Grilled Paella with North Country Andouille
Description
Adapted from America’s Test Kitchen via The Splendid Table
Paella is a dish built on patience: the right rice, the right heat, and the caramelized crust that forms at the bottom of the pan when everything comes together. That crust is called the socarrat, and it’s worth every minute of the time it takes to get there.
This version moves the whole thing outside. Cooking over a grill gives the rice a subtle smokiness and keeps the cook in the middle of the evening instead of stuck at the stove. Our Andouille brings depth and a measured heat that works with the dish rather than against it — slow-smoked to carry flavor without overwhelming everything else in the pan.
This isn’t a weeknight recipe. It’s a Saturday recipe. Plan for it, cook it outside, and don’t rush it.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 1 lb North Country Smokehouse Certified Humane Andouille, cut into ½-inch rounds
- 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, trimmed and halved
- 12 oz jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cups Arborio rice
- 4 cups chicken broth, warmed
- 1 (8 oz) bottle clam juice
- ⅔ cup dry sherry
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1¾ tsp smoked paprika
- Pinch of saffron threads (optional but worth it)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- ½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, chopped
- 6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- Salt and pepper
- Lemon wedges, to serve
- Equipment: A large sturdy roasting pan (at least 14 x 11 inches) or a 15–17-inch paella pan. Both work over a grill grate.
Cooking Instructions
- Build the broth. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, warm 1 tbsp olive oil. Add half the garlic and cook until it just starts to catch on the bottom of the pan, about 1 minute. Add tomato paste and paprika, stir constantly until the mixture darkens, about 1 minute more. Pour in the broth, clam juice, sherry, and saffron if using. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Set aside — this is going into the pan later.
- Season the proteins. Pat chicken dry and season well with salt and pepper on both sides. Toss shrimp with 1 tbsp olive oil, a pinch of the remaining garlic, a pinch of paprika, and a pinch of salt. Set both aside separately.
- Get the grill hot.
— Charcoal: Light a full chimney of briquettes (about 7 quarts). When ashed over, pour evenly across the grill and add 20 unlit briquettes on top. These will ignite during cooking and sustain the heat you need. Cover and heat 5 minutes.
— Gas: Turn all burners to high, cover, and heat for 15 minutes. Keep on high until you add the rice, then drop to medium-high.
- Grill the chicken. Clean and oil the grate. Grill chicken thighs until lightly browned on both sides, 5–7 minutes total. They won’t be cooked through — that’s fine. Return to plate and set aside.
- Build the base. Set the roasting pan directly on the grill grate. Add remaining olive oil (about ¼ cup). When it shimmers, add the onion, roasted red peppers, and ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring often, until the onion starts to brown, 4–7 minutes. Add rice and stir to coat every grain in the oil.
- Add everything and let it go. Arrange the chicken thighs around the outer edge of the pan —they’ll finish gently there. Pour the broth mixture over the rice and smooth into an even layer. When the liquid reaches a gentle simmer, place shrimp in the center in a single layer. Distribute the Andouille evenly across the surface. Cook — moving and rotating the pan to keep a consistent simmer across the whole surface — until the rice is almost cooked through, 12–18 minutes.
- Finish and find the socarrat. Scatter peas across the top. Cover the grill and cook until the liquid is fully absorbed and you can hear the bottom of the pan begin to sizzle, 5–8 minutes. Then uncover and keep cooking, checking the bottom of the pan with a metal spoon every couple of minutes, until a golden-brown crust has formed underneath — 8–15 minutes more. Rotate the pan as needed for even color.
- Rest before serving. Pull the pan off the grill. Cover loosely with foil and let it rest 10 minutes. Serve directly from the pan with lemon wedges.
Notes
— The socarrat is the goal. You’ll hear a faint crackling when it’s forming. A metal spoon scraping the bottom will tell you if it’s golden or if it needs more time. Don’t skip the rest — it matters.
— Andouille brings real heat. If you want a milder version, our Organic Kielbasa works here too.
— A roasting pan gives you more surface area for socarrat than a traditional paella pan. More crust is not a bad outcome.
— This feeds a crowd. Don’t make it for two people.
