Chicken and Sausage Paella

This recipe for Paella came from a Sur la Table cooking class. There are two secrets to this dish - using a paella pan and not stirring the rice while it's cooking. The paella pan is a large, shallow pan that helps evenly distribute the heat so the rice cooks evenly. It'll be tempting to stir the rice as it cooks but resist the urge! The secret to a good paella is the socarrat or the brown bottom that gets crispy as the rice cooks. The socarrat will not form if you keep moving the rice. 

You can not make this dish in advance but it's pretty impressive to make in front of a group of people. It serves about 6 adults so it's great for a crowd. 

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. olive oil

1 cup finely diced yellow onion

1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

1 cup crushed tomatoes or fresh tomato grated on a box grater

1/2 tsp pimentón (or paprika)

1/2 tsp kosher salt

1 bay leaf

3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 Tbsp. olive oil

10 ounces boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 2), cut into 1-inch pieces

1 generous pinch saffron

2 tsp pimentón (or paprika)

1 tsp turmeric

4 ounces andouille sausage, diced into 1/4-inch pieces

1 1/2 cups Spanish bomba paella rice (or arborio rice)

2 tsp kosher salt

1/3 cup fresh shelled or frozen peas, thawed

2 lemons, cut into wedges

Directions:

1. To prepare the sofrito: To a paella pan or medium skillet set over medium-high heat, add the oil. Add the onion, stirring frequently until tender and lightly caramelized, 5 to 8 minutes. Add bell pepper and garlic and cook, 2 to 3 minutes.

2. Add tomatoes, pimentón, salt, and bay leaf. Reduce heat to medium and stir frequently until the sauce is thick and turns a deep brick red color, about 10 minutes.

3. To a large saucepan, add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to low and cover to keep broth hot.

4. To prepare the paella: Push the sofrito to the side of the pan and add oil. When oil is shimmering, add chicken to the pan, season chicken with salt and pepper, and sauté until browned, about 5 minutes.

5. Make another space in the center of the paella pan; add the spices and toast for 30 seconds. Add the sausage and stir to combine everything.

6. Ladle 3 cups hot broth into the pan and stir in rice and salt, shaking the pan to evenly distribute the rice grains. Increase the heat to medium-high and boil for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the rice just starts to break the surface of the broth. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer gently, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. During the process, if the rice looks dry and undercooked, drizzle in additional chicken broth.

7. Remove the lid and increase the heat to medium-high; cook for about 2 minutes until the bottom layer of rice starts to crackle and caramelize, creating the socarrat. (At this point, you will need to closely monitor the paella and frequently move your pan around on the burner to evenly distribute the heat.)

8. With a spoon, gently scrape a small portion of rice from the bottom, peeking to make sure the rice is sticking and caramelizing but not burning (the rice should smell toasty, not burnt). If the rice is browned and caramelized on the bottom of the pan and the rice grains are al dente (chewy but with slightly resistant texture), remove from heat; sprinkle peas over the rice and cover, letting the paella rest for 10 minutes.

9. To serve: Garnish paella with lemon wedges and serve family-style straight from the pan.