Serious Eats - seriouseats.com

Paella is a seafood dish. If you want chicken and sausage and rice, why not just make Jambalaya or Red Beans and Rice? Leave the Paella for the seafood lovers.

My mom makes a killer paella. It's basically this recipe for arroz con pollo (chicken and rice) but with lots of fish and seafood instead of chicken.

Since you don't want to overcook the seafood, add it when it says to add the chicken, but then remove it once it's cooked and stir it back in at the end. Serve with fresh peas and pimentos.

Chicken Paella

This is a bit of a cheating paella recipe. While still delicious, it won't come close to the traditional thing.

Ingredients

1 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 4 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
1 C. sliced fresh mushrooms
3/4 C. long-grain white rice
3/4 C. chopped onion
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 C. water
2 cubes Maggi Chicken Flavor Bouillon Cubes
1/2 tsp. Italian herb seasoning
1/8 tsp. ground saffron or turmeric
1 1/2 C. loose-packed frozen peas
1/4 C. sliced roasted red bell pepper or pimiento

Directions

Heat oil in large skillet. Add chicken; cook on each side until golden brown and no longer pink in center. Remove from skillet. Add mushrooms, rice, onion and garlic to skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until rice is golden brown. Combine water and bouillon in liquid measuring C.; stir into rice mixture. Add herb seasoning and saffron. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium. Cover; cook for 20-25 minutes or until rice is tender. Stir in peas and roasted pepper. Spoon rice mixture into 4 individual casserole dishes; top each with a chicken breast. Cover with foil; freeze for up to 4 months. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 1 hour or until heated through. Or, cover with plastic wrap and microwave on medium-high power, rearranging once. Microwave 8-10 minutes for 1 casserole and 13-16 minutes for 2 casseroles. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if desired, just before serving.

Yield: 4 servings

Hillary
Chew on That