Discover Quique Dacosta’s Delectable Chicken Paella Recipe | Food Lovers Unite!

My philosophy is to export the most traditional dishes of my culture to the world. In my opinion, the soul of every meal should be paella, of which interpretations differ widely across the globe, but I have tried to showcase its true authenticity. The most important part of any paella is the stock, which the rice absorbs to give flavour; it can then be topped with all kinds of wonderful ingredients. Food, for me, is sharing and happiness, which I hope this dish gives.

Chicken paella

Prep 10 min
Cook 45 min
Serves 2-3

For the sofrito
3 ripe tomatoes
A drizzle of good olive oil
1 big pinch saffron threads
1 tsp sweet paprika
1 tsp hot paprika
Salt and pepper

For the paella
40ml olive oil
2 chicken wings (free-range, for preference)
2 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in (free-range, for preference)
40g green beans, trimmed
40g cooked garrofó beans (ideally from a jar), or haricot or other white beans
6 artichoke hearts from a jar
50g sofrito – see above and method
240g round paella rice, bomba ideally
1 litre hot chicken stock 1 sprig fresh rosemary

First, make the sofrito. Halve and finely grate the tomatoes, discarding the skins. Put a little oil in a small frying pan on a medium-low heat, then gently fry the saffron and both paprikas until the oil is colored. Add the grated tomatoes, leave on a low heat to cook until most of the liquid has evaporated, then take off the heat.

Now for the paella. Put 20ml oil in a 40cm paella pan or frying pan on a medium-high heat, then fry the chicken, turning occasionally, until golden brown all over. Transfer the chicken to a plate.

In the same pan, gently fry the green beans, garrofó beans, and artichoke wedges for two to three minutes, then transfer the vegetables to another plate.

Lower the heat under the pan, then add the remaining oil, the sofrito, and the rice, and fry, stirring, for 45 seconds. Add the hot stock, turn up the heat and bring to a boil. Return the chicken and vegetables to the pan, stir them in, then use a spoon to spread the rice evenly across the pan. Leave to cook undisturbed for 10 minutes – it is crucial you do not touch or stir the rice – then lower the heat and leave to cook gently for a further five minutes, again without stirring, or until all the stock has been absorbed and the rice is cooked through. Place the rosemary sprig in the center of the paella and serve straight from the pan.