Cheaters Paella Recipes

SHRIMP AND SCALLOP EASY PAELLA

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, heat the chicken stock until boiling.
• In a separate large saucepan or paella pan over medium-high heat, heat the oil and add the onion, the garlic, the peppers, the saffron and the chorizo. Cook for 6 minutes or until vegetables are soft and chorizo is browned.
• Stir in the rice, tomatoes and tomato paste until well mixed and cook for 5 minutes. Add the boiling chicken stock little by little, stirring each addition constantly until the stock is almost absorbed.
• Cover the paella pan with aluminum foil, and cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until rice is tender. Add the shrimp and the scallops and let cook covered for 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Decorate with the chopped parsley and lemon wedges.

CHEATER'S PAELLA

Steps:

• Wash and cube chicken.
• Bring water to boil in a large sauce pan. Add rice with seasoning and butter or olive oil.
• Cook for 1 minute, then cover and reduce heat to simmering.
• Cook rice for 20-25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, spray skillet with non-stick cooking spray.
• Saute chicken, garlic and fresh cracked pepper on medium heat till chicken is white on the outside, but not cooked through (about 10 minutes).
• Add vegetables and stir to combine. Cover and cook another 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.
• Remove chicken and vegetables from skillet with a slotted spoon and mix into rice.

EASY PAELLA RECIPE WITH CHICKEN AND SHRIMP

Steps:

• Chop your onion, mince your garlic, and slice your bell peppers.
• Slice your chicken breasts by butterflying them first. To do that, place your hand on top of the chicken breast and slice horizontally straight into the middle until you can unfold the chicken breast and its width doubles, and then slice into thin pieces.
• Once your chicken has been sliced, ensure your shrimp has been completely defrosted and rinsed. Pat it dry with some paper towel to remove excess water.
• Heat a large skillet over medium heat. While the skillet is heating, season the chicken breast slices with sea salt and pepper and 1/2 tsp paprika. Add 1 tbsp of your oil to the pan and after the oil is heated, add the chicken and cook until browned. Be careful not to turn the chicken too often. This prevents the browning process (which adds flavour).
• When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it to a bowl and place the pan back on the heat. Add 1 tbsp of oil and when it's heated, add the shrimp. While they're cooking, season the shrimp with the turmeric, garlic powder and a pinch of pepper (if you wish). You'll know they're done when they turn pink (a few minutes). Transfer to the same bowl as the chicken.
• Next, add the last tablespoon of your oil to the pan and add the onion and garlic. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until the onions soften slightly. Add the few tablespoons of white wine to the pan. It will start bubbling vigorously right away, so stir it around with the onions and garlic and let the wine soften the browned bits (leftover from the chicken and shrimp) stuck to the bottom of the pan. If you don't have any wine on hand, a few tablespoons of chicken broth will do the trick. Once you've deglazed the pan, add the rice, tomatoes (in their juice! Don't drain them!), chicken broth, and spices.
• Once it starts to boil, turn down the heat just slightly and simmer (covered) for about 15-20 minutes.
• Feel free to throw in your bell peppers at any time while the mixture is simmering. Since we have two small children I added the bell peppers right away in order to make sure they were soft. If you prefer them only slightly tender, leave the peppers out at this stage.
• The mixture will reduce considerably after 15-20 minutes. At this time, add the chicken and shrimp (and the peppers if you haven't yet) and continue simmering for 4-6 more minutes, or until rice is tender. Add salt and pepper to your taste (approx. 1/4 tsp each). The amount of salt you add will largely depend on what type of chicken broth you used; mine was homemade broth that contained no salt, so I added just under 1/2 tsp. If yours is store-bought, consider the amount of sodium in the broth before adding salt.
• Garnish with a little bit of chopped cilantro if you wish, and serve!

EASY CHICKEN PAELLA

Steps:

• To a large skillet (15+ inches in diameter if possible) or paella pan, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, onion, pepper, and sauté over medium-high heat until vegetables begin to soften and lightly caramelize, about 5 to 8 minutes; stir intermittently.
• Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute; stir intermittently. Remove the sofrito (the onion, pepper, and garlic) from the pan; set aside.
• Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, chicken, season with salt and pepper, and cook the chicken until it's about 50% cooked through, stirring and flipping intermittently. Remove from the pan; set aside with the sofrito.
• Add the bomba rice and cook to toast the rice for about 3 minutes, stirring intermittently.
• To the chicken broth, add 1 packet Paellero, and stir to combine. Add the chicken broth to the rice.
• Add the sofrito and chicken back to the skillet, add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, and simmer over medium-low heat for about 20 to 25 minutes or until rice is tender, chicken is cooked through, and liquid is absorbed. If necessary, you may need to add more than 1 cup water (or chicken broth) based on the texture of the rice. Taste it near the end of the cooking period and if it's too firm and all the liquid is absorbed or nearly so, add a bit more water using your judgment.
• Add the peas, parsley, stir to combine, and cook for 1 to 2 minutes to warm through.
• Taste the paella and add salt and pepper, if necessary, to taste. The saltiness of the chicken broth, tomatoes, whether you used Paellero, and personal preference for salt and pepper will dictate how much to use. I used about 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.
• Garnish with lemon wedges and serve immediately.

CHEATER'S PAELLA (RUTH REICHL)

Steps:

• Heat the stock with the saffron. Cover and simmer 15 minutes. Set aside Heat the oil in a large flat pan or paella pan and cook the onions, garlic and pimentos until they're fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add the chorizo and cook, stirring every once in a while, another 10 minutes or so. Dry the chicken thighs, sprinkle them with salt and pepper. Push the onion/chorizo mixture aside and add the chicken to the the pan, turning occasionally, until it has lightly browned on all sides, about 5 minutes. Add the rice to the pan and stir to coat it well with the oil. Toss in the wine and let it cook away. Add the bay leaf. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Bring the chicken stock to a boil and add to the pan. Simmer 10 minutes. Bury the shrimp, chicken, clams and squid in the rice, as well as you can (much of it will still be sitting on top), and bake, uncovered, until the clams are open, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven, and if there is still liquid in the pan (bomba rice can be slow to absorb liquid), cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes or so. Cover and let stand for a few minutes before serving. Purging Clams Add a tablespoon of sea salt (it must be sea salt) to 2 cups of water. Add the clams and allow them to sit in the bowl, in the refrigerator, for a few hours. Watch the clams stick out their necks - and then watch how much sand they secrete into the bottom of the bowl.