Chorizo and seafood paella recipe - Amazing

Paella is a specific Spanish dish and this recipe is not one that follows the traditional, so I should probably come up with another name for this dish. However,  I can not think of anything that will describe it better than a Chorizo and seafood paella in a rich chicken stock sauce. If anyone reads my blog and wants to try a dish from it I urge you to choose this one. It is amazing and I am happy to say so without any fear of being called arrogant. Try it for yourself and see.

Difficult - moderate
Serves - 6 (make some and freeze the rest)

Ingredients

400g of paella rice
2 Chicken wings
2 uncooked chorizo sausages
200g of raw king prawns
200g of mussel meat
50g pancetta
1 onion
4 garlic cloves
1 inch of root ginger
1 tomato
2 spring onions
10 chopped babycorns
100g of frozen peas
1 sprig of sage
2 handfuls of chopped coriander
1 chili
1.5 litres of chicken stock
150ml of white wine
2 tsp of paprika
salt and freshly cracked black pepper

Method

1. This may sound lengthy, but stick with it and you'll create a meal that can soon become your signature dish.
2. In a little vegetable oil fry the chicken wings for five minutes over a high heat, turning often, but allowing the chicken to get crisp. 
3. After five minutes add one chopped chorizo sausage and the pancetta and stir for another five minutes over a high heat. 
4. Turn down the heat to low and instantly add the chicken stock. Stir for three minutes and turn off the heat. The chicken stock will now add to its flavour from the chorizo and chicken wings to create an astonishing chicken flavour.
5. In a new pan heat a little oil and then add chopped chili, ginger, garlic, onion and the remain chopped chorizo sausage, which will add to the oil and the colour at this stage.
6. After five minutes add the paprika (and chili seeds if you like a really spicy dish) and then add the rice. Stir well for a minute to coat the rice.
7. Add the white wine to a hot heat and then after the wine has reduced turn the heat down to a medium/low temperature.
8. Now spoon add the following ingredients, namely the stock (and the chorizo, pancetta and chicken wings), sage, tomato (roughly chopped), salt and pepper (no more than a teaspoon of each), peas and babycorn.
9. Simmer for 15 minutes so that the sauce begins to thicken.
10. Add the chopped spring onion, coriander, prawns and mussel meat and simmer for a further five minutes.

Stir well and serve on its own, or with warmed olive bread.

I love serving this dish with quite a bit of sauce remaining, but it would do no hard to simmer a bit more if you wish to reduce the liquid further.

Please let me know if you attempt this dish as your feedback would be much appreciated.

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Chicken breast stuffed with chorizo

This is one of my favourite 'dinner party dishes' as it tastes fabulous and looks far more impressive than it probably is. It can be fiddly to pull off a perfect stuffed chicken breast, but is far from complex, so give it a go and let me know how you get on.

As much as we all love chicken a whole breast can lack flavour, so stuffing it with chorizo makes up for this with abundance, while the wafer thin prosciutto wrapped around also adds a lovely taste. Ok, on to the recipe.


Ingredients

4 large plump chicken breasts
5 inches of cured chorizo sausage
4/8 rashers of prosciutto
1 large onion (finely chopped)
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
1 tbsp of olive oil

Method

1. Start by turning the oven on to 180 degrees.
   
2. Now the difficult bit. Use a sharp knife with a small blade and carefully push it into the end of each chicken breast at the plumpest part. Make sure you do not get too close to breaking through at the other end. Take out the knife and push in a (washed) finger to open up the hole further, but keeping the breast in tact.
   
3. Now chop four inches of the chorizo (one inch per chicken breast is enough, but you can use more) into small pieces. Slice the remaining inch into four even pieces, which will be used to block up the chicken later.
   
4. Fry the onion in a little of the oil for a few minutes and then add the chopped chorizo. Stir constantly until the chorizo lets off its oil and the onion is soft. Take off the heat and mix in the salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
   
5. Once cool push as much of the mixture as you can into each chicken breast. Don't push your luck or the breast may rip. Use the chorizo slices to fill the hole.
   
6. Now rub the remaining oil over the breasts and place on a hot pan over a medium heat, turning often to sear all sides. Do one at a time to make it easier.
   
7. Finally wrap the semi-cooked breasts with the prosciutto. One or two slices each depending on their width. Now place in the hot oven with foil placed roughly on top of the breasts. Turn once at 15 minutes, remove the foil and leave for another 15 minutes.
   

Please check the chicken is fully cooked and then enjoy your meal, especially when you first slice open your stuffed chicken breast.

A variation of the above is to add chopped chili in with the onion to give an extra kick to this dish.

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