So Nice, Chicken and Rice
Although I have no song as wonderful as Carole King singing Maurice Sendak’s Chicken Soup with Rice (nor is this recipe even a soup), my variation on the traditional paella, offered below, avoids shellfish due to my husband’s allergy. And it’s fabulous nonetheless, using Spanish flavors in the dish! But if you want to experiment with adding or subbing some shellfish, just be sure to check on cooking times for safety.
FAKING IT
by Elizabeth Baer
Late last month, my husband had yet another knee surgery. (IYKYK) This means that I am doing all the chores and more. In normal times, not only does Hank help with any number of household tasks, but also he always cleans up after me in the kitchen. Whether it’s a super simple dinner where we’ve heated up leftovers on plates or a recipe I’m developing and in doing so have dirtied more measuring spoons, gadgets, and bowls than I need, he takes care of it all. Of course he’d tell you he has the better end of the deal, since he gets to eat everything I make, but for me, it makes my life so much easier.
But at the moment (and hopefully for not too much longer), I’m cooking and cleaning and doing myriad other tasks and errands, so the chance to make something that will stretch over two or more meals has been a godsend.
One such favorite is paella, but not really paella. The problem is that Hank is allergic to shellfish, so the traditional dish is out of the question for us. (His is a mild allergy in that he can sit across from me if I’m eating shellfish, but I rarely cook it at home lest I have to make two different dinners.) Instead we make what I call quasi paella, using chicken thighs and an assortment of sausages. The combination of sausages adds a great interplay of flavors, and I’ve given my preferred proportions below. If you can find dried Spanish chorizo and merguez (we like the lamb merguez from D’Artagnan), those are both great additions, but Italian sausage also works, as would fresh Mexican chorizo. You can go spicy or not with these choices, as you wish.
Other sources of flavor include smoked paprika and saffron, but I also know saffron is a fancy specialty ingredient and quite expensive. Ground turmeric makes a fine substitute. You can also toss in some frozen peas or canned artichoke hearts (or both) to add a vegetable to the meal.
Even though the four chicken thighs called for suggests this dish serves four people, you can certainly halve the chicken pieces to extend it to more servings. Sometimes we have finished the chicken but plenty of rice with sausage slices remains, and that becomes another dinner with a nice salad served alongside.
QUASI PAELLA
Serves 4+
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups chicken broth, homemade or low-sodium store-bought
½ teaspoon saffron threads or ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
3 tablespoons olive oil
4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
Generous grinding of black pepper
16 ounces sausages, preferably mixed (we usually use 3-4 ounces of sweet Italian, 6-8 ounces of merguez, and 3-4 ounces of dried Spanish chorizo)
1 large onion, medium dice
1 roasted red pepper, sliced (from a jar is fine, or sometimes you can find them on an olive bar)
1 large garlic clove, minced or through a press
1½ teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
1½ cup rice
½ cup tomato purée or passata
1 cup frozen peas, optional
1 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, drained and quartered, optional
DIRECTIONS:
Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Turn of the heat, add the saffron or turmeric, and let sit until needed.
Heat the olive oil in a very large, heavy sauté pan until shimmering and fragrant. Season the chicken thighs on both sides with ½ teaspoon salt and pepper. Brown the chicken on both sides in the oil. It takes patience to allow the chicken to cook undisturbed until it begins to release from the surface of the pan. At the same time, brown any fresh sausages you are using to make them easier to slice. The dried Spanish chorizo will slice easily without browning first, so you can slice that now. Once browned, remove the chicken to a bowl, and the sausages to a cutting board. Do not drain the fat from the pan. Cut the sausages into ½-thick slices and add to the bowl with the chicken.
Add the onion to the sauté pan with the remaining ½ teaspoon salt, and cook until softened. Add the roasted red pepper, garlic, and paprika, and stir to bloom the flavors the oils. Add the rice and stir, then add the tomato purée and stir again. If using peas and/or artichoke hearts, add to the pan.
Gently pour the stock into the pan, and if using saffron, make sure all the threads get into the paella. Stir to combine and make sure the rice is distributed in an even layer. Add the sausages and chicken back into the pan, arranging the sausage throughout the pan and nestling the chicken thighs into the rice skin side up.
Bring up to a medium simmer, and allow the paella to cook, uncovered, over medium heat, at a medium simmer for 25 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender. Remove from or turn off the heat. Take a large piece of parchment paper and place over the surface of the paella. If the parchment is curling too much, crumple into a ball and then spread out. Let sit covered with the parchment for 10 minutes before serving.