Simple Chicken Paella

This is another one of those simple one pot dishes, that uses ingredients you’ll probably already have in your fridge/freezer, that still hits that winter warming comfort food spot and will make a change from all the roasted meat, boiled spuds and sprouts generally served over the holiday period.

You will need:
2 tbsp vegetable oil
2 chicken breasts, cut into bite sized chunks
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tin of chopped tomatoes
200g paella rice
1 ½ tsp of smoked paprika
½ tsp of turmeric
1 red pepper, roughly diced
1 litre of chicken stock
100g frozen peas
Small handful of fresh parsley, torn
Pinch of black pepper

Method:
1. Pour half the oil to a large, flat bottomed, non-stick pan and heat over a medium/high heat.
2. Add in the chicken, cook until lightly browned, remove from the pan and set aside.
3. Pour the remaining oil into the pan, add in the onions and cook for about 5 minutes, until softened.
4. Add in the garlic and tomatoes, turn the heat down to medium and cook until most of the liquid has evaporated.
5. Add the rice, paprika, turmeric and chopped pepper to the pan, stir through and allow to cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
6. Return the chicken to the pan, pour over about half the stock and stir through, lightly scrape the bottom of the pan to ensure no flavour is lost.
7. Allow to simmer gently for about 15-20 minutes, until the rice is just tender, stirring regularly and adding more stock if it starts to dry out.
8. Add in the garden peas and parsley, stir through and cook for a further minute or so, until the peas are warmed through.
9. Season to taste with black pepper, it shouldn’t need any additional salt thanks to the stock, and serve immediately.

Notes:
If you want to add a little extra depth to the dish add in some small chunks of chorizo with the onions or add in a handful of cooked frozen prawns with the garden peas and parsley.