Paella

This is a dish I discovered while befriending South Americans in the USA. It reminds me of a Palau and African jaloff rice.

Usually made with a mixture of seafood like clams and shrimp, which I’m allergic to, this version is made with chicken and churizo, also acceptable. This meal can be Vegetarian if you left out the meat and used Vegetable stock.

Marinate your chicken thighs for at least one hour.

Chicken Marinate:
Lemon juice
Oil
Sazon seasoning mix
Salt to taste

Ingredients

300g chicken thighs (seasoned/marinated)
1 churizo sausage
Diced brown onion
Diced red capsicum
4 cloves crushed garlic
2 Diced carrots
1 diced zucchini
Diced Spring onion
150g Button mushrooms
1 tbsp Dried Thyme
Fresh parsley to add at the end
2 tsp Smoked paprika
2 tsp Sweet paprika
1 tbsp Tumeric powder
1 tbsp Cumin powder
2 cups chicken stock
1 can diced tomatoes (250g)
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh lemon to garnish
1.5 cups washed Aborio rice
Deep sauce pan

Paella is not just rice cooked in broth, its meant to have a crust at the base where all the fat and seasoning settled at the bottom of the pan.

This is the tricky part, because you don’t want to burn your rice, but you want to scorch it just a little. Once the broth is absorbed, you should start hearing a frying sound, let that happen for a few minutes to form your Paella crust.

The only rice that works for this dish is a short grain rice like aborio. This is the same rice used for Risotto similar to sushi rice.

Method

Fry your chicken and sausage in oil until brown.
Add your diced Vegetables and dried thyme and saute’.

After 2 minutes add your spices to toast them. Tumeric, cumin, paprika. Once your spices are combined, add your can of diced tomatoes to start forming your broth.

Mix your diced tomatoes in, add your washed rice and combine. Once your rice is fully coated, add all of your chicken broth.

You should have a soupy broth enough to cook your rice. Taste your broth for seasoning, make sure it’s to your taste for salt.

Allow the mixture to come to a boil, then put the flame to low and cover to steam the rice. cook on low for 30 minutes, or until your rice is soft.

Once the rice is cooked, let the rice fry just a little when all the liquid is dried to create your crust. Listen for a frying sound, but do not let in burn!

This is a great dish to share and is usually the main. Server with lemon and sour cream, or hot sauce.

Bon Manger!