Quick and Easy Pungent Paella (Chicken and Chorizo)

I absolutely adore this dinner and cannot survive with out eating this at least once a month. This time it was the perfect dish to serve for a dinner with friends as it is very quick and very easy and doesn't take too much looking after. The first time I cooked this I made the little ones their own variation, with a little onion and garlic sauteed in butter before adding some paella rice, frozen peas, half a stock cube (low salt) and some water. This ended up being a fruitless activity however, as they tucked into ours and were not all interested in their own!

Please give this a go, it is amazing!

Pungent Paella

Olive Oil

Salt and Freshly ground Pepper

1 Onion

2/3 Skinless Chicken breasts cut into chunks

150g Chorizo cut into cubes

300g Arborio/Paella Rice

150ml Dry Sherry or make this up with stock if you prefer

2 Cloves Garlic chopped/ pressed

2 Pinches Paprika

Pinch of Saffron (if you have it, but it does give amazing flavour)

Knob of Butter

400ml Chicken Stock

250g Prawns (Raw are better but if you don't want to de-vein etc just go with the pink ones and cook for less time so they don't get tough)

150g Frozen Peas

Lime or Lemon Wedges to serve

1. Heat the oil in a large flat based pan (i.e a frying pan). Saute the onion until soft but not coloured.

2. Add the chicken and chorizo and sizzle with the onions. The bright orange colours will be released from the chorizo to coat the chicken and onions.

3.  Throw in the garlic and paprika and cook for a couple of minutes. Take the pan off the heat to cool a little then add the Sherry and boil rapidly to cook off some of the alcohol.

4. Add the rice, butter, saffron and stock. Turn down the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes until most of the liquid has been soaked up by the rice. Don't stir as you want the rice to stick a little on the bottom for the crunchy, nutty flavour. About half way through cover the dish either with a lid or some foil.

5. When the rice is nearly cooked add the prawns and peas and re-cover to cook through until the prawns are piping hot.

I like to take the whole thing to the table for everyone to dive in. Serve on warm plates with a crusty buttered loaf and a chilled glass of crisp white wine!

It really is a good as it looks! Give it a go and enjoy.