Chicken Paella

If I didn’t have enough reasons already to be madly in love with Judy, last night’s meal should definitely be added to the list.  Judy and I began our Weight Watchers Lifestyle Change one year ago, on January 1^st. During the past year we have had so much fun cooking together, eating, writing our Blog, and of course…losing weight. Between the two of us we have now lost nearly 100 pounds this year. It’s been easy. It’s been exciting. And, as I mentioned before, it’s been a lot of fun.

Today’s featured recipe exemplifies the word fun. When I think of Paella I always think of a celebration, a party, people laughing and enjoying the company of one another. Paella originated in its modern form in Valencia on the east coast of Spain in the mid 19^th century.  There are basically three types of Paella. Valencia Paella includes Rice, Meat and Green Vegetables. There are also Seafood and Mixed Paellas.  The word Paella is the Catalan word for Pan. Catalan is the indigenous language of that part of Spain where both Valencia and Barcelona are located.

Traditional Valencia Paella is cooked in a shallow polished steel pan with two handles. According to tradition in Valencia, paella is cooked by men over an open fire, fueled by orange and pine branches along with pine cones. This produces an aromatic smoke which infuses the paella.  Also, dinner guests traditionally eat directly out of the pan.

Our version utilizes a Crock Pot rather than the traditional pan.  Simply prepare the ingredients, load them into your slow cooker or Crock Pot and in little more than 5 hours you’ll have wonderful, somewhat traditional Paella to enjoy.

Judy’s Paella was so enjoyable that I also had it today for lunch, and you know, it was even better.

From our kitchen to yours. Enjoy the adventure

Chicken Paella

Ingredients

Chicken Paella

1 Pound Chicken, Breast and/or Thigh, boneless and skinless

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 medium Onion, chopped

1 Bell Pepper, green, chopped

½ cup Chicken Broth

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 tsp dried Oregano

1 tsp Turmeric, ground

1/3 cup Peas, green, frozen

2 cups Rice, cooked, Judy used Trader Joe's Organic Brown Rice, microwavable

Instructions

Place Chicken, Tomatoes, Onion, Pepper, Broth, Garlic, Oregano and Turmeric in a 4 quart or larger Crock Pot. Cover and cook on Low for 5 hours.

Add Peas and cooked Rice. Cook, uncovered, until Peas are tender, about another 15 minutes.

Yields 4 servings, each about 1 ½ cups.  Include 1 piece of chicken per serving.

Weight Watchers PointsPlus value per serving is 7. Level of difficulty is Easy. Prep time is 15 minutes. Cooking time is 315 minutes.

Weight Watchers and PointsPlus are registered trademarks of Weight Watchers intl. Inc.

Recipes shown may not be exactly the same as those found on any website. Judy and I "tweak" each recipe we feature, to some degree, incorporating our own unique tastes. PointsPlus values, however, are accurate. 

Photo by Barry Baruh