Easy Paella

Paella is a dish that originated in Spain. We Americans think of it as a National dish, but Spaniards think of it as a regional recipe, originating in the area Valencia. It’s name comes from the old French word, paelle, for pan. Although we associate it as a seafood dish, it can also be just vegetables. Seasonal additions can be added, like green beans or artichokes. As long as its base is short grained rice and it’s all in one pan.

What you need:

  • 6 pieces of chicken
  • ½ pound raw, medium shrimp, shelled
  • 18 clams, little neck sized
  • 1 ½ cup sliced Spanish Chorizo – NOT Mexican chorizo (Linguisa can be substituted if you can’t find hard, smoked, Spanish chorizo)
  • 1 to 2 Tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cloves of garlic
  • 1 cup chopped Spanish onion (or any sweet yellow)
  • ½ chopped red or orange bell pepper
  • 1  1/2  teaspoons sweet paprika
  • 4 Tablespoon minced, fresh parsley
  • 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano
  • 1 ¼ cup rinsed short grained white rice
  • 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
  • 15- 20 saffron threads (or 1 teaspoon turmeric)
  • 1 can of fire roasted tomatoes (not seasoned)

 

NOTE: Some of the ingredients aren’t that easy to find and saffron is quite expensive. I’ve noted substitutes for those items. It will alter the flavor slightly but not enough to change the deliciousness.

How to Do it:

Season the chicken pieces on both sides with salt and pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a heavy skillet. Put the chorizo in the pan and lightly brown it. Brown the chicken on all sides, then remove and set aside, leaving the chorizo in the pan.

Add the onion, garlic, bell pepper and 1 Tablespoon of parsley and sauté gently.

Stir in the rice, paprika and oregano, cooking until the rice starts to turn more opaque.

Stir in the broth and turmeric, bringing to a boil, then reducing the heat to low. Add the tomatoes and gently place the chicken on top and cover. Simmer for about 45 minutes, or until the rice is nearly done.

Place the shrimp in the pan and cover. Cook on low for 5 minutes, then add the clams and cover.

Continue to cook until the clams open.

Serve hot!

Makes about 6 servings

© Copyright 2018 The Lazy Gastronome

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3 Responses to Easy Paella

  1. Teresa says:

    I love paella! I usually eat it when I’m in Spain but, oddly, I never tried to make my own. I’m going to give it a try and see if I can convince my kids to eat it.
    Thank you for sharing the recipe at The Really Crafty Link Party. Pinned!

  2. Pingback: Tasty Tuesdays: Favorite recipes from February | Creative K Kids

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