The sun has been out in its full glory this week, so I thought a recipe with a Mediterranean vibe would be appropriate! This is perfect for when you want a tasty meal to share with friends, or when you’re trying to avoid lots of washing up!
Ingredients (serves 4):
A pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons of oil
2 chicken thighs (chopped)
1 onion (sliced)
1 red pepper (sliced)
200g chopped tomatoes 100g of chorizo (diced)
2 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
Half tbsp of paprika
150g paella rice (similar to risotto rice due to high starch – the grains shouldn’t stick together)
500ml of chicken stock
300g frozen prawns
100g frozen peas
Handful of fresh parsley (finely chopped )
1. Heat a large frying pan and cook the saffron very briefly to dry it out. Then place the saffron in a small bowl and pour 2 tbsps of boiling water over it, and leave to soak.
2. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in the frying pan and add the sliced chicken for 10 minutes, or until it’s thoroughly cooked through.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan.
4. In the same pan, cook the onion, peppers and tomatoes over a medium heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring well so they don’t stick to the bottom.
5. Add the other tablespoon of oil and the chorizo and fry for a further 5 minutes.
6. Stir in the garlic, paprika, saffron and rice, and heat for 1 minute before adding the chicken stock.
7. Bring to the boil, and then turn down to simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Do not stir the rice too much because this will make it sticky!
8. Add the frozen prawns and peas, half the parsley to the pan and stir, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Then add the cooked chicken and cook for a further 5 minutes on a high heat.
9. Remove the lid from the pan and then cook for another couple of minutes, or until all the chicken stock is totally absorbed.
10. Sprinkle the remaining parsley on top. Enjoy!
