For busy week nights, it’s nice to have a few dishes in your back pocket that come together quick, use only one pan, and act as protein, main dish & side dish all together. Paella is one of those things for me, and I love how versatile it is.

Paella is traditionally a seafood dish, made with shrimp, clams, mussels, squid – really any number of things a fisherman might have left over from trying to sell the day’s catch. But for my kids, they’re keen on chicken, and I always toss a few clams in or myself.

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Chicken & Sausage Paella

An easy dinner made in one pan that eats as a complete meal all by itself. Also it's super good.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Cook Time30 minutes mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Spanish

Keyword: dairy free, gluten free, paella, rice

Servings: 8

Equipment

• 3.5 Qt Cast Iron Casserole with Glass Lid
• Cutting Board
• Miyabi Evolution 8in Chef's Knife
• Flat Wooden Spatula

Ingredients

• 1 medium yellow onion chopped
• 1 red bell pepper chopped
• 1 pasilla pepper (or green bell pepper) chopped
• 4 cloves garlic finely chopped
• 2 links Spanish chorizo (or smoked sausage) sliced
• 3 boneless skinless chicken thighs diced
• 1.5 Tbsp smoked paprika
• 1-2 tsp saffron threads
• 3 cups medium grain rice Spanish Bomba, or Italian Arborio
• 14oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 cup clam juice
• 3.5 cups chicken stock unsalted
• 1 medium lemon cut into 6 wedges, seeds removed
• 1 lb clams little neck or Venus
• 1/2 cup Italian parsley roughly chopped
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Instructions

• Place your cast iron skillet or paella pan on medium heat. Add about 2 Tbsp olive oil and bring to temperature. Add the onion, peppers, garlic, and a couple pinches of salt and black pepper. Saute until the onions begin to turn transluscent.
• Add another 2 tsps of olive oil. Then add the sausage and chicken, cook until the chicken is almost cooked through. Add the paprika and saffron, season again with a few pinches of salt and pepper and toss together.
• Add the rice, stir and cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, clam juice and chicken stock. Stir together, season again with salt and pepper and add the lemons.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover. Simmer 5-10 minutes, then add the clams and cover again. Simmer for 20-25 minutes until all water is absorbed. Let sit for 5 minutes, then add the parsley on top. Serve warm and enjoy!