Day 12: A Short Hop Over to Spain
Day 12 of the World Cup of BBQ saw a fairly short hop over the Mediterranean to Spain. I have cooked ‘traditional’ Paella on the BBQ previously but have not tried Chicken and Chorizo Paella.
Preparation and the Cook
For this cook, I used a 46cm Paella Pan that I have had for a few years, although it has not been used a great deal. This cook was definitely helped by having one and I think it could be a bit of a challenge without one. Being a 46cm pan, it is a pretty tight fit on the 57cm Weber GBS but does work great.
This was a charcoal cook, which was arranged in a shallow, even layer across the base of the BBQ to help get an even heat distribution across the Paella Pan. I used the Premium Charcoal from Green Olive, which has a fairly burn time, so was perfect for this cook.
The first thing I did with this cook was char the chicken. I wasn’t worried about fully cooking it at this stage but just wanted to get it a little chargrilled before slicing and adding to the paella later in the cook.
Once I put the Paella Pan and on and heated up it was then a case of following the recipe and making some adjustments to the timings as I was adding each of the ingredients.
One thing to do with this cook (and for any cook for that matter) is make sure you get the lid back on the BBQ as often as possible. This will not only keep the temperature of the BBQ stable but will also help infuse some of that lovely smoke into your dish.
The Verdict
With the World Cup being in winter this time Chicken and Chorizo Paella dish worked so well. It was a really hearty dinner for a winters evening and was a pretty straight forward cook that had some great flavours. Definitely one to do again!
Chicken and Chorizo Paella
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 Garlic Clove (crushed)
- 2 Tomatoes on the Vine (chopped)
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Salt
- Pinch Saffron Threads
- 100 g Chorizo
- 100 g Frozen Peas
- 150 g Bomba Rice
- 425 ml Chicken Stock
Instructions
- Once you have got you BBQ ready cook the the Chicken Breasts direct over the coal. This is really to get some char on them. You dont have to cook all the way through as you will be adding to the Paella mixture later in the cook and cooking through. Cook for around 5 minutes each side. Remove and slice up your chicken.
- Remove from the grill and place to once side and add your Paella Pan. Let it warm up then add your Olive Oil.
- Next add your Chorizo and cook for around 3-4 minutes stirring continuously. Add your chicken and mix well and cook for a further 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Try to put the lid on when you aren't stirring to get some of that smokiness into the food.
- Add the Garlic and cook for 1 minuted before adding the Chopped Tomatoes, Smoked Paprika and Salt. Stir and cook for a couple of minutes.
- Pour your Bomba Rice into the pan followed by the Saffron Threads and give everything a really good stir. Let the ingredients cook for around 2 minutes then add your Chicken Stock.
- Mix everything well and then spread the ingredients evenly across the pan. After around 10 minutes add your Peas. Now cook until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Check on the mixture occasionally and give it a stir if required but make sure you then make sure the mixture is evenly spread across the pan.
- Remove from the BBQ and plate up. Enjoy with a glass of White Rioja or Albarino!
