Quinoa “paella”
4
Points®
Total time: 1 hr 20 min • Prep: 40 min • Cook: 40 min • Serves: 8 • Difficulty: Easy
This spin on traditional Spanish paella gets a nutrient boost with high-protein quinoa and plenty of vegetables. It's chockfull of flavors, textures, and colors, and is impressive enough to serve as the stunning entrée for any dinner party or celebration. Whomever you serve this to will keep going back for more. Along with the bone-in chicken breasts, chicken chorizo, and quinoa, it features leeks, carrots, sweet red peppers, and baby broccoli. All of those ingredients are infused with fresh rosemary, paprika, and turmeric. You'll need a large, deep skillet that's at least 12 inches in diameter, but that's the only pan you need to make this paella.
Ingredients
Uncooked skinless chicken breast with bone
28 oz, (four 7 oz breasts - or similar size)
Reduced sodium chicken broth
2¾ cup(s)
Rosemary
1 Tbsp, fresh leaves, chopped
Paprika
2½ tsp, divided (or to taste)
Kosher salt
2 tsp, divided (or to taste)
Black pepper
1 tsp, freshly ground
Olive oil
1 Tbsp
Cooked chicken chorizo sausage
6 oz, cut into rounds
Garlic
3 clove(s), thickly sliced
Uncooked leeks
2 large, white and light green parts only
Carrots
5 large, preferably rainbow variety, peeled, cut into chunks
Red bell pepper
1 large, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
Uncooked quinoa
1½ cup(s), rinsed
Ground turmeric
½ tsp
Baby broccoli
1 bunch(es), trimmed (cut in half lengthwise if thick)
Lemon
1 item(s), medium, juiced and zested (optional)
Instructions
1
Remove any visible fat from chicken and halve each breast crosswise, cutting through bone. Season chicken all over with rosemary, 2 tsp paprika, 1½ tsp salt, and black pepper.
2
In large (12-inch) straight-sided skillet, heat oil over medium. Add chicken, then nestle chorizo and garlic around chicken. Cook, turning chicken and chorizo occasionally, until chicken is golden on all sides, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer chicken to plate, leaving garlic in pan.
3
Meanwhile, split leeks in half lengthwise and rinse well under running water. Cut leeks into ½-inch slices.
4
Add leeks, carrots, bell pepper, and remaining ½ tsp salt to garlic in pan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until soft, 6 to 8 minutes. Add broth, quinoa, turmeric, and remaining ½ tsp paprika and stir to combine. Bring to simmer. Nestle chicken and chorizo, with any juices, into quinoa. Cover pan tightly and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Add broccoli. Cover and cook until quinoa is done, chicken is cooked through, and broccoli is bright green, about 5 minutes more. Season quinoa with more paprika and salt and sprinkle with lemon zest and juice (if using).
5
Serving size: ½ chicken breast, 1 cup quinoa “paella,” and a few spears of broccoli
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