Cast Iron Paella 🔥

GRILL your paella using a cast-iron skillet! It gives the paella a smoky flavor and mimics the traditional method of cooking paella over an open flame.

Get Martha Tinkler’s recipe👇

Cast Iron Paella
Recipe Courtesy of Martha Tinkler for Food Network Kitchen
Level: Intermediate
Total: 1 hr 20 min
Active: 40 min
Yield: 8 servings

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs (about 1 pound), diced
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 mussels (about 1 pound), cleaned and debearded
12 medium shrimp (22/30 count; about 8 ounces), peeled and deveined, tails on
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 links dry-cured chorizo (about 8 ounces), sliced into 1/4-inch-thick dice
1 clove garlic, minced
1 onion, finely diced
1 red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 teaspoon saffron threads
3 tablespoons tomato paste
One 8-ounce jar clam juice
2 cups short-grain rice, such as bomba or arborio
1/2 cup frozen green peas, thawed
Minced fresh parsley, for serving
Lemon wedges, for serving

Directions

Special equipment: 12-inch cast-iron skillet; a gas grill

Prepare a gas grill for medium-high heat. Fill a medium saucepan with 6 to 8 cups water, place on the grill and bring to a simmer; place a 12-inch cast-iron skillet on the grill to preheat.

Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon of the paprika, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Toss the mussels and shrimp in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons of the oil, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the remaining 1 teaspoon paprika. Set aside.

Once the grill and the skillet are very hot, after about 10 minutes, add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil to the skillet. Add the chorizo and chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until both are lightly browned and the oil is red from the fat, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a plate and reserve.

Add the garlic, onion and bell pepper to the skillet and stir in 1 teaspoon salt. Reduce the heat under the skillet to low. Cover the grill and cook, uncovering and stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened and translucent, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the wine and saffron to a small bowl. Let sit for at least 5 minutes and up to 20 minutes.

Return the heat under the skillet to medium high, stir in the tomato paste and cook, stirring, until the paste starts to darken, about 2 minutes. Add the saffron mixture to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom, then add the clam juice and reserved chicken and chorizo. Bring to a simmer. Stir in the rice, making sure each grain is coated in the oil from the skillet. Ladle about 3 cups of the simmering water into the skillet, adding a little more if the rice is not completely covered. (Use the slotted spoon to make sure all of the rice is under the water.) Lower the heat under the skillet to medium, cover and cook, rotating the skillet occasionally, until the liquid is almost absorbed, about 15 minutes.

Add the peas and reserved shrimp and mussels to the top of the rice, pressing them all down into the rice with the spoon. Reduce the heat to low and cook, covered, until the shrimp are pink and the mussels are opened, about another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately with the lemon wedges.

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