Big Sky Paella Recipes

BIG PAELLA WITH SEAFOOD AND CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat some oil in a large paella pan or skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring, until browned, then remove and reserve. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and sprinkle on both sides with salt and pepper. Gently place the chicken in the pan skin-side down and cook until browned, about 4 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook on the second side until browned, about 4 minutes more. Remove the chicken to a plate. Add the bell pepper, onion and garlic and cook, stirring, until soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the saffron in 3 tablespoons water in a small bowl. Add the rice to the pan and cook, stirring to coat the rice with oil, until the rice is toasted, about 3 minutes. Add the saffron and its soaking water and stir to combine. Add 5 cups of the stock, any reserved juices from the chicken and the tomatoes and bring the liquid to a simmer. Return the chicken to the pan, nestling it into the rice, and cook, uncovered, moving the pan around every few minutes and adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer, until the rice is quite al dente and has absorbed all the liquid, 12 to 15 minutes. (If the pan gets dry before the rice is ready, add some of the remaining stock.)
• Nestle the clams into the rice hinge-side down and cook, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Add the mussels hinge-side down along with the shrimp and chorizo. Top with the peas and cook without stirring until the clams and mussels open and the shrimp turns bright pink, 5 minutes more. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toasting at the bottom?it will form a dark brown, crispy crust on the bottom called soccarat. Discard any shellfish that does not open. Remove from the heat and serve immediately, family-style.

PAELLA RECIPE

Steps:

• Cook chicken and sausage: In a large paella pan heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chicken and sausage, season with salt and pepper, then cook for about 5 minutes until the chicken is no longer pink.
• Add onion and garlic: Move the chicken and sausage to one side of the pan, then add the onion to the other half, season with a bit of salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes until the onion becomes translucent and soft. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Cook the rice: Add the arborio and fire roasted tomatoes to the pan and stir well. Let the rice cook in the sauce from the tomatoes for about 5 minutes, you will notice it will start to brown on the bottom, which is what you're looking for. Add the broth, hot sauce, smoked paprika, saffron and season with salt and pepper if needed. Stir everything together and cover with a large lid. Cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice, without stirring. The rice will not be cooked through at this time.
• Add seafood: Turn down the heat to medium-low. Arrange the shrimp, mussels and clams over the rice, cover with a lid again and cook for another 10 minutes or until the mussels and clams open up.
• Garnish and serve: Turn off the heat and garnish with parsley and lemon wedges. Before serving, stir everything together to allow all the ingredients to marry each other for the best flavors.

SPANISH PAELLA

Steps:

• Chorizo - Heat 1 tbsp oil in a 30cm / 10" paella pan or large skillet over high heat (Note 9). Add chorizo and cook until browned on each side (~ 3 minutes). Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
• Squid - Add squid and cook for 45 seconds on each side, then remove and set aside.
• Garlic, onion, capsicum - Add remaining oil (if needed). Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 minutes. Add capsicum, cook for 1 minute.
• Chicken - Add chicken. Cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned but still raw inside.
• Add Rice - Add rice and mix until the grains are coated in oil.
• Cooking broth - Add in most of the chorizo (reserve 1/4 for garnish), chicken stock, fresh or crushed tomato and saffron. Stir.
• Simmer 1 - Bring it to a simmer then adjust heat so it's simmering fairly gently (not super rapidly, will burn rice). Simmer for 10 minutes - no stirring! At this stage, a bit of rice should be poking through to the surface but there should still be plenty of liquid.
• Add peas, prawns and mussels - Scatter over peas, squidge the prawns and mussels into the rice (partial submerge is fine).
• Simmer 2 - Cook for 8 minutes (turn prawns halfway if you think it's necessary) or until prawns are opaque, mussels are open, and most of the liquid has been absorbed but still a bit liquidy. Discard any mussels that do not open. Remove from stove.
• Check rice - Do a taste test to see if the rice is cooked - it should be firm but cooked. If it is too firm for your taste, no stress, just add a splash of hot water (not too much!) and keep cooking.
• Rest - Scatter over squid and reserved chorizo (residual heat will warm through), cover with lid then rest for 5 minutes (rice will absorb remainig liquid). Paella rice should now be tender but "juicy", not stodgy and thick (if it is, add splash of water to loosen it).
• Garnish - scatter with parsley and wedges of lemon. Take to table as is, then mix up rice with seafood before serving!

SPANISH-STYLE PAELLA

Steps:

• In a large saucepan or skillet over medium-high heat, cook sausage and chicken in oil for 5 minutes or until sausage is lightly browned and chicken is no longer pink, stirring frequently. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Drain if necessary. , Stir in rice and onion. Cook until onion is tender and rice is lightly browned, stirring frequently. Add the broth, tomatoes, paprika, cayenne, salt and saffron. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 10 minutes. , Stir in the shrimp, peppers and peas. Cover and cook 10 minutes longer or until rice is tender, shrimp turn pink and liquid is absorbed. Top with fresh parsley and lemon wedges, if desired.

EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a heavy 12-inch saute pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat. Cook shrimp until just pink on both sides, 4 to 5 minutes (do not overcook). Transfer to a plate.
• Add remaining tablespoon oil and sausage to pan; cook over medium-high heat until beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add onion, and cook, stirring frequently, until translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and rice; cook, stirring to coat, until rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in paprika, turmeric, tomatoes, and broth, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon. Season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cover, and cook until rice is tender and has absorbed almost all liquid, 20 to 25 minutes. Stir in peas; cook 1 minute. Stir in cooked shrimp; serve immediately.

THE ULTIMATE PAELLA

Steps:

• Combine the paprika and oregano in a small bowl. Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
• Heat oil in a paella pan over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.
• In the same pan, make a sofrito by sauteing the onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on a medium heat. Then, add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld. Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 10 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid. Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, for about 15 minutes. During the last 5 minutes of cooking, when the rice is filling the pan, add the lobster tails. When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds until you can smell the rice toast at the bottom, then it's perfect.
• Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley and lemon wedges.

BIG SKY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium pot, simmer chicken stock w/ bay leaf and saffron.
• Season chicken tenders w/ paprika, S&P.
• In paella pan or 15" skillet, on med-high, heat 1.5 TBSP olive oil and sauté chicken tenders until browned on both sides. Remove from pan and set aside in large bowl.
• Add sausage to skillet and brown on both sides. Add sausage to bowl w/ chicken, keeping any grease and remaining oil in the pan.
• Add onion, red bell pepper, garlic, red pepper flakes, S&P to pan. Saute until soft (add extra oil here if necessary).
• Add rice and toast 3-4 minute.
• Add all chicken stock to pan, stir, reduce heat, cover and let simmer 10 minute.
• Stir in chicken, sausage and shrimp, top w/ peas, cover and let simmer 10 more minutes.
• Remove from heat, garnish w/ green onions.
• Serve w/ lemon wedges and Enjoy!