9-12-paella

Hot out of the oven paella!  It doesn’t get much better than this – unless it was hot out of the oven chocolate gooey something.  But since that’s not really a huge part of the diet regime right now, I’ll go with the paella!

And I’m rather glad we did.  It was really good!

I really did try to make just enough for the two of us, but ended up with dinner for two – plus lunch.  I even had to get a larger pan.  But… we didn’t eat it all, so that’s a good thing!

30 Minute Paella

  • 1 boneless chicken breast, cut into cubes
  • 2 links chorizo, sliced
  • 1/2 red onion, chopped
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  • pinch cayenne pepper
  • 1 cup arborio rice
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas

Heat oven to 400°F. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a casserole or paella pan over high heat. Add onion, pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Add chicken and chorizo and cook until browned.

Add rice smoked paprika, saffron, and cayenne. Stir well to coat rice. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Add frozen peas, and tomatoes.  Bring back to a boil.

Transfer pan to oven and cook uncovered until rice is tender and no liquid remains, about 25 minutes. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!

It really was simple – and the smoked paprika really makes the difference!  I received a small shipment of goodies from Atlantic Spice on Friday – cocoa powder and coconut to get ready for the holidays, garlic powder (because I use it in everything) and smoked paprika, because I was out – and only having Hungarian and Spanish paprikas without having a smoked Spanish variety as well is… well…  it’s just sad.  Besides, a full pound of smoked paprika is only $8.20.  It’s a deal.

Splitting this into three portions, a quick nutritional analysis brings it to under 600 calories per portion – definitely not bad for us.

I’m starting to like this cooler weather.