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Season the chicken thighs with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Heat a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil in a paella pan or large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook until golden all over. Remove from the pan and set aside.
Add the chopped onion, red pepper and green pepper to the pan. Turn the heat down to medium and sauté for 10-15 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and translucent. Stir in the chopped garlic and cook for a further minute.
Pour in the tinned chopped tomatoes and cook, stirring, for 5-7 minutes, until reduced and slightly darker. Stir in the sweet paprika and bay leaf, quickly stirring again to prevent the paprika from burning. If using saffron, soak the threads in a little hot stock, then add to the pan.
Add the rice and stir for about 2 minutes until it’s well coated in the tomato mixture. Return the chicken thighs to the pan, then pour in the hot chicken stock.
Bring to a gentle boil over high heat. Once it reaches the boil, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, without stirring, for 15-18 minutes.
About halfway through (around 8-10 minutes), scatter the peas evenly over the rice.
When the rice has almost absorbed all the liquid, remove the pan from the heat. Cover with a clean tea towel or a sheet of foil and leave to rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with lemon wedges, if you like.