Chicken Paella: the best chicken rice recipe!

INDEX:
Chicken Paella: the best chicken rice recipe!

Ingredients

Preparation of the ingredients

Cooking the sauté

Cooking the chicken paella

Result

Chicken paella is an exquisite and traditional recipe originating in Valencia. It is a preparation that gathers the most emblematic flavors of Mediterranean cuisine, so it has become one of the most renowned dishes of Spanish gastronomy. For this reason, it is one of the most requested by tourists in Spanish coastal areas. So, whether you want to satisfy your appetite or surprise your guests, this article will guide you step by step to prepare this fabulous rice with chicken recipe.

Prepare your cooking utensils and embark on a culinary journey that will take you to enjoy the best Mediterranean flavors. Let’s start with this delicious chicken paella!

Ingredients to prepare the chicken paella for two people

• 150 grs of round rice (75 grs per person)
• 6 pieces of chicken
• 5 green beans
• 2 or 3 soup spoons of frozen peas
• 1 spring onion
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/2 green bell pepper
• 1 large tomato
• Sweet paprika
• Saffron threads
• Salt
• Pepper
• Olive oil
• 1/2 liter of chicken broth

Preparation of the ingredients

1. • Salt and pepper the chicken.

2. • Cut into pieces the green beans and boil them for a few minutes until tender.

3. • Chop the spring onion.

4. • Dice the green bell pepper.

5. • Slice the garlic clove.

6. • Grate the tomato.

Cooking the sauté

7. • Brown the chicken pieces in plenty of olive oil over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken and save it for later. Use the remaining olive oil to cook the vegetables.

8. • Next, lower the heat to the minimum and sauté the sliced garlic clove.

9. • Then, add the green pepper and the spring onion. Sauté over medium heat for a few minutes. Salt to taste.

10. • When the spring onions are soft, add the green beans and peas.

11. • Add the grated tomato and reduce over medium heat until the water has mostly evaporated.

12. • Next, heat the chicken broth with a few strands of saffron until it boils.

13. • Meanwhile, add a tablespoon of paprika to the vegetables and continue cooking over medium heat for a few minutes.

Cooking the chicken paella

14. • Now it is time to add the rice. To do this, stir everything well for a couple of minutes so that the ingredients mix properly. Then add the chicken and turn the heat up to medium-high.

15. • Immediately pour the boiling chicken broth and cook the paella over medium-high heat for 5 – 6 minutes. From this point on, you mustn’t remove the rice.

16. • Then lower the power to medium heat and cook it for another 10 minutes.

17. • Now reduce the heat to the minimum and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.

18. • Finally, cover the paella with aluminum foil and let stand for another 5 minutes. Enjoy it!

This chicken paella is surely one of the best chicken rice recipes you can prepare

Once you have tried this chicken paella, you will realize it is much more than a simple recipe. Cooking this dish for your family or friends is like bringing them closer to the culture and soul of Spanish gastronomy. And although it is difficult to explain its exquisite flavor, we can affirm that each ingredient provides a part of its character. Saffron, vegetables, paprika, broth, and chicken join in a symphony of flavors and textures, making this dish a worth-trying culinary experience.

Even though, at first sight, it seems a complicated elaboration, it only has one secret: measuring the quantities of broth and rice correctly. On the one hand, using too much liquid will multiply the cooking time, affecting the rice texture. On the other hand, not using enough broth may result in hard rice. But, if you follow this recipe to the letter, you will achieve an optimal balance between the two to obtain a delicious chicken paella.

Honestly, it doesn’t matter if you can’t travel to Valencia to visit Casa Carmela or La Alquería del Pou; or if you prefer to cook this chicken paella or the paella with pork ribs we have prepared before. Now you can enjoy the very best of Valencian cuisine thanks to these great recipes!