Ingredients
3 tbsp olive oil
6 chicken thighs, boned, skinned, cut in half
150g Mathesons smoked sausage
2 onions, chopped
1 large red pepper, quartered, deseeded and sliced
1 large green pepper, quartered, deseeded and sliced
150g peas
1 heaped tsp smoked paprika
2 pinches saffron (or 1/2 tsp tumeric)
1/2 tsp ancho chili powder
1/2 tsp rosemary
1 bay leaf
250g paella rice
1L pints hot chicken or vegetable stock
24 raw king prawns
salt and freshly ground black pepper
handful chopped fresh flatleaf parsley, to garnish
lemon wedges, to serve
Method
Heat two tablespoons of the oil in a 36cm/14in paella pan or a very large frying pan set over a medium heat. Season the chicken thighs with rosemary, chili powder, salt and freshly ground black pepper and fry for five minutes, turning regularly until lightly coloured. Add the sausage and cook for a further minute. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl with a slotted spoon.
Add the onions to the pan and fry gently for five minutes until soft and lightly golden-brown. Add the remaining oil, red pepper and green pepper to the onions and cook for two minutes, or until beginning to soften. Stir in the smoked paprika and cook for a further minute.
Stir in the saffron, bay leaf and rice and cook for one minute until the rice is coated all over with the oil. Return the chicken and sausage to the pan, along with any juices that have collected underneath the meat. Stir well, then pour over the stock. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat and cook for 18 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Reduce the heat slightly, scatter the prawns over the top of the paella and continue cooking for a further 6-8 minutes, or until the rice is tender and almost all the liquid has been absorbed, turning the prawns once and pushing into the rice where you can. The prawns should be completely pink once cooked. It is important not to stir the paella after the prawns are added as you want the rice to become lightly browned and a bit sticky on the bottom as this adds lots of flavour.
Sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and serve with the lemon wedges.
Enjoy with some freshly made white wine spritzer.
