Ah, paella. A meal that, when eaten, conjures the dulcet sounds of a Spanish guitar wafting through an open widow on a warm summer's eve in Barcelona. Maybe that's hyperbolic, but I just really enjoy paella as both a concept and a food; it is the Iberian cousin of risotto (one of my other favs) while also having a flavor profile that is so uniquely "paella". It is amazing, period.
Moving past that uncomfortable love note to rice, I chose to make this dish because it was something that, in the few times I had tried it, I enjoyed. In addition to the yummy connotations I had with the meal, it also seemed to be pretty easy to make, from what the recipe purported, and that sealed the deal. I was actually very surprised how similar it was to the Chicken and Rice I had made a couple weeks ago, this similarity giving me a sense of comfort in what I was doing. And that ease translated into a meal that went off without a hitch. The one problem I did have was more equipment related and leads me to warn any one who wants to make paella that you should choose a pan that looks too big because I promise it won't be, the rice and chicken filling a lot more space than one my first think.
Additionally, a fun first I had with paella was that it was the food that gave me my first cooking related injury, the handle of the fresh-from-the-oven pan looking innocuous enough for me to forget that it was scalding hot. That deception, or absentmindedness on my part, resulted in a lovely burn on my finger that I can, days later, happily report is fully healed.
Recipe:
Chicken Paella
3 tbsp olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt and Pepper
1 medium onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 lb Spanish chorizo
2 cups Arborio rice
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
Fresh parsley for garnish
1.) Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high hear. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the pieces are deeply browned and release easily from the pan, 5-10 minutes. Turn, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, and cook on the other side, rotating the pieces as necessary until browned, another 5 minutes or so. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
2.) Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, and chorizo to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the sausage begins to crisp, 3-5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is glossy and starts to smell toasty. Add the paprika and stir until it is fragrant, less than a minute. Stir in the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
3.) Pour 3 cups stock over the rice and tuck in the chicken pieces. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake, undisturbed for 15 minutes. Check to see if the rice is just dry and tender. If not, bake for another 5-10 minutes, until it is.
4.) When the rice is ready, taste and stir in the bell pepper and more salt and pepper if you like; return the skillet to the oven. Turn of the heat and let the paella sit for at least 5 and up to 15 minutes.
5.) When you're ready to serve, you can give the paella a crust: put the pan over medium high heat until the rice sizzles lightly and begins to smell toasted-but not burned-2-3 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
Moving past that uncomfortable love note to rice, I chose to make this dish because it was something that, in the few times I had tried it, I enjoyed. In addition to the yummy connotations I had with the meal, it also seemed to be pretty easy to make, from what the recipe purported, and that sealed the deal. I was actually very surprised how similar it was to the Chicken and Rice I had made a couple weeks ago, this similarity giving me a sense of comfort in what I was doing. And that ease translated into a meal that went off without a hitch. The one problem I did have was more equipment related and leads me to warn any one who wants to make paella that you should choose a pan that looks too big because I promise it won't be, the rice and chicken filling a lot more space than one my first think.
Additionally, a fun first I had with paella was that it was the food that gave me my first cooking related injury, the handle of the fresh-from-the-oven pan looking innocuous enough for me to forget that it was scalding hot. That deception, or absentmindedness on my part, resulted in a lovely burn on my finger that I can, days later, happily report is fully healed.Recipe:
Chicken Paella
3 tbsp olive oil
6 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Salt and Pepper
1 medium onion
2 tbsp minced garlic
1/2 lb Spanish chorizo
2 cups Arborio rice
2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 cup dry white wine
3-3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 cup chopped red bell pepper
Fresh parsley for garnish
1.) Heat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high hear. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook until the pieces are deeply browned and release easily from the pan, 5-10 minutes. Turn, sprinkle with more salt and pepper, and cook on the other side, rotating the pieces as necessary until browned, another 5 minutes or so. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
2.) Lower the heat to medium and add the onion, garlic, and chorizo to the pan. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften and the sausage begins to crisp, 3-5 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until it is glossy and starts to smell toasty. Add the paprika and stir until it is fragrant, less than a minute. Stir in the wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
3.) Pour 3 cups stock over the rice and tuck in the chicken pieces. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake, undisturbed for 15 minutes. Check to see if the rice is just dry and tender. If not, bake for another 5-10 minutes, until it is.
4.) When the rice is ready, taste and stir in the bell pepper and more salt and pepper if you like; return the skillet to the oven. Turn of the heat and let the paella sit for at least 5 and up to 15 minutes.
5.) When you're ready to serve, you can give the paella a crust: put the pan over medium high heat until the rice sizzles lightly and begins to smell toasted-but not burned-2-3 minutes. Garnish with the parsley and serve.
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