Chicken Thigh Paella

Paella is a great dish to cook for people looking to lose weight, offering an opportunity to really fill up a plate with good nutritious and filling free foods. There are so many different recipes available, and none are difficult to do. What puts a lot of people off is they think you need specialist equipment, such as a paella pan. You don't, we use a regular everyday sauté pan.....

Ingredients:

6 Chicken Thighs, skinned

230g Paella or Short grain Rice

1 Onion, thinly sliced

1 Red pepper chopped

1 Tin chopped tomatoes

150g Green beans, chopped

3 Garlic cloves, crushed

1 litre Chicken stock

Paella spices (optional, you can use Paprika instead if you wish)

Paella colouring (or Turmeric if you cannot get colouring)

Salt and pepper

Garlic fry light

Method:

1. Add onion, beans and pepper and soften. 2. Add paella spices (or paprika). 3. Add tomatoes and garlic

1. Make the chicken stock using Knorr stock cube, paella colouring and a good pinch or two of salt and a twist of pepper.
2. Roast the thighs in the oven first and leave to one side until needed.
3. Place sauté or frying pan on a mid to high heat and spray with the fry light
4. When hot, add the onions, beans and pepper, reduce the heat and cook until softening. Cover if you wish (Fig. 1)
5. Add the paella spices or paprika and keep cooking until thoroughly softened but not browning off (Fig. 2)
6. Once softened, add the tomatoes and crushed garlic and cook until thickening (Fig. 3).
7. Place the chicken thighs into the mix whilst it is thickening, thicker side upwards (Fig. 4).
8. When starting to thicken, add the rice and mix in carefully, cook for a few minutes to let the rice soak up the remaining juices (Fig. 5).
9. When it starts crackling, it means th juices have been soaked up, so add the chicken stock so everything is covered.
10. Bring this to a boil then reduce to a low heat and continue to cook on a low setting so as not to burn the bottom (Fig. 6).
11. After about 5 minutes, just check the seasoning, but don't add any yet. Check again after another 5

    

    Almost done!

    minutes, and, if necessary, add a little more salt and pepper if required.
12. Check seasoning again after another 5 minutes or so, whilst there is still plenty of liquid, this makes it easier to stir extra salt in!
13. Continue cooking the paella until all the liquid has been absorbed, and the base of the paella is starting to caramelise.
14. Cook until it has reached the thickness you desire, but avoid burning the bottom, don't be tempted to increase the heat to speed this up, low and slow is the best way with paella.
15. When done, place in middle of table and dig in!

4. Add chicken to the mix. 5. Add rice and stir in to soak up tomato juice. 6. Add stock and bring to boil