Prep time 15 mins – Cook time 40 mins – Serves 4
Ingredients
- 2 cups El Socarrat paella rice
- 4 cups chicken broth, preferably homemade
- 600–700g bone-in chicken thighs
- 10–15 saffron threads
- ½ onion, diced
- 1 large ripe tomato, diced
- 1 green capsicum, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped or crushed
- 1 roasted red capsicum, sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 200°C.
- Bring the chicken broth to a gentle simmer in a saucepan. Add the saffron threads and allow them to infuse while you prepare the rest of the paella. Keep the broth warm.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil in a large oven-safe paella pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, then brown for approximately 4–5 minutes per side. The chicken does not need to be completely cooked through at this stage. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Prepare the sofrito: Reduce the heat to medium and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same pan. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, until softened.
- Add the green capsicum and garlic and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the diced tomato and cook for 5–7 minutes, or until the tomato has broken down and most of the excess liquid has evaporated.
- Add the paella rice and stir for 1–2 minutes, coating the grains evenly in the sofrito.
- Pour in the warm saffron-infused chicken broth and season with salt and pepper. Stir gently just once to distribute the rice evenly across the pan and bring to a gentle boil. Do not stir the rice again from this point.
- Arrange the browned chicken evenly over the rice and top with the sliced roasted red capsicum.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake, uncovered, for approximately 18–20 minutes, or until the rice is tender, the broth has been absorbed and the chicken is completely cooked through.
- Remove from the oven and allow the paella to rest for 5 minutes before serving directly from the pan.
- Enjoy!