Slow cooker paella

My time-honored paella recipe is one I copied out of a book in Spanish in high school. It’s kind of a pain, but like many signature ethnic dishes like coq au vin, it’s worth a certain amount of fuss now and again, and it helps me brush up on my Spanish.

But it’s not something you serve on Halloween night when attempts at cooking – and eating – are interrupted frequently by insistent storm troopers and princesses. That’s when the crockpot version of anything seems called for.

Easy “Paella”

Adapted from “The Healthy Slow Cooker” by Judith Finlayson. She doesn’t profess it’s authentic paella, by any means, just the lazy person’s adaptation.

Ingredients

8 chicken thighs, bone-in (skin off if you want to be all healthy about it)

1 tablespoon olive oil

4 ounces fresh chorizo (about 1 link for the kind that comes in links)

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks or Swiss chard stems, diced

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

½ teaspoon pepper

¼ teaspoon saffron threads

1 cup long grain brown rice

½ cup white wine

1 can diced tomatoes and juice

1½ cup chicken stock

2 teaspoons smoked Spanish paprika

1 cup frozen peas

1 red bell pepper, chopped

¼ chopped fresh parsley for garnish

Method

Arrange chicken across bottom of crock.

In skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chorizo and cook until just starting to brown. Reduce heat to medium low and add onion and celery, cooking until vegetables start to soften and sausage is browned. Add garlic, oregano, pepper and saffron. Stir in brown rice until well coated, about a minute. Add wine and bring to a boil. Add tomatoes, stock and bring to a boil. Pour mixture over chicken in slow cooker insert. Cover and cook on low for 5 hours, or 2½ on high.

Sprinkle with paprika. Stir in peas and red peppers. Cover and let cook for another 30 minutes. Season to taste. Garnish with parsley. Serves 4 to 6.

Rating: It’s not paella, but it doesn’t claim to be. It’s a reasonable one-pot chicken rice casserole aided by chorizo and saffron. The chicken is moist and fallen off the bone, and it makes a hearty fall supper.