Chicken & Chorizo Paella

The other night, I had friends over for dinner and decided on a Spanish dinner theme. One reason for this theme was because I scored a really awesome cast iron paella pan at a thrift store for $3! I’ve been anxious to use it and having a Spanish dinner night was the perfect reason. Come to find out, my guests haven’t had Spanish food before so I was happy to provide a slight introduction. Although traditional paella involves seafood, I made this Chicken & Chorizo Paella instead because of allergies. It came out so delicious and certainly made quite a presentation at the table…

This was a great dish that worked as a one pan meal. Full of colorful vegetables, tender chicken, and spicy chorizo tossed in a bed of seasoned rice, the only accompaniment you’ll probably need is a crisp green salad.  This makes a lot of paella and it’s great the next day, when the flavors will have a chance to meld even more.

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
14 ounces chorizo, cut into 1/2 inch slices on the diagonal
1 small onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon pimenton or paprika
2 cups short- or medium-grain rice
1 pinch saffron threads
2 bay leaves
4 cups chicken stock + more as needed
1 1/4 pounds roast chicken (meat from 3-pound chicken skinned, deboned, and torn into chunks)
1/2 cup frozen peas
1 tomato, chopped
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly minced parsley for garnish