Skillet Chicken and Vegetable Paella with Saffron

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Bone-in chicken thighs are browned hard, then simmered with saffron rice, mushrooms and green beans in one wide skillet. The thighs season the broth from the inside out, and the rice sits undisturbed long enough to build a crackly toasted layer on the bottom — socarrat — that turns a weeknight family dinner into something worth announcing at the table.

Ingredients

• 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (about 2 1/4 lb total)
• 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1/2 tsp saffron threads, lightly crumbled
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

• 1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 8 oz cremini mushrooms, quartered
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika (pimentón)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 6 oz green beans, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
• 1/2 cup frozen peas

• 1 1/2 cups Spanish bomba or Calasparra rice (or arborio)
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges
• 3 tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1/4 cup pitted green olives, halved (optional)

Instructions

1. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels. Season all over with 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt, the black pepper and the sweet paprika. Let them sit at room temperature while you prep the vegetables, at least 15 minutes.
2. Warm the chicken broth in a saucepan over medium heat until steaming but not boiling, about 5 minutes. Add the saffron threads and 1/2 teaspoon salt, remove from the heat, and let steep. The liquid should turn deep gold. Keep it warm on the back of the stove.
3. Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch skillet (cast iron or stainless, with a lid or foil available) over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the thighs skin side down without crowding — work in two batches if needed. Sear undisturbed 7 to 8 minutes until the skin is deep brown and releases easily, then flip and sear 3 minutes more. Transfer to a plate.
4. Pour off all but about 3 tablespoons of fat. Add the mushrooms to the skillet and cook over medium-high, stirring only occasionally, 6 to 7 minutes until browned and no longer squeaky. Add the onion and bell pepper with a pinch of salt and cook 5 minutes until softened.
5. Stir in the garlic and smoked paprika and cook 30 seconds until fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring and scraping, 2 to 3 minutes until it darkens to brick red and starts sticking to the pan — this is the flavor base, so don't rush it.
6. Add the rice and stir 1 to 2 minutes to coat every grain in the sofrito. Spread it into an even layer.
7. Pour in the warm saffron broth and stir once to distribute the rice evenly. Nestle the green beans into the rice. Bring to a brisk simmer over medium-high, then arrange the chicken thighs skin side up on top, tucking them so the skin stays above the liquid. Pour in any juices from the plate.
8. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, without stirring, for 20 minutes. Rotate the pan a quarter turn every 5 minutes if your burner runs hot in the center. The liquid should drop to just below the surface of the rice.
9. Scatter the peas and olives over the top. Cover with a lid or foil, turn off the heat if the rice looks nearly dry, or continue on low 5 more minutes if there is still visible liquid. The chicken should register 175°F at the thickest part of the thigh.
10. For socarrat: uncover, raise the heat to medium-high and cook 2 to 3 minutes without stirring, listening for a steady crackle and sniffing for toasted — not burnt — rice. Test with a spoon at the edge; you want a golden crust on the bottom.
11. Remove from the heat, cover loosely with foil and rest 8 minutes. Uncover, scatter with parsley and serve straight from the skillet with lemon wedges, scraping up the crust with each portion.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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