21.2.14

Chicken Paella with Orange

With only four more weeks to go before spring sets in, I am already feeling chirpy. As an early celebration, son and I went out for a walk this morning and returned back after an hour feeling fresh and cheery. It was so good to be out in the sun for so long.. Later, when the toddler went for his nap I cooked up this delicious citrusy chicken paella for dinner...


I adapted the recipe from the book Perfect Over Spanish a Collection of Over 100 Essential Recipe. I had cooked this paella before and had intended to write about it but then forgot until my sister asked me for a paella recipe the other day.... 


It is a gorgeous easy-to-cook one-pot-meal that can be made on a weeknight, provided you have planned it before and have an hour to spare. Else cook it up for a delicious weekend dinner and enjoy with your family and loved ones.....

Chicken Paella with Orange

Prep time: minimum 1 hour 15 minutes (if marinating the chicken )
Cook time: 45-60 minutes                                  Total time: minimum 2 hours including marination time
Serves : 3

Ingredients
For marination
  • 2 tbsps white wine
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • ½ tsp garlic salt
  • 1 tsp brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp red chili powder or paprika
  • 2 large chicken breasts
For the Paella
  • ⅔ cup Paella rice (I used Arborio)
  • 1 ½ tbsps olive oil
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cloves of garlic, crushed
  • 2 medium sized tomatoes, diced
  • 1 orange bell pepper, broiled, peeled and coarsely chopped
  • ½ tsp red chili powder or paprika
  • 1 cup cooked red kidney beans
  • 1 tbsp coriander, chopped
  • ½ tbsp orange rind
  • 2 tbsps orange juice
  • ⅓ cup white wine
  • 2 ½ - 2 ¾ cup simmering chicken stock
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • orange wedges to serve
  • chopped coriander for garnish
Cooking Directions
  1. Clean the chicken breasts, butterfly them and cut into bite-sized chunks. ( After the process I had one cup of chicken strips.)
  2. In a medium sized bowl, mix all the ingredients for the marinade. Put the chicken in the bowl and coat them well with the marinade. Cover the bowl and refrigerate for at least one hour.
  3. When ready to cook, bring 3 cups of water to a boil. Add the rice to the boiling water and cook for 10 minutes. Switching off the heat, drain the rice and keep aside.
  4. Heat the oil in a large heavy bottomed vessel.
  5. Add the onions and garlic and cook till the onions become soft.
  6. Add the chicken along with the marinade. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until the juices from the chicken begin to release.
  7. Now add the chopped tomatoes, half of the orange pepper and the chili powder. Mix well, cover and cook for 5-7 minutes, until the tomatoes become mushy.
  8. Add the red kidney beans , mix well and cook uncovered for 2 minutes.
  9. Add the semi-cooked rice and coriander. Stirring constantly, cook for a minute or so. The rice should be well coated with the oil and the vegetables.
  10. Add the orange rind, orange juice and white wine and cook till most of the wine evaporates.
  11. Add 2 ½ cups of the simmering chicken stock, stir well and cook uncovered for 10 minutes.
  12. Add the remaining half of the orange pepper and chicken stock, taste and season with salt and pepper, stir well and cook until no liquid is left and the rice looks done.
  13. Switching off the heat, cover the vessel and let stand for 5 minutes.
  14. Then garnish with orange wedges and chopped coriander and serve.
p.s: The original recipe also lists saffron threads. In case you want to add it to your paella, soak ½ tsp of saffron in 2 tbsps of hot water and stir it in along with the garlic.

I shall be sharing this paella at all these food parties..



13 comments:

  1. This looks great! Orange with paella is a new combination for me, I'll be sure to try it!

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  2. Your Paella looks wonderfully delicious! Love the vibrant color!

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  3. Oh I can't wait to give this a try! Thanks for sharing at The Weekend Retreat!!

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  4. Looks great! I am hosting a giveaway on my page this week (posted Monday) and I would love if you would stop by and check it out!
    -Jennie
    http://thediaryofarealhousewife.blogspot.com/

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  5. I just made a paella. I love the orange in yours. Thanks so much for sharing this wtih us on foodie friday.

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  6. Thanks for sharing at The Happiness is Homemade Link Party, You are being featured so make sure you come over on Sunday and grab a button! http://mommyondemand.com/

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  7. Love the combinations of flavors and all the color from the orange!! Can't wait to try this!

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  8. Just wanted you to know that I am featuring your recipe on foodie friday today. Will be pinning and tweeting it this week too.

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  9. This looks amazing! Stopping by to let you know you are featured this week on #GetHimFed Friday. I hope you will come by and link up again! :-)

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  10. Your Chicken Paella with Orange is amazing, we would just love it! Thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday and have a great weekend.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  11. Such an interesting use of orange in this paella - I'm a big fan of this dish but I've never had it with orange before. This looks so tasty and now I'm hungry to try this again...

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  12. Your Chicken Paella with Orange is making my mouth water. I'll have to try this very soon. Thank you for sharing with the Clever Chicks Blog Hop! I hope you’ll join us again next week!

    Cheers,
    Kathy Shea Mormino
    The Chicken Chick
    http://www.The-Chicken-Chick.com

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Thanks for stopping by. It was nice having you here. Have a good day.

Take care and come back soon.
Best, Tanusree

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