Paella

Paella is a traditional spicy Spanish dish with a variety of meats and seafood served over rice.

Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 6-8

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked white rice* (see notes below)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1kg chicken breast, cut into 1 inch cubes* (see notes below)
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and minced
• 3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 bunch parsley, chopped
• 1 cup chicken broth
• 2 lemons, tested
• 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
• 500g medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 250g mussels
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Cook rice according to package instructions (we prefer to use a rice cooker).
2. Cook mussels according to package instructions. Set aside to cool.
3. In a medium bowl, mix together 2 tablespoons olive oil, paprika, oregano, salt, and pepper. Stir in chicken pieces to coat. Set aside  in refrigerator to marinate.
4. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Stir in garlic, red pepper flakes, and cooked rice. Add parsley, chicken stock, and lemon zest. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer while proceeding with the next steps.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a separate large skillet over medium heat. Stir in marinated chicken and onion and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in bell pepper and cook for another 5 minutes. Stir in shrimp and cook until shrimp is pink (5 minutes).
6. Serve rice in bowls topped with meat and seafood mixture.

Notes

• The original recipe involves cooking the rice in the skillet. However, we found that it was easier and faster to cook the rice ahead of time using a rice cooker.
• The original recipe describes the chicken cut into 2 inch pieces but we found that these pieces were too large to eat easily from the bowls. We recommend using thinner strips or 1 inch cubes of chicken.

Family Ratings

• Mama: 4/5, quite spicy
• Papa: 4.5/5
• McM: 4/5
• TW: 4/5
• Girlie: 4/5, a little too spicy for my preference

Original recipe: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/84137/easy-paella/print/?recipeType=Recipe&servings=8