Tejero-Style Paella with Chicken and Vegetables
Introduction
Paella is one of those dishes in which the rice absorbs much more than stock: it concentrates the flavours of the sofrito, vegetables, meat and cooking juices.
This Tejero-Style Paella is made for four people and adapted to ingredients that are easy to find in Germany. The goal is not to present one single “correct” way to make paella, but to share the version we cooked, adjusted and tested at home.
Origin and inspiration
The idea comes from paella preparations found in Spanish cookbooks and food publications. From there, I adapted quantities, timing and a few ingredients to what I can actually find where I live and to the equipment I use at home.
One of the goals was to achieve flavourful, evenly distributed rice with a light layer of socarrat on the bottom, without drying out or burning the rice.
As with many recipes from Mi Cocina entre Mundos, garlic is not essential here. Anyone who enjoys it can add it to the sofrito, while those who prefer to avoid it can make the paella without it.
About the garlic
Garlic is common in Spanish sofritos and rice dishes, but it is not indispensable for this paella to taste good.
With garlic: add 1 small finely chopped clove to the sofrito.
Without garlic: omit it and build flavour with a good vegetable sofrito, olive oil, spices and a well-seasoned stock.
Ingredients
- 320 g round-grain paella rice (Bomba rice)
- 500–550 g chicken, cut into 3–4 cm pieces
- 1 red bell pepper
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper
- 1 small onion
- 2 ripe tomatoes, grated or blended
- 1 small garlic clove, optional
- 900 ml–1 l hot chicken stock
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- a few saffron threads or a pinch of paella colouring
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- salt to taste
- black pepper
- fresh parsley to finish
- 1 lemon to serve, optional
Step-by-step preparation
1. Prepare the ingredients
Cut the chicken into medium pieces and dry it well with kitchen paper. Dice the peppers, finely chop the onion and grate or blend the tomatoes. If using garlic, chop it very finely.
2. Brown the chicken
Heat the olive oil in a wide paella pan over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and brown it for about 6–8 minutes, turning so it colours on all sides. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Remove it briefly or move it to the edges of the pan.
3. Make the sofrito
Add the onion and peppers to the same pan and cook for 5–7 minutes, until softened.
If using garlic, add it at the end and cook for only 30–45 seconds so it does not burn.
Add the grated tomato and cook for about 5 minutes, until some of the moisture evaporates and the sofrito becomes concentrated.
4. Add the spices
Add the sweet paprika and stir quickly. Immediately pour in the hot stock so the paprika does not burn.
Add the saffron or colouring. Taste the stock and adjust the salt.
5. Add the rice
Distribute the rice evenly across the pan. From this point on, do not stir the rice.
Spread the chicken back over the surface.
6. Cook the paella
Cook first over medium-high heat for about 7–8 minutes.
Then reduce to medium-low and continue for another 8–10 minutes.
The rice should absorb almost all the stock and be cooked but not mushy.
7. Create the socarrat
When very little liquid remains and the rice is almost done, increase the heat for 30–60 seconds.
You should hear a gentle crackling sound from the bottom. If you smell strong burning, remove the pan from the heat immediately.
That lightly toasted layer on the bottom is the socarrat.
How to get a good socarrat
Socarrat is not achieved simply by leaving the paella on the heat longer. The key is to wait until very little liquid remains and the rice is almost fully cooked.
At that point, increase the heat for 30–60 seconds. Listen to the bottom of the pan: you should hear a gentle crackle.
If you start to notice a strong burnt smell, remove the paella immediately. The aim is a toasted, flavourful layer, not burnt rice.
8. Rest
Remove the pan from the heat, cover loosely with a clean cloth or foil without sealing completely, and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Serving
Serve directly from the paella pan. Finish with a little freshly chopped parsley and offer lemon wedges for anyone who wants a touch of acidity.
Recipe note
Heat intensity matters more than following an exact time. Every hob and paella pan behaves differently, so watch the stock level and listen to the rice during the last few minutes.
Even without garlic, the flavour remains deep thanks to the sofrito, chicken, paprika and stock.
