Succulent Chicken and Pork Paella
Arroz en Caldero
Arroz en Caldero refers to the fact that this rice dish is finished before all of the cooking liquid is absorbed by the rice, leaving a succulent broth to be enjoyed. This is a satisfying dish that can be made from scratch in less than 30 minutes.
½ cup / 125 ml olive oil
1 lb / 450 gr of chicken thighs – skinless and boneless
1 lb / 450 gr of pork tenderloin – cut in 1 inch cubes*
1 onion diced
5 cloves garlic – diced
1Tablespoon Sweet Spanish Pimentón
3 tomatoes - peeled and coarsely diced – 6 canned plum tomatoes are fine
2 cups / 400 gr round grain rice
6 cups / 1.5 l boiling water seasoned with 1 Tablespoon of salt
Lemon wedges for garnish
In Paella pan or in a 4 quart heavy bottomed casserole, heat the olive oil until shimmering. Quickly brown the chicken legs and the pork tenderloin in the olive oil and remove to a plate.
Sauté the onion until they begin to be translucent, add the garlic and the Pimentón. Add the tomatoes and sauté for an additional 10 minutes until they are reduced by half.
Add the rice and mix well so that the rice is covered with the onion, garlic and tomato mixture. Add the chicken and pork as well as any juices.
Add the boiling water, 1 cup / 250 ml at a time, stirring gently to ensure that the rice does not stick to the bottom of the casserole.
When the water has been stirred in, reduce the heat and simmer gently for 15 minutes until the rice has absorbed most of the water. The remaining water will turn into a creamy broth.
Serve with garnish of lemon.
* Shrimp may be substituted for pork if preferred. Brown only the chicken and then add the uncooked, de-veined shrimp to the rice at the same time as the chicken after the rice has been covered with the olive oil, tomato, onion and garlic mixture.