Chicken and Andouille Sausage Paella

Here is one of my favorite paella recipes that I love making in my Staub Paella pan. This Chicken and Andouille Sausage Paella recipe has evolved since the first time I made it.  I am excited to share one of my favorite paella recipes that I love to cook for my friends and family.

I do have to mention, this paella pan. This Staub Paella Pan is one of the best paella pan’s I have ever cooked with. I am not just saying that because I happen to love Staub products. I have cooked with many different types of paella pans and I have burnt the middle of every pan that I have ever used. The great thing about this Staub Paella pan is that it is made out of enameled cast-iron and is built to endure high heat. I have an electric oven so that could be the reason why I have burnt all my other aluminum paella pans. But after switching to this pan 6 years ago, I have seen a dramatic difference in my paella dishes. Huge!

This pan was actually a wedding gift from our gift registry at William Sonoma. So a quick shout out to all of those brides who have run out of ideas, I would highly recommend adding this to your gift registry. It will be the one gift that becomes a gift to those who are guests in your kitchen.

First a little history. Paella originated in Valencia, the third largest city in Spain and today the city is well known for rice dish, Paella. There are hundreds of variations of paella today but the traditional original paella recipe is called Valencian Paella with chicken, snails, and rabbit. It was known to be a farmers and farm worker’s dish and they would make this dish in an open wood fire and make it for lunch during their work day. Today paella is known as part of a world cuisine and is traditionally eaten in social settings.

The first time I ate this dish is when I was in Spain and have eaten 100’s of different versions since. This variation is my take on paella.

I do have to mention that the first time I made this, I admit, it took a lot longer than usual the first time I made it. I made this dish for a group of friends and we ate this paella dinner close to midnight! In true european form.

Before we start. I do recommend measuring everything out before hand. That is my foodie tip. Now let’s start making this dish!

It all starts with the sofrito. Sofrito is the base of the paella recipe. And for other Spanish recipes for that matter. Sofrito consists of onions, garlic, tomatoes, and bell peppers. And salt to taste. Below is a quick snapshot of my ingredients. Because this recipe has so many ingredients. I do recommend measuring out everything first, before cooking. Prep is a wonderful skill I forced myself to learn.

When you prep the paella ingredients, you will feel like a top chef! Without all the pressure of feeding hundreds of people. It is such a great accomplishment to make this dish. I especially enjoy watching people dig into the paella, like they are in a candy store!

I was cooking this paella with my 2 year old while he was asleep. I have to say mid-cooking he woke up and I made the rest of this dish with my sleepy bear on my hip and that was no easy task, because he is 38 lbs. However, it was so much fun to have him feel included in our dinner. He added the add the green beans and the peas to the paella pan. I have to say he was the most excited to eat this dish! And, this is perfect toddler dish, I might add.

I highly recommend using frozen peas. 

Paella Recipe

Makes 6-8 servings

Ingredients for the Sofrito

3 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves, finely chopped

2 onions, finely chopped,

2 tomatoes, diced

1 cup of green bell peppers, diced

1 tsp. Himalayan Salt

 

Stock

10 cups of Chicken broth

1 cup of White Wine

 

Ingredients for the Paella

½ cup of olive oil

1 lb. Andouille sausage (dry)

2 lbs. Chicken thighs

8oz. of green beans

2 red bell peppers

4 cups of paella rice

1 tsp. Saffron

1 tsp. Smoked Paprika

Salt

 

To make the sofrito:

Heat the pan. Add the olive oil to the pan, and lower the heat. Add the onions and garlic,  and saute until translucent. Add the tomatoes, and bell pepper and stir for about 30 minutes, until the consistency thickens.

 

To make the stock:

Add the chicken stock and wine together in a pot and bring boil and then simmer for about 10 minutes.

 

To make the Paella:

Heat the Staub paella pan. Add olive oil to heated pan and add the salt to the oil. Mix well. Add the chorizo and saute well. Add the chicken and saute until browned. Add the green beans, and the red bell peppers and saute for 3 minutes. Add the sofrito mixture and stir well. Add the rice and stir well until the rice is well coated and turns almost translucent.

 

Add 8 cups of the liquid mixture and stir for the first 5 minutes and lower the heat to a simmer. Add the saffron and paprika and salt.

 

Do not stir this dish. Their well be a poaching effect when you do not stir the rice. If you stir it, it will break the seal and the rice won’t taste the same. There should be about 2 cups reserved in case you need more broth.

 

Cook on an open stove uncovered for about 20-30 minutes. If needed add more chicken stock, slowly add the hot liquid on top. About 5 minutes before you are done cooking add the frozen peas decoratively and cover with aluminum foil and let them steam. Serve in the middle of a table with some great friends.

Buen Provecho!