spice and olive oil. While we prefer to cook the paella on the fire, we simply cook the chicken wings in the oven at 180°C/356°F for 30 minutes (turning after 15 minutes). Once it’s done, set it aside.

Season and bake chicken wings in the oven

Now it’s time to make the fire and prepare all the other ingredients. Chop the onion, garlic and pepper, as well as the chicken and chorizo. Remember to soak the saffron in hot water to enhance the flavour.

Get all the ingredients ready for the chicken paella

Heat olive oil in a paella pan (or large skillet) and fry the chicken pieces until golden brown. Add the chorizo ​​and fry until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Stir occasionally.

Fry chicken and chorizo in paella pan

Add the chopped onion and pepper and fry until soft and translucent.

Add onion and pepper and fry until soft

Add the garlic, as well as all the spices (saffron, paprika, turmeric, bay leaves and salt and pepper). Stir and fry for 3 minutes.

Add garlic and spices

Add tomato sauce, then the rice and stir.

Add tomato sauce

Add rice and stir

Now add the chicken broth and cover the paella pan. Let it simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes or until the rice is tender. If necessary, add more water until the rice is cooked. Add the frozen peas towards the end.

Add chicken broth and cover

After about 20 minutes, add frozen peas

Remove the lid and cook until all the liquid is absorbed.

Let the paella cook until liquid is absorbed

Remove the paella from the heat and garnish with the cooked chicken wings. Serve immediately.

Chicken Paella

Although paella is a classic Spanish dish, we are quite happy with our South African version of this. When I close my eyes, I imagine for a fleeting moment that I’m back in beautiful Spain on the Camino.

Paella – bursting in flavour