Jans Chicken Valencia Recipes

AUTHENTIC PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
• Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
• Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

VALENCIA CHICKEN BREASTS

Steps:

• Season chicken breasts w/salt & pepper. Heat olive oil in a deep pan, fry chicken breasts on both sides till golden brown, remove from pan & set aside.
• Brown the diced carrot & onion in the oil & meat juices. Add orange & lime juice, sugar & white wine. Reduce sauce slightly to intensify the flavors.
• Transfer mixture to a blender, puree & season w/salt & pepper to taste (I would use my immersion blender for this step).
• Return puree mixture to pan, place chicken breasts in the sauce w/any juice accumulated while set aside & gently simmer for 10 min (covered). Serve immediately as per the following note.
• TO SERVE: Plate ea chicken breast. Make 4 diagonally angled cuts from side-to-side to create 5 slightly fanned medallions, but do not cut all the way through the breast. Place a halved orange slice in ea of the slits. Stir puree sauce, ladle a bit over the length of ea breast & the rest equally along both sides of the chicken breast.

PAELLA VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the oil in a pan. Add the strips of pepper and fry until they start to soften. Remove and reserve for garnish. Fry the chicken and rabbit at medium heat until golden brown, adding more oil, as necessary. Add the paprika half way through to add color to meat. Push the meat out to the edges of the pan and add the beans and tomatoes in the center, mixing them well. Add 1/2 the water making sure to cover the pan until it is 1/2 full. Simmer for approximately 30 minutes until most of the water has evaporated. Add the snails and cook for 5 or 10 minutes.
• Add the rice, distributing it evenly over the pan and fry for a few minutes, moving it around in the pan. Add the rest of the water and cook for about 20 minutes. Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Add a pinch of saffron for colour. Once this is done the paella should not be stirred anymore.
• For the last 1 to 2 minutes increase the heat to medium-high, until the bottom layer of rice starts to caramelize, creating what Valencians call the "socarrat". If the rice starts to burn remove the pan from the heat immediately.
• Garnish the paella with the strips of red pepper and the sprigs of rosemary. Cover the pan and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.

ARROZ VALENCIANA

Steps:

• Dissolve the bouillon cube in 2 cups of hot water in a small bowl or liquid measuring cup.
• Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat. dd the onions and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions start to become translucent, about 1 minute. Add the chicken and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until the chicken is opaque but not cooked through, about 2 minutes. Add the rice and turmeric and stir until the turmeric is evenly distributed. Add the sausage, raisins, coconut milk and bouillon broth and stir for 1 minute. Cover and cook on medium-low heat until almost all the liquid is absorbed, about 35 minutes.
• Add the red and green bell peppers, carrots and peas and gently stir. Continue to cook the rice covered until the vegetables are slightly softened and there is no more liquid, about 10 minutes.
• Season with salt and transfer to a serving bowl. Garnish with the hard-boiled eggs and scallions.