Ingredients
Ample pinch of saffron – approx ½ teaspoon if you have longer, wavy threads
Marjoram, oregano, thyme, turmeric and a bay leaf. See below
4-5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
(Additional olive oil as needed.)
1 onion, medium sized, diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups short grain rice
3 cups chicken stock
1+ red, yellow and/or orange pepper, medium sized, diced or cut into strips. I prefer small strips.
1 chicken breast or 2-3 chicken thighs, cut into larger pieces (keeps it moister) then coat with flour, paprika and garlic powder before cooking in 1 tbsp oil)
1 pound sausage, cut into 1/4 inch or slightly larger rounds – andouille is more classic, but I like a sweet chicken sausage. A good Polish sausage is fine too!
1 pound cooked shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on – med large or larger. If using frozen, they must be thawed first.
½ cup frozen peas or peas and carrots
1 lemon, cut into wedges
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
If you want to be fussy, take a generous pinch each of marjoram, oregano, and thyme and then cook (but don’t scorch) these in oil to bring out the flavor. Add a bay leaf. (You can just throw all the spices into the chicken broth, though.)
Take the chicken pieces and add to a bowl with 2-3 tbsp flour, 1 tsp paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper to taste. Mix chicken with flour mix until chicken is coated. Then add 2-3 tbsp olive oil and mix chicken again until coated thoroughly.
Pull out a large frying pan. The one above is 14 inches. Add about 1 additional tbsp of olive oil to pan. Cook chicken only until pink is gone, turning with tongs. It will cook more in broth later. Remove chicken.
Over a medium to high heat, add 1-2 tbsp olive oil to the frying pan. Then add onion and cook until translucent.
Add garlic and cook for 2 more minutes.
On medium heat, add all of the rice and stir frequently. This technique is known as ‘parching’. By heating the rice for 3-5 minutes prior to adding any liquid, the rice will essentially become “thirstier,” and soak up more broth. Add one teaspoon turmeric.
Once the rice is hot, CAREFULLY add half of the chicken stock and the saffron and other herbs/spices. The pan is hot and liquid could spatter/vaporize quickly. (My husband would add three tablespoons tomato sauce. I would skip the tomato sauce.) You want the liquid to completely cover the rice.
Stir occasionally and bring to a boil. As the liquid is soaked up, add more stock.
While slowly adding stock to keep the rice ‘wet’, add in the bell pepper. I use red, yellow and/or orange peppers. You could use green peppers, but I’m not a green pepper fan. Spouse is OK with green, though.
Add in the sausage and chicken. Stir occasionally and be sure to bring back to a boil to ensure the meats heat all the way through, about 10-12 minutes. Add broth to keep rice hydrated. (This time can be shorter with cooked sausage since you already cooked the chicken, but you do want to get the rice to the right consistency. I’d go by whether the rice seems right. You want the rice to be soft with a tasty brown crust on the bottom of the pan.)
Lastly, add the shrimp and peas or peas and carrots. I embed the shrimp in the rice and sit the peas on top. The shrimp will only take about 3 minutes to cook thoroughly. As soon as it is done, remove the pan from the heat. Let it rest covered for at least another 5 minutes.
Garnish with lemon wedges.
