Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Making this Chicken and Chorizo Paella at home is easy and really fun. It is made with chicken thighs and traditional Spanish chorizo, along with a sofrito and short grain rice. Today I’m sharing tips and techniques so you can make the perfect paella!

I have tried so many types of paellas in my life, and chicken and chorizo paella is one of my favorites. I really love the flavors that chorizo adds to paella…a bit spicy, smoky, and ultra delicious. I can’t really describe the flavor profile in words…it’s the kind of thing that you just need to try to understand. It adds depth to the dish and it’s amazing!

Making this chicken and chorizo paella at home is super easy, and today I am sharing all you need to know about it, including tips and tricks!

Paella 101

Before we start, here are some things to know about paellas:

• It is a traditional dish from Spain
• It is always cooked on a shallow pan. The traditional Spanish paella pan is shallow and made of carbon steel.
• A good paella has a good socarrat, which is that crust of toasted rice that forms in the bottom of the pan. It’s hard to achieve, and takes lots of practice.
• Key ingredients: sofrito, saffron, paprika, chicken stock, short grain rice, tomatoes.

Chicken and Chorizo Paella Ingredients

Each ingredient in this easy paella recipe plays a key role:

• Chicken: I used skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs. You can also use chicken drumsticks or cubed chicken breast.
• Spanish chorizo: The smokiness of Spanish chorizo adds depth and color to the dish. Use smoked Spanish chorizo or semi-smoked Spanish chorizo. Semi-smoked Spanish chorizo, which is what I used, will add more flavor and color than fully smoked Chorizo will.
• Sofrito (red bell peppers, onion, garlic): This trio will be your flavor base. Make sure you cook the sofrito until soft and fragrant.
• Smoked paprika: adds smokiness and colors.
• Saffron threads: Saffron is a unique spice whose flavor is very hard to describe. It’s a bit floral and it adds more than just taste…it adds depth. It’s a key ingredient in paellas. Dissolve saffron threads in a little bit chicken broth before adding to the paella.
• Short grain rice: Always use short grain rice, like Bomba or Arborio, because it absorbs all that flavorful liquid much better.
• Chicken broth: Use good quality chicken broth, as it is a key flavor-building ingredient.
• Can of diced tomatoes: Adds flavor and color.
• Green peas: Adds color and contrast.
• Olive oil: what’s a good paella without good Spanish olive oil?! 🙂

How to Make this Chicken and Chorizo Paella

1. Season and cook the chicken thighs: Season with salt and pepper on both sides, and cook about 8 minutes per side on medium heat. Remove from pan and set aside.
2. Cook the sofrito and chorizo: Don’t wipe the skillet clean! The brown bits from the chicken are packed with flavor. Add some olive oil and cook the sofrito (red bell peppers, onion, garlic) along with smoked paprika, until soft and fragrant. Then cook the chorizo.
3. Add the rice and diced tomatoes: after adding the rice and tomatoes, cook for about 2 minutes to toast the rice, stirring.
4. Add chicken broth and saffron threads: Bring to a boil and reduce heat.
5. Add peas and return chicken to pan: nest the chicken in the rice.
6. Cook uncovered for 20-25 minutes on low heat: rotate the pan occasionally if one side of the pan is cooking more than the other.
7. Remove from heat and cover with foil for 10 minutes: this will allow the rice to absorb the remaining liquid and flavor.
8. Serve with lemon wedges and parsley.

Heat Control

Traditional paella is cooked over the grill set up in a specific way to heat up a large pan evenly. Some people also use gas burners designed specifically to heat up large paella pans.

On a regular stove at home, where the gas burners are a lot smaller, rotate the pan occasionally if one side of the pan is cooking less than the other. This will also help prevent the bottom from burning. You want the bottom to be crispy, not burnt.

Making paella at home is so much fun. It’s always a feast whenever we make paella! I hope you give this a try, and be sure to check out the “Tips fro Making the Perfect Paella” section below.

If you’re interested in more rice recipes:

• One Pot Jambalaya
• One Pot Mexican Chicken and Rice
• Stuffed Acorn Squash with Wild Rice and Mushrooms

Thank you for reading, and please don’t forget to pin this recipe 🙂

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