Recipe Details

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 160°C fan/gas 4. Remove the skin from the chicken pieces with a small sharp knife, then remove any particularly fatty bits by scraping the undersides of the skins with the blade. Lay the pieces of skin flat on a tray in a single layer and cook in the oven for 10-12 minutes until golden and crisp. Be careful not to let them get too dark in colour as they will turn bitter. Sprinkle with salt and set aside to cool.
2. Cut as much meat from the chicken bones as you can, then set the meat aside and put the bones in a large saucepan. Pour in 1 litre water, the onion skin and root, the parsley stalks and any other bits of veg trim you have in the fridge to make a quick stock. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer while you cook the paella.
3. Roughly chop the chicken meat into bite-size pieces. Put a wide, deep frying pan (or paella pan, if you have one) over a medium heat and add a dash of oil. Once hot, add the chicken, season well, then cook for a few minutes until browned all over. Remove from the heat.
4. Finely chop the peeled onion, then add it into the same pan along with the chorizo, garlic, chilli and pepper. Add another pinch of salt and cook for 5 minutes until softened, then return the chicken to the pan (along with any juices it has released). Stir in the tomatoes, white wine, paprika and saffron and simmer for a further 5 minutes.
5. Add the rice to the pan and stir well to ensure each grain is coated and glossy, then strain the hot stock through a fine sieve into the pan. Leave to simmer gently for 25 minutes uncovered and untouched.
6. Nestle your mixed seafood on top of the rice, then cover and cook for a further 5 minutes. By this time all the liquid should have been absorbed and the grains at the bottom of the pan should have crisped up and darkened.
7. Remove the pan from the heat and leave to rest for 5 minutes before serving topped with the crispy chicken skin, chopped parsley leaves and lemon wedges.