Chicken

Paella Manantiales Calientes

by:
October 16, 2010
4
3 Ratings
  • Serves 6-8
Author Notes

This is a riff on a Paella Valenciana recipe I found in the New Spanish Table cookbook, altered a bit here and there, notably in the substitution of chorizo and chicken for snails and rabbit. I've since made it with a bag of frozen mixed veggies instead of the fresh green beans and limas, and I use Arborio rice because it's hard for me to find Bomba here. So, with the changes, it becomes Paella Manantiales Calientes (Paella Hot Springs) instead. This is a great cool-weather dish, perfect with a bottle of tempranillo and a good crusty bread and some Manchego! - Kayb —Kayb

Test Kitchen Notes

So I have gone from making paella once every five years to five times in three weeks! I really hit my stride making this recipe because Kayb has great instructions, delicious ingredients and a dinner party-worthy result. I really enjoyed making this recipe. I used chorizo and loved its spiciness. The fresh green beans amazingly kept their crunch and the artichoke hearts and tomatoes added a little bite of acid. I loved the flavors of this paella and will definitely "save" and "print". I'm now a "fan"! – dymnyno —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1 pound chorizo or andouille sausage, cut in 1/2 inch slices
  • 1 pound chicken (I used boneless thighs), cut in 1-inch cubes
  • 6 cloves garlic, mashed or minced, divided
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1/4 teaspoon saffron, powdered in a mortar
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup lima beans
  • 1 cup fresh green beans, broken in 1/2 inch pieces
  • 1 1/2 cups artichoke hearts, quartered
  • 1 cup finely diced tomato, drained
  • 1 1/2 cups Arborio or Bomba or other short-grain, glutinous rice
  • 5 cups chicken broth
Directions
  1. Sprinkle the chicken with half the paprika and garlic, and set aside while you gather and prep everything else.
  2. Put chicken stock on to simmer, and add powdered saffron. Preheat oven to 425.
  3. In a large, flat bottomed fryer or paella pan over medium high heat, saute the chicken in half the olive oil until no pink shows. Add the sausage and saute until it starts to brown.Add the veggies, and saute until they, too, start to brown. Push the mixture to the outside edges of the pan, where it's cooler.
  4. In the center of the pan, add remaining oil and garlic, and saute until it's fragrant. Add paprika and tomatos. Cook until tomatos begin to break down. Stir everything together and add the rice, stirring to coat it nicely with pan juices.
  5. Add four cups of simmering chicken stock. DO NOT STIR! Cook, uncovered, until liquid is just above level of rice and veggies (5-7 minutes). Move to oven and bake for 15 minutes, uncovered, adding more stock if top starts to look dry.
  6. Remove from oven and cover, and wait 20 minutes for flavors to blend and for the rice to finish steaming tender. (Note: This is the ideal time to open a bottle of Tempranillo and sit down with it, some Manchego and a tad of honey to whet your appetite!
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  • Kayb
    Kayb
  • dymnyno
    dymnyno
  • aargersi
    aargersi
  • allie
    allie
I'm a business professional who learned to cook early on, and have expanded my tastes and my skills as I've traveled and been exposed to new cuisines and new dishes. I love fresh vegetables, any kind of protein on the grill, and breakfasts that involve fried eggs with runny yolks. My recipes tend toward the simple and the Southern, with bits of Asia or the Mediterranean or Mexico thrown in here and there. And a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on a float in the lake, as pictured, is a pretty fine lunch!

9 Reviews

Kayb November 5, 2010
Thanks for the kind words, dymnyno! Glad you enjoyed it....I think it may be on my menu in the next few days, as well!
 
allie October 28, 2010
Are the lima beans cooked already when they go into the pot?
 
Kayb October 28, 2010
I just blanched them lightly the first time I did it, and added them uncooked afterward. They seem to be cooked quite well from the raw state.
 
allie October 28, 2010
They are fresh, yes? Not dried, then.
 
Kayb October 29, 2010
Yes, fresh. Or you could use frozen, if fresh weren't available. I'm not sure how much I'd cook dried ones first; that would take some experimentation.
 
dymnyno October 16, 2010
Is the saffron measured before it is pounded or when it is still threads?
 
Kayb October 17, 2010
Actually, I estimated the 1/4 teaspoon because I was embarrassed to say a "good-sized pinch," which is what I actually use.
 
aargersi October 16, 2010
I'm coming to dinner at your house.
 
Kayb October 16, 2010
Come any time!