PAELLA (Woolies)
- 270g chicken thigh fillet, cut into 3 pieces each
- 2 tsp rosemary leaves, roughly chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 1/2 tsp ground paprika
- salt & pepper
- 2 Tab olive oil
- 600ml liquid chicken stock
- 240g (a rounded cup) Calrose medium grain rice
- 1/2 chorizo, chopped or use smoky paprika – try 2 tsp
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 200g whole peeled tomatoes, pureed
- 60g fresh green beans, cut in half
- Heat a paella pan (or large frying pan) over med-high heat. In a bowl, combine chicken with 1 teaspoon rosemary and 1 clove of crushed garlic, seasonal generously, toss then add 1 tablespoon olive oil.
- Add the chicken, then cook until well browned on both sides, but not cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan, add remaining oil, onion, chorizo and remaining garlic then cook on a low heat until ingredients soften and become fragrant for around 6-8 minutes.
- Add rice and cook, stirring for 1 minute. Stir in stock, 200g of tomato and the paprika, then add the chicken back in. Then the beans.
- Raise the heat and bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer without stirring, until the liquid starts to disappear below the rice (12-14 minutes). Add the beans and cook until there is nearly no liquid left (3-4 minutes).
- Finally, add the remaining 1 tsp rosemary, turn off the heat and leave for 5 minutes until the crust releases. Serve.
Tip: try the paella with a creamy mayonnaise. For a special occasion, you could add peeled green prawns when the rice starts to show through the stock. Both the chorizo and tomato freeze well for later use. The sliced beans were crunchy and not much chicken altogether!