Brown Rice Paella

This is a flavorful dish that makes use of one of the healthiest whole grains. It's a good way to introduce brown rice to the family menu. With the spices, they may not even know you’ve snuck in a healthy rice!

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paella recipes

Serves 6 to 8
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cooking Time 45 minutes

For the spice mix
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons dried oregano
kosher salt and
      freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1 frying chicken, cut into 10 pieces
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 Spanish chorizo sausage, thinly sliced
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 onion, diced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 bunch flat-leaf parsley,
      chopped,  plus extra for garnish
1 large can whole tomatoes,
      drained and hand-crushed
3 cups uncooked brown rice
6 cups warm water
a generous pinch of saffron threads
1 dozen clams, scrubbed
400 grams jumbo shrimps, peeled  and deveined
1/2 cup sweet peas, frozen and thawed
lemon wedges, for serving

1  Prepare the spice mix by combining all ingredients in a small bowl.

2  Rub the spice mix all over the chicken and marinate chicken in a covered container for 1 hour in the refrigerator.

3  Heat oil in a paella pan or a wide and shallow skillet over medium-high heat. Saute the chorizo until browned, remove and reserve. Add chicken skin-side down and brown on all sides, turning with tongs. Add salt and freshly ground pepper. Remove from pan and reserve.

4  In the same pan, make a sofrito by sautéeing onions, garlic, and parsley. Cook for 2 or 3 minutes on medium heat. Add tomatoes and cook until the mixture caramelizes a bit and the flavors meld.

5  Fold in the rice and stir-fry to coat the grains. Pour in water and simmer for 15 minutes, gently moving the pan around so the rice cooks evenly and absorbs the liquid.

6  Add chicken, chorizo, and saffron. Add the clams and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. The shrimp will take about 8 minutes to cook. Give the paella a good shake and let it simmer, without stirring, until the rice is al dente, about 15 minutes.

7  When the paella is cooked and the rice looks fluffy and moist, turn the heat up for 40 seconds. When you can smell the rice toasting at the bottom, it‘s perfect.

8  Remove from heat and rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with peas, parsley, and lemon wedges.

Photography by At Maculangan |  Food Styling by Carina Guevara | Styling by Becky Kho