Paella (My Version)

Ingredients:

• 4 tsp olive oil
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and coarsely chopped
• 1 Spanish Chorizo (cured) thinly sliced
• 1 onion, thinly sliced
• 5-6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, thinly sliced
• 1 cup regular long-grain rice or Bomba (Spanish) rice
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 chicken or fish bouillion cube 
• 2 medium tomatoes
• 1 cup peas
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cumin
• 2-3 saffron strands, crushed
• 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Makes 8 Servings

1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet. Saute the bell pepper, onion and garlic until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, peas and cook stirring well for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken and the rice, stirring, until the chicken is lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
2. Stir in the chicken stock, boullion cube, paprika, cumin, saffron and chorizo; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, until most of the liquid is absorbed, 10-20 minutes. Stir in the parsley, salt and pepper. Cook, covered, until all the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes longer.

WW POINTS VALUE: 9 pts. (1/4 of paella)

Note: This recipe appears in the New WW Complete Cookbook. Paella is a traditional Spanish dish that combines meats, sausage, and fish in a rice base. The original WW recipe calls for chicken, shrimp and mussels to create lots of flavor with little fat. It was my mom's birthday and she wanted Paella for her birthday. I learned how to cook paella and I was ready to cook this dish. I had the original Paella recipe from my cooking class and incorporated some of the ingredients from that recipe to the WW recipe. The original WW recipe called for shrimp and mussels and I substituted tomatoes, peas, chicken boullion cube and chorizo and added paprika and cumin for a more flavorful dish. A Paella MUST include chorizo, Bomba Rice, saffron, paprika and cumin for that authentic Spanish taste. Don't use too much because a little spice goes a long way. The points value may be affected but it's a very filling dish that is perfect for any occasion and it's a healthy comfort food. Ole!