Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Every time a chef on the Food Network made paella I would immediately change the channel. Since I don't like seafood I thought I would never be one to eat paella. I was wrong. You see a few weeks ago at work I was browsing through the menu for our class and lo and behold, there was paella. To my surprise no seafood was involved. I was a bit astonished. I guess I had always seen mounds and mounds of seafood in paella and never thought it could be prepared in any other way. Again, I was wrong. In fact there are several different kinds, but really it is adaptable to individual tastes (duck, rabbit, pork, chicken, seafood, or vegetarian). Anyway, I was so impressed with the chicken and chorizo paella that I had to make it at home. One thing I love about this dish is that aside from cooking the meats, it really is a one dish wonder (always a plus when you're the one that does the dishes). Since it is a main dish, we served ours up with a side salad and some fruit. It was super filling and full of great flavor! I hope you'll give this a try, it's a great meal for cooler weather and can be adjusted to serve a few or a crowd. Enjoy!

Chicken and Chorizo Paella

Ingredients

4 tbsp. olive oil

3-4 saffron threads

2 c. short-grain white rice (I used Bomba)

4 c. chicken broth

1 lb. chorizo, cooked and diced

1 lb. chicken, cooked and diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 yellow onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 c. thawed peas

4 tsp. smoked pimentón (Spanish paprika)

½ tsp. cayenne pepper

½ tsp. oregano

salt + freshly ground black pepper (season to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a medium size paella pan over medium heat, pour 2 tbsp. of olive oil into the pan and sprinkle in saffron threads. Heat until fragrant (be careful not to burn). Add garlic, onion, bell peppers, and tomato. Cook until soft, about 3-4 minutes.

2. Add remaining olive oil and pour in rice. Stir until rice is coated. Add chicken broth. Bring mixture to a simmer, then reduce heat. After about 15 minutes add chicken, chorizo, and peas. Cook until the broth is absorbed and the rice is tender. Cooking time will vary, for me it took about 25-28 minutes. Stir occasionally to prevent the rice from sticking to the bottom of the pan. 

3. Season with pimentón, cayenne pepper, oregano, salt, and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Adapted from Sur La Table, Chicken Shrimp and Chorizo Paella | Makes 6 servings