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chicken and ham paella

15-inch Grilled Chicken and Ham Paella

Rebecca Eisenberg
Impress your friends this grilling season by whipping together this 15" chicken and ham paella. Topped with juicy, crispy-skinned chicken thighs, and seasoned with smoked Spanish paprika and saffron, it's loaded with chorizo, Canadian bacon, and lots and lots of fresh peas.
This is a low-and-slow cooking situation, so pull up a chair and get cozy by the grill while you get dinner ready!
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Resting time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 45 minutes
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 3 cups arborio rice
  • 8 cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
  • 6 slices Canadian bacon (cut into wedges)
  • 2 chorizo sausages
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • ½ cup peas (use more if you want more!)
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 3 medium tomatoes
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary (minced)
  • 18-20 threads saffron
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1½ teaspoons seasoned salt
  • 1 teaspoon diamond crystal kosher salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions
 

  • Combine uncooked rice, rosemary, saffron, paprika, and salt in a medium mixing bowl or container. Set aside.
  • Finely chop onion, red, and green peppers, and garlic (or use a food processor). Combine in a bowl and set aside.
  • Slice the tomatoes in half and squeeze the juices through a strainer into a bowl. Run the open side of the tomato up and down the large holes of a box grater to remove the skin.
  • Pat chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides with seasoned salt and pepper, making sure to get it under the skin.
  • Set your grill to 400°F, about medium heat. Place the empty paella pan over the grill grate to warm up, then add olive oil and spread it around so it coats the bottom of the pan.
  • Place the chicken thighs in the pan skin-side down. Cook chicken 4-5 minutes on each side, undisturbed. Then remove chicken to the top rack of the grill (if yours has one) or to a clean plate off to the side.
  • Add sliced chorizo to the pan, and cook, stirring frequently until the fat renders into the pan and the slices are crispy around the edges.
  • Add pepper, onion, and garlic mixture and cook down until soft and most of the liquid has evaporated, about 4-5 minutes.
  • Add tomatoes and stir frequently to cook off most of the liquid, about 4-5 minutes (it may need longer, depending on your grill temp).
  • Once the tomatoes have reduced, add the Canadian bacon wedges and stir to break them up, about 1 minute.
  • Add the rice mixture and peas, and stir well to completely coat the rice grains. Spread the rice out into a nice even layer, moving things around in the pan if needed. This is the last time you will touch the rice while cooking!
  • Add the chicken back to the pan, skin-side up, nestling it into the rice.
  • Pour 4 cups of chicken broth into the pan (hold back if the pan is at risk of overflowing). Everything should be submerged except for the tops of the chicken thighs — you want the skin to stay crispy.
    Close the grill lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
  • After 10 minutes, the liquid level should drop as it absorbs into the rice. Add four more cups of chicken broth, cover, and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
    Again, you may need to adjust how much broth you add each time — don't overfill the pan or submerge the chicken skins. Add liquid, let it absorb into the rice, then add more liquid, until all the liquid has absorbed.
    It should take about 20 minutes total to cook, but grilling is rarely so precise — if there's still broth bubbling around or lots of liquid, let it keep cooking as long as it needs to absorb and reduce the broth. You know what cooked rice looks like — use that as a gauge rather than a timer.
  • Bonus optional step — SOCARRAT! Once the liquid has absorbed, crank the heat to high for 1-2 minutes to get a nice socarrat on the bottom of the paella.
  • Remove paella from the grill, cover with a clean kitchen towel, and let rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

RECIPE NOTES

  • This recipe was adapted from Alton Brown's paella recipe which uses a charcoal grill.
  • Cook time provided is an estimate — it will fluctuate based on your grill temperature! Paella can sit for a while before serving, so give yourself an extra 30-40 minutes before you need it to be done just in case, if you can.
  • Store leftovers in airtight container with chicken pieces on top. To reheat, place chicken on foil-lined sheet pan in 350F oven for 8-10 minutes. Microwave rice until warmed through.