Simple Easy Paella

We had a special delivery from a kind hearted family friend of some freshly caught spot prawns and I was inspired to whip up a super easy and delightfully simple paella.

One thing I love about dishes like paella is that they’re not meant to be fussy or finicky, just classic comfort food that provide a big generous satisfying serving.

I incorporated sliced pepper, mushroom and kale because I wanted to use them up (and you know me and adding extra veg to everything), but toss in whatever you’re feeling! The best paella I’ve ever had was one I enjoyed at The London Chef stacked full of a whole assortment of fresh seafood like scallops and rockfish. In fact, I believe many traditional recipes call for rabbit instead of chicken - yum!

Basically what I’m saying is have fun, don’t take it too seriously, and use this as a rough guide for your own at-home experimentation if you so choose…

Simple Easy Paella

Prep time: 30 mins

Cook time: 30 mins

Makes about 8 servings

Ingredients 

• 1 tbsp + 1 tsp paprika

• 3 tsp dried oregano

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 2 cups uncooked short-grain rice

• 1 pinch saffron threads


• 1L stock (I used chicken bone broth)


• 1 lemon, zested (then sliced into quarters
 for garnish)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced

• 
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced

• 2 cups mushroom, thinly sliced

• 4 cups kale, thinly sliced
1/2 lb chorizo sausage, cut into pieces 
1 lb prawns, peeled and deveined

• 2 lb chicken, boneless/skinless, cut into pieces

• Extra virgin olive oil (about 1/2 cup or so)

• Sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper to taste

• Flat-leaf parsley to garnish (optional)

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp paprika, 2 tsp oregano, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

2. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Cover and refrigerate.

3. Heat a couple tbsp of olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat. Stir in garlic, 1 tsp red pepper flakes, and rice. Cook, stirring to coat rice with oil, for about 3 minutes. *NOTE: I always like to give my rice a thorough rinse before cooking.

4. Stir in saffron threads, chicken stock, lemon zest, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Meanwhile, heat a couple tbsp of olive oil in a separate skillet over medium heat, then stir in the onion, cooking until beginning to get translucent.

6. Add in the pepper, sautéing with the onions until starting to soften.

7. Add in the mushrooms, followed by the kale. Season with remaining paprika and oregano, and a sprinkling of salt/pepper. Once cooked, set aside.

8. In the same pan (or a new one), heat a couple tbsp of olive oil and add in the marinated chicken.

9. Once cooked, add in the prawns and cook until pink throughout.

10. Combine the veggie mix with the chicken/prawn mix and set aside.

11. Once the rice is cooked, transfer to a large bowl, stir in the veggie/chicken/prawn mix, and stir in the sausage until evenly dispersed throughout.

12. Garnish with flat-leaf parsley and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, and enjoy!