Ingredients

Serves 4-6

1kg chicken thigh fillets, cut into large bite size pieces, mixed with the following ingredients and left to stand for 1 hour: 1 tablespoon sweet paprika; 2 teaspoons dried oregano; salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 chorizo sausages, thickly sliced
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 Spanish onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
Bunch flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped, reserve some for garnish
1 425gr can crushed tomatoes
4 cups short grain Spanish rice
1.5lt warm chicken stock
Generous pinch saffron threads
12 prawns, shelled and deveined, with tails left on
12 mussels, cleaned
½ cup peas, cooked
1 roasted capsicum, cut into long strips
Lemon wedges, for serving

Method

Heat a paella pan (or large flat bottomed fry pan) over medium-high heat. Fry the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add oil and chicken and brown on all sides, season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.

In the same pan, fry the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture is well combined and a little bit golden brown. (This step is known as making the sofrito.)

Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in stock and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Cook for approximately 10 minutes.

Remove from heat and add the prawns and mussels, tucking them into the rice. They will take about 8 minutes to cook, by which time the rice should be completely cooked. 
When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom.  This toasted rice bottom is called socarrat. It is a true sign of a perfect paella.

Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, capsicum, parsley and lemon wedges. 

Notes

Paella is easy to make as it requires virtually no stirring.  It is extremely flexible; you can use a variety of meats or seafood and it can be as lavish or basic as you like. It is also fairly low in fat. It is impressive to serve as a dish for entertaining and equally at home as a family dinner. It is cooked and served in the same pan, so minimal washing up and the leftovers are good eaten hot or cold.