Which British chef's chorizo paella recipe is cited as a famous controversy?

The British chef whose chorizo paella recipe became a famous controversy was Jamie Oliver.

In 2016, Oliver shared a recipe combining chicken thighs and chorizo in a dish he called paella. The addition prompted a strong reaction from Spanish and Valencian cooks, who argued that chorizo does not belong in traditional paella valenciana. The episode was widely nicknamed “Paellagate.”

The dispute reflects a common mix-up: paella is both a broad international style of rice dish and, more narrowly, a protected culinary tradition associated with Valencia. Traditional Valencian versions typically use rice, beans, chicken, rabbit, saffron, tomato and water, while seafood paella is another established regional style.

Chorizo can appear in international adaptations and mixed rice dishes, but its presence makes Oliver’s recipe a modern interpretation rather than a canonical Valencian paella. That distinction—not Oliver’s identity or the recipe’s popularity—is what made the dish controversial.