Chicken Paella

Chicken paella is one of my favorites. Betty Crapper could eat several platefuls quite happily.

It's not the quickest meal to put together, but requires minimal effort once you have the chicken and chorizo browned. I find the hardest thing about the dish is removing the casing from the chorizo. Betty Crapper really hates getting chorizo under her fingernails.

You will need chicken broth, chopped tomatoes, white rice, peas, olive oil, salt, pepper, turmeric, saffron, chopped onions, minced garlic, sliced chorizo, and cut up chicken thighs. 

Don't skip the saffron. Buy it because you will make this dish again. It's good. Betty Crapper would not lie to you.

Once you have everything chopped, sliced, minced, and measured you are ready to go. 

Brown the chorizo, followed by the chicken. Let them hang out in a plate while you saute the onions and garlic.

The hard part is done. Add a little chicken broth to the pan and scrape up all the browned bits. Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet and add the rest of your ingredients. Bring to a boil, cover, and place in the oven. After 25-30 minutes it's done. The rice will be hiding under the chicken, chorizo, peas, tomatoes, and olives. I promise.

Stir it all together and it will look like this:

Betty Crapper would not lie to you. Trust me, she is a horrible liar.

Chicken Paella

(inspired by Ellie Krieger's So Easy)

2 tbsp olive oil

3 ounces Spanish chorizo, casing removed, sliced into 1/4 in rounds

1 lb boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2 inch pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

5 ounces frozen peas (half package)

1  cup uncooked white rice

1 large ripe tomato, chopped

1/4 cup sliced green pimento-stuffed Spanish olives

1/2 tsp salt, plus more to season chicken

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, plus more to season chicken

1/8 tsp ground turmeric

small pinch of saffron

Preheat oven to 375 F. Season chicken lightly with salt and pepper, set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large, oven-proof skillet with lid. Brown chorizo and remove to a plate (about 3 minutes). Next, brown chicken in batches and remove to a plate (about 5 minutes each batch).

Add remaining oil to skillet. Add the chopped onions and cook until soft and translucent (about 3-5 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently for 1 minute. Add some of the chicken broth to pan and scrape up all the brown bits. Return chicken and chorizo to skillet and add the remaining ingredients (rest of broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, and spices). Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to oven. Cook 25-30 minutes until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. Stir and serve.

Makes 4-5 servings.

Tips/Notes

• Don't forget to season your chicken with salt and pepper before browning. I have made this recipe without seasoning the chicken, as Ellie Krieger wrote her recipe, and have found the chicken pieces to be tasteless in the finished dish. 
• My recipe has half the amount of peas called for by Ellie Krieger. When I made the dish with 10 ounces of peas, the peas were overwhelming.
• Use caution when removing the skillet from the oven. Betty Crapper once (ok twice) absentmindedly reached into the oven without protection and burned herself. Oops! That handle sure does get hot.
• This recipe doubles very well and makes great food for a party. Just make it in a large Dutch oven.