Inspired by the recipe in Family Fun Magazine, I made paella for the very first time!
Chicken and Sausage Paella
1 T olive oil
1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces, or an assortment of legs and thighs
salt and pepper
16 oz. kielbasa or similar sausage, cut into half-moon slices
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced or chopped
2 cups rice
1/2 t cumin
1/2 t salt
pinch of saffron
1 cup seeded and chopped tomato (I didn’t seed mine)
4 cups chicken stock (I happened to have about 3 cups on hand and used canned fat-free chicken broth for the rest)
1/2 cup frozen peas
Heat the oven to 400. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown in the skillet (about 5 minutes per side). Transfer browned chicken to a plate. Add the sausage to the pan and saute until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer sausage to the plate with the chicken.
Drain all but 1 T of fat from the pan. Lower the heat to medium, then add onion, red pepper, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the veggies are tender, about 6 minutes. Add the rice, cumin, salt, and saffron. Stir to coat the rice and cook for about 1 minute.
Transfer the rice and vegetable mixture to an oiled 9×13 baking dish. Arrange the chicken and sausage on the rice and scatter the tomato over the top. Place the pan in the center oven rack and carefully pour the chicken stock over the meat and rice. (It went right up to the rim for me but did not spill over.) Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle the peas on top and cook until the liquid has absorbed, another 10-15 minutes. Let the paella cool for at least 10 minutes. Serves 8. (This is true! Usually I make “serves 6 or 8” dishes for us and they last us just for dinner and a couple days of leftovers. This lasted us all weekend, with all three of us eating. Needless to say, it was time consuming but much enjoyed by all the Mullers!)
that looks really good! i will have to try it!