I tried paella at the Catal Restaurant in Anaheim several years back. It was a flavorful blend of rice, meat, vegetable, and seafood, all in one dish. Since then, if there is paella on the menu, it is always hard to resist. I attempted paella at a gourmet club meet a few years back without success. Since then, my 14″ paella pan had been sitting idle in the kitchen cabinet screaming for some attention. Time to practice some paella recipe. Bingo! This paella recipe is moist, flavorful, and delicious. My paella pan will see more light of day in the future 😊

Ingredients

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken thigh
• 1 Spanish chorizo, sliced, about 2 cups
• 3/4 tsp salt, for seasoning chicken
• 1 tsp ground black peppper, for seasoning chicken
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 lb large shrimps, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 lb scallops
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions
• 4 Tbsp minced garlic
• 1 can petite diced tomatoes, drained
• 2 tsp salt
• 2 red bell peppers
• 1 green bell pepper
• 4 cups orange cauliflower
• 2 cups frozen peas
• 6 cups chicken broth
• 1 tsp saffaron threads
• A sprinkle of Bijol spice
• 4 Tbsp chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
• 3 cups bomba rice, rinse and drained

Directions

1. Wash and pat dry chicken thigh. Season with 3/4 tsp salt and 1 tsp ground black pepper. I like to season and chill the meat overnight in the refrigerator.
2. Cut 1 red bell pepper into twelve slices, remove the seeds. Set the pepper slices aside.
3. Dice the other red and green bell pepper.
4. Bring the chicken broth to a boil. Sprinkle the Saffaron threads in the chicken broth. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, saute the chorizo in a 14″ paella pan over medium heat. Remove and set aside.
6. Add the olive oil to the paella pan. Saute the chicken thigh over medium high heat. About 3 minutes on each side until golden brown and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove from pan and set aside.
7. Saute shrimps and scallops until partially cooked. About 2 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside. We will finish the cooking over the rice.
8. Saute the red pepper slices over medium heat until soft, about 15 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.
9. Saute the cauliflower over medium high heat until lightly charred. Add more olive oil if needed. Remove from pan and set aside.
10. If there is no more oils in the pan, add 2 Tbsp olive oil and saute the chopped onions and minced garlic over medium high heat until onion is soft and translucent. About 5 minutes.
11. Add the diced tomatoes and continue cooking until the juice from the tomatoes runs dry.
12. Add the chopped red and green pepper. Continue to fry for another 2 minutes.
13. Add rice and 2 tsp salt, continue to stir fry for and other 2 minutes.
14. Reduce heat and distribute the rice mixture to evenly cover the bottom of the pan.
15. Spread the green peas over the rice. Arrange the chicken, sauteed pepper, and cauliflower over the peas.
16. Pour 4 cups of broth over the the chicken, turn up the heat to medium high and cook, uncovered for 8 minutes. Rotate the pan every minute. Add another cup of boiling broth.
17. Reduce the heat to medium low and continue to cook for another 10 minutes. Rotate the pan every two minutes in between.
18. Check that the rice is cooked. Add the remaining cup of broth if needed, and continue cooking a few more minutes until the rice is done.
19. Arrange the chorizo, shrimp and scallops on top.
20. Cover the pan with foil and continue to cook on medium low for another two minutes.
21. With the foil in place, turn the heat back up to medium high and continue to cook for another two minutes while rotating the pan.
22. Remove from heat and let the paella rest for another 5-10 minutes, covered.
23. Remove the foil and garnish with chopped parsley.
24. Dig in!