Mediterranean Paella
Filled with protein, rice, and veggies, paella is a great gluten-free, dairy-free one pan meal that highlights the delicious flavors of Spain. The recipe as written uses 2 cups of Bomba (Spanish style) rice and serves approximately 8 people. Cut the recipe in half if desired, and use a 10 or 12 inch skillet.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion, diced optional
- 2 yellow/orange/red peppers, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, sliced thin
- 1 bunch asparagus, chopped small, or cup of green beans chopped in half, or or 1 cup of peas optional
- 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 4 large chicken breasts chopped into medallion sized pieces
- Kosher salt (for seasoning chicken)
- 18 oz diced tomatoes in liquid plus a handful fresh cherry tomatoes diced if desired
- 2 links chicken chorizo/andouille sausage, cut or broken into small pieces
- 4 roasted red peppers (from a jar), chopped
- 2 big pinches saffron
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 2 tsp garlic powder
- 1 cup white wine optional
- 4 cups chicken stock/broth
- 2 cups Spanish Bomba (short grain) rice
- additional salt to taste
Instructions
- Chop chicken into medallion sized chunks and season with salt.
- Chop remaining ingredients so you have everything in place before you begin.
- (Optional) - Heat the stock/broth on a burner to a simmer. Adding warm stock prevents the rice from cooling down while cooking, similar to making risotto.
- Heat olive oil in your paella pan on a grill, open fire, or cooktop.
- Sauté onions, sliced garlic, and raw bell peppers.
- Add asparagus (or green beans), if using. Sauté for a couple of minutes and move all veggies to the outside of the pan.
- Add chicken medallions and raw sausage (If using precooked sausage, add it in the next step). Cook until browned and move to outside of pan.
- Add tomatoes, sausage (if using precooked instead of raw), roasted peppers, smoked paprika, garlic powder, saffron. Cook a few minutes.
- Add wine, if using. Simmer. Add 4 cups of chicken broth. If you don't use the wine, add a 5th cup of broth or a cup of water.
- Sprinkle rice over the pan. Stir to ensure rice isn't sticking together.
- Cook on high heat to boiling.
- Lower the heat a bit and simmer for approximately 20 - 30 minutes or until rice is done. Do not stir after the first 10 minutes. You want to develop a caramelized cripsy crust on the bottom of the pan (soccarat).
- Add shrimp approximately 5 minutes before serving. Shrimp cooks quickly. If using peas, add them now as well.
- Once everything is cooked, remove from heat and let it rest a bit before serving.