Outdoor Cooking & Charcoal Oven Recipes / Chicken

Chicken, chorizo and seafood paella cooked in the Charlie Oven

Cooked in the Charlie Charcoal Oven

Chicken, Chorizo and Seafood Paella

Chicken, chorizo, prawns and mussels over saffron rice with smoked paprika. This generous paella cooks in one pan in Charlie, with the seafood added towards the end. Bring out the whole pan and serve from the middle. Everyone gets a bit of the good stuff.

Tara QuickCo-founder, Charlie Oven
Roast
Prep20 minutes
Cook30 minutes
Serves8
DifficultyEasy
Oven temperature200°C (390°F)
RackPaella pan or deep skillet on the Cooking Rack
CharcoalAbout half a football of good quality lumpwood charcoal, enough to reach and hold 200°C (390°F), plus a piece of oak

Charlie Oven — https://charlieoven.com/en-au/blogs/charcoal-recipes/seafood-paella

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Ingredients

8 servings

For the paella

For the seafood

For smoking

To serve

Equipment

Everything used in this recipe. Already have Charlie? Add the accessories in one go.

Method

Light Charlie

  1. Light Charlie

    Set a rack in the middle of the oven. Light good-quality lumpwood charcoal, open the vents and close the door. When the temperature reaches 185 to 190°C (365 to 375°F), choke the vents down to almost closed. The temperature will continue to rise a little and settle at around 200°C (390°F). Add some wood to the charcoal. We use oak.
    Why this mattersCharlie holds its heat very well, so closing the vents before you reach 200°C (390°F) stops it overshooting. Add the oak dry. Never soak wood.

Build the base

  1. Warm the stock

    Heat the chicken stock in a saucepan on your hob. Take 2 tbsp of the hot stock and use it to soak the ¼ tsp saffron threads, then return the saffron and its soaking liquid to the stock. Keep warm while you prepare the rest of the paella.
    Why this mattersSaffron needs time in hot liquid to release its colour and flavour. Adding hot stock also keeps the pan at a steady temperature, so the rice starts cooking straight away.

  2. Heat the pan

    Put a deep skillet or a paella pan on the rack in Charlie and close the door. Get the pan hot before you start cooking.

  3. Seal the chicken and chorizo

    Add the olive oil, chorizo and chicken to the hot pan and seal on all sides, for 2 to 3 minutes.
    3 min timer

  4. Cook the onion and paprika

    Add the onion, garlic and paprika and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Close the door in between stirs. Season with the salt and some black pepper.
    5 min timer

Cook the rice

  1. Toast the rice

    Add the rice and stir, coating all the grains in the oil, and cook for 2 minutes.
    2 min timer

  2. Deglaze with wine

    Add the white wine and let it bubble for a minute, scraping up anything stuck to the base of the pan.
    1 min timer

  3. Add the stock and cover

    Pour the hot saffron stock into the pan and stir. Cover the rice with foil or greaseproof paper, close the door and cook for 10 minutes.
    10 min timer
    Why this mattersThis is the last time you stir. Unlike other rice dishes, paella is left alone once the stock is in, so the rice cooks evenly and a light crust forms on the base of the pan.

Seafood

  1. Add the frozen prawns

    Press the frozen prawns into the rice, trying not to stir. Re-cover, close the door and cook for 5 minutes.
    5 min timer

  2. Add the mussels and fresh prawns

    Add the mussels and the fresh prawns, if using. Re-cover, close the door and cook for 5 minutes, until the mussels have opened.
    5 min timer

Smoke and serve

  1. Uncover and smoke

    Take off the cover and cook for a further 2 to 3 minutes. Close both vents completely to fill the oven, and the paella, with smoke.
    3 min timer

  2. Serve

    Bring the pan to the table and serve with lemon wedges, plenty of chopped flat leaf parsley and the lemon zest.

Tips

  • Mix and match ingredients depending on what you have at home: this dish works well with frozen mixed seafood
  • Add peas to increase the vegetables
  • If the dish gets too dry, add more stock
  • Do not stir the rice once the prawns are added, as this helps create the crispy socarrat on the bottom
  • Closing the vents at the end infuses the whole dish with beautiful smoke flavour

More recipes

The cook

Tara Quick

Co-founder, Charlie Oven

Tara Quick is co-founder of Charlie Oven, a lifelong foodie who loves to cook and bring people together around the table. Her approach is simple: start with great ingredients, let the oven do the hard work and cook with love. Food made with love just tastes better.

More recipes by Tara Quick

Frequently asked questions

  • Can I use frozen mixed seafood?

    Yes. This dish works well with frozen mixed seafood. Press it into the rice in place of the frozen prawns and mussels.

  • What should I do if the paella gets too dry?

    Add a little more hot stock. Pour it around the edge of the pan rather than stirring it in.

  • Why shouldn't I stir the rice once the stock is in?

    Leaving it alone lets the rice cook evenly and form a light crust on the base of the pan. Stirring releases starch and makes it creamy, like a risotto.

  • What pan should I use?

    A paella pan is ideal, but a deep skillet works well. Heat it in Charlie on the rack before you start cooking.

  • Do I need to add wood?

    It isn't essential, but a piece of dry oak on the charcoal gives the paella its smoky flavour, especially when you close the vents at the end.