Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Sear the chicken and chorizo

Heat the olive oil in a large paella pan or wide, shallow frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper, then add to the pan in a single layer. Sear for 3–4 minutes per side until deep golden brown — don't rush this step, as the colour builds flavour. Add the chorizo and fry for 2 minutes until it starts to release its smoky red oil. Remove the chicken and chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving all the oil in the pan.

Build the sofrito

Reduce the heat to medium and add the red bell pepper to the pan. Cook for 3–4 minutes until softened, then add the garlic and tomato. Stir and cook for another 3–4 minutes until the tomato breaks down into a thick, fragrant paste — this is your sofrito, the flavour base of the paella.

Toast the rice

Add the rice and smoked paprika to the pan, stirring to coat every grain in the oil and sofrito. Toast for 1–2 minutes until the rice looks slightly translucent at the edges.

Add stock and simmer

Pour in the warmed chicken stock and stir once to distribute the rice evenly across the pan. Nestle the seared chicken and chorizo back in, pressing them gently into the rice. Bring to a lively simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low. From this point, do not stir — leaving the rice undisturbed is key to developing the coveted socarrat, the golden, lightly crisp crust on the bottom.

Cook until the rice is tender

Cook uncovered for 20–25 minutes until the stock has been fully absorbed and the rice is tender. In the final 2 minutes, turn the heat up to medium-high briefly to encourage the socarrat — you'll hear a gentle crackling and notice a faint toasty aroma. Remove from the heat when the bottom is golden but not burnt.

Rest and serve

Cover the pan loosely with foil or a clean tea towel and rest for 5 minutes — this lets the rice finish steaming and the flavours settle. Scatter over the fresh parsley and serve straight from the pan with lemon wedges on the side for squeezing.