Paella how long

Transfer the chicken to a bowl and set aside. Pour another 1 tbsp of oil into the pan, tip in the chopped onion and garlic and stir-fry for mins, until softened and just starting to colour.

Stir in the pepper and paprika with the remaining tablespoon of oil and stir-fry for a further mins. The pan should have lots of crispy, brown bits on the bottom, which will all add flavour. With the heat still quite high, quickly stir in the rice so it is well-coated in the oil, then pour in the saffron-infused stock plus ml boiling water, scraping up the sticky brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.

Return the browned chicken pieces to the pan, then add the chopped tomatoes. Cover the pan and cook on a medium heat for 10 mins, stirring once or twice. Scatter the peas, prawns and fried chorizo over the top, cover again and leave to cook a further mins, or until the rice is just cooked and most of the liquid in the pan has been absorbed. Remove the pan from the heat, put the lid on and leave to rest for 5 mins.

Stir a few times to mix the ingredients, season to taste and scatter over the chopped parsley. Serve with lemon wedges and an extra drizzle of oil, if you like. This speeds up the cooking of the seafood but, in comparison to the Harts' paella, the rice seems slightly mushy. Perhaps most unorthodox of all, however, is Sri Owen who, in her Rice Book, admits that at home she gets the best results by "cooking the rice and seafood separately and combining them together just before serving".

I'm all for giving the rice a little individual love and attention but this seems a shame: despite the use of some fairly pricey and nicely flavoured stock, the dish is bland, becoming simply rice with seafood rather than a paella. I make his paella with arborio and no one notices the difference, even under sustained questioning, although I decide it's slightly chalkier — which could, of course be entirely the power of suggestion.

The other important ingredient, of course, is the stock that rice is cooked in. The Harts go to the trouble of making one specially, using prawn heads, fennel, tomato and brandy, but I feel the complexities of flavour are lost in the finished dish. Chicken, as used by Colman Andrews in his Valencian paella with shellfish, imparts a pleasingly savoury note but jars with the marine flavours in this particular dish. Both chefs use copious amounts of olive oil, which also helps on this front.

Although I try using fresh tomatoes, the tinned sort give a more reliable flavour here and are much less fiddly to prepare. Pizarro also uses monkfish in his paella, which goes down well with the testing panel — it's firmer than Sri Owen's cod, so it doesn't break down during cooking, and it makes a nice textural contrast to the smoothness of the squid.

The peas he uses add a sweetness to the dish, but as broad beans are still in season here I've substituted them in homage to the fresh white lima beans that make an appearance in the traditional paella valenciana.

Paella is sometimes served with aioli but, although I can never resist a spoonful if there's some around, its rich, garlicky flavour does overpower the delicacy of the rice. To make the most of it, allow the dish to rest before serving. As Colman Andews points out, "most aficionados of paella prefer it tepid rather than hot", and with good reason: it tastes much better.

I'm not sure there's any truth in the idea that paella should only be eaten with a wooden spoon but I'm sure that it really, if possible, should be scoffed straight from the pan. This is a festive dish that celebrates the joy of communal dining rather than a formal knife and fork affair — so make it for Sunday lunch, stick the pan straight on to the garden table and get stuck in.

Shell the prawns and put the flesh aside. Pour in the stock and simmer gently for 30 minutes, then strain, season to taste and keep warm. Heat the remaining oil in a 26cm paella or other wide, thin-based pan and add the monkfish. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, then stir in the paprika and cook for one minute. Recipe may contain shellfish, soy and sesame. This top meal is inspired by Spanish cuisine, is full of flavour and can be served on its own or as part of a banquet.

Click on the underlined ingredient to reveal the quantity. No need to flip back and forth! Log In Sign Up. Easy Spanish paella 15m prep 45m cook 6 servings. Save Recipe people saved this. K Kirrily La Rosa. Select all ingredients. Add to shopping list. Combine saffron Unsure of the quantity needed?

OK, Got It. Meanwhile, heat oil 1 tbsp olive oil in a 28cm base deep frying pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken 4 chicken thigh fillets, trimmed, cubed.