Paella

Name: Paella
Prep time: 1 h 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 h 45 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound extra-large shrimp; Salt and freshly ground black pepper; olive oil; 8 or 9 medium garlic cloves; 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs; 1 red bell pepper; 8 ounces Spanish chorizo; 1 medium onion; One (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes; 2 cups Valencia or Arborio* rice; 3 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth; 1/3 cup dry white wine; 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads; 1 dried bay leaf; 1 dozen mussels; 1/2 cup frozen peas; 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 lemon

User Reviews

4.8

15 reviews

Excellent

Prep Time
1 hr 15 mins
Cook Time
15 mins
Total Time
1 hr 45 mins
Servings
6 servings
Calories
573 kcal
Course
Condiments
Cuisine
Spanish

Paella

Iris Warren

Report

This paella recipe calls for making it in a Dutch oven (the Dutch oven should be 11 to 12 inches in diameter with at least a 6-quart capacity). With minor modifications, it can also be made in a paella pan. Cured Spanish chorizo is the sausage of choice for paella, but fresh chorizo or Portuguese linguiça is an acceptable substitute.

Share:

I Made This!

Be the first!

Print

6 people printed this

Save this

Be the first!

Ingredients

Servings

1 pound extra-large shrimp (21 to 25 per pound), peeled and deveined
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
olive oil
8 or 9 medium garlic cloves minced or pressed through a garlic press (2 generous tablespoons)
1 pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs each thigh trimmed of excess fat and halved crosswise
1 red bell pepper stemmed, seeded, and cut pole to pole into 1/2-inch-wide strips
8 ounces Spanish chorizo sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias
1 medium onion chopped fine (about 1 cup)
One (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes drained, minced, and drained again
2 cups Valencia or Arborio* rice
3 cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads crumbled
1 dried bay leaf
1 dozen mussels scrubbed and debearded
1/2 cup frozen peas thawed
2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 lemon cut into wedges, for serving

Add to Shopping List

Instructions

Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position; heat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Toss the shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon of the garlic in a medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed. Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper; set aside.
Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the pepper strips and cook, stirring occasionally, until the skin begins to blister and turn spotty black, 3 to 4 minutes. Move the pepper to a small plate and set it aside.
Add 1 teaspoon oil to the now-empty Dutch oven; heat the oil until shimmering but not smoking. Add the chicken pieces in a single layer; cook, without moving the pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. Turn the pieces and brown on the second side, about 3 minutes longer; dump the chicken into a medium bowl. Reduce the heat to medium and add the chorizo to the pot; cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and the fat begins to render, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chorizo to the bowl with the chicken and set aside.
Add enough oil to the fat in the Dutch oven to equal 2 tablespoons; heat over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; stir in the remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the tomatoes; cook until the mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes. Stir in the rice and cook until the grains are well coated with the tomato mixture, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, wine, saffron, bay leaf, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Return the chicken and chorizo to the pot, increase the heat to medium-high, and bring to a boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Cover the pot and place it in the oven; cook until the rice absorbs almost all of the liquid, about 15 minutes.
Remove the paella from the oven (close the oven door to retain heat). Uncover the paella; scatter the shrimp over the rice, insert the mussels hinged-side down into the rice (so they stand upright), arrange the bell pepper strips in a pinwheel pattern, and scatter the peas over the top. Cover and return to the oven; cook until the shrimp are opaque and the mussels have opened, 10 to 12 minutes.
Optional: If soccarat (see headnote) is desired, set the Dutch oven, uncovered, over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes, rotating the pot 180 degrees after about 2 minutes for even browning.
Let the paella stand, covered, about 5 minutes. Discard any mussels that have not opened and the bay leaf, if it can be easily removed. Sprinkle the paella with the parsley and serve, passing the lemon wedges separately.

Notes

This recipe suggests Valencia or Arborio rice and there's a reason for that. First of all, paella is from Valencia, Spain, so it stands to reason that the recipe evolved using the rice from the region as well. But there's a good reason for it--short-grain rice can absorb a lot of liquid before turning to a soft, mushy mess.
It also tends to clump together when cooked, giving it an advantage when you're cooking up that crispy socarrat on the bottom. If you're really, really stuck, medium-grain rice will work ok but long-grain rice will give you a completely different result that will be nothing like paella.

Nutrition Information

Show Details

Serving 1portion Calories 573kcal (29%) Carbohydrates 66g (22%) Protein 40g (80%) Fat 14g (22%) Saturated Fat 4g (20%) Monounsaturated Fat 1g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 195mg (65%) Sodium 1437mg (60%) Fiber 4g (16%) Sugar 4g (8%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 6servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 573 kcal

% Daily Value*

Serving	1portion
Calories	573kcal	29%
Carbohydrates	66g	22%
Protein	40g	80%
Fat	14g	22%
Saturated Fat	4g	20%
Monounsaturated Fat	1g	5%
Trans Fat	1g	50%
Cholesterol	195mg	65%
Sodium	1437mg	60%
Fiber	4g	16%
Sugar	4g	8%