Brown Rice, Chicken, and Chorizo Paella

My husband is a Spaniard, so I started looking into paella. It took me 4 times to get this right. It has become his favorite dish and expects me to make this every week. I have tweaked this recipe to our taste, so the red pepper, capers, and black olives are simply a preference for us. The vinegar is a Spanish thing, so I always add it. You can leave a little broth in the paella, or cook until the broth is fully absorbed. It is simply a preference.

• Preparation Time: 40 mins
• Cooking Time: 1 hr 20 mins
• Total Time: 2 hr
• Calories: 465 Calories

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 tomato, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 tablespoons sliced black olives
• 6 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tablespoon capers
• ½ teaspoon saffron
• 1 (6 ounce) jar roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 (32 ounce) carton chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, or to taste
• 1 teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon red pepper (Optional)
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric (Optional)
• 4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into small pieces
• ½ pound Spanish chorizo, cut into 1/4-inch slices
• ¼ cup chopped parsley (Optional)
• 2 cups short-grain brown rice
• 2 cups frozen peas and carrots, thawed
• 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar, or to taste (Optional)

Recipe Instructions

Step 1

Measure salt, paprika, red pepper, turmeric, and saffron into a small bowl and set spice mixture aside.

Step 2

Heat olive oil in paella pan or large pot over medium heat. Add chicken and chorizo and cook until browned, 5 to 10 minutes. Transfer meat to a platter. Add onion, bell pepper, parsley, and garlic to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Add rice, tomato, and roasted red peppers. Cook until rice begins to brown, about 5 minutes more. Add spice mixture and broth. Return chicken and chorizo to the pot, burying them in the paella.

Step 3

Increase heat to high and bring the pot to a boil, stirring every 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, 50 to 55 minutes more. Add thawed peas and carrots, black olives, capers, and apple cider vinegar and stir. Cook until everything is heated through, 3 to 5 more minutes.