My version of paella is an easy dish that's a sure crowd pleaser. It's filled with deliciously fragrant saffron & dry white wine and stuffed full of shrimp, chicken, green peas and bell peppers. Perfect for a dinner party and just as delicious reheated the next day.Making it for a crowd? No worries! The recipe works wonderfully when multiplied.
Start by pouring about 1 tablespoon of your dry white wine into a small glass and mixing in the saffron. Set aside for now.
½ teaspoon ground saffron
Place a pan over medium-high heat and add in half of the butter. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and fry in the pan for about 5 minutes, until browned and cooked through. Place in a bowl and set aside for now.
2 tablespoon butter, 1 lb chicken thigh filets, 0.5 teaspoon ground black pepper, 0.5 teaspoon salt
Add the rest of the butter along with the olive oil to the pan. When the butter is melted, add in the chopped garlic and onion and fry for about 2 minutes until browned.
Add in the rice and mix. Fry for about a minute until the oil and butter has been absorbed.
1.25 cup long grain rice
Add in the small amount of wine with saffron. Add some more wine to the glass and add this as well, to ensure you get all of the saffron. Then add in the rest of the wine. Mix well, bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium. Let cook for a few minutes until the wine has been absorbed.
1 cup dry white wine
Pour in half of the chicken stock, mix, bring to a simmer and lower the heat to medium-low. Let simmer until the stock has been absorbed. Then add in half of what's left, mix, and let simmer until absorbed. Finally add in the rest of the chicken stock and simmer until absorbed. This whole process takes about 20-25 minutes.
3 cups chicken stock
Mix in your thawed green peas and red bell pepper. Then mix in the chicken and peeled shrimp. Mix well, turn off the heat, and let sit for two minutes to allow everything to get warm.
1 lb shrimp, 1 cup frozen green peas, 1 red bell pepper