Recipes Meat and Poultry Chicken Chicken Breast Chicken and Quinoa Paella 5.0 (1) 1 Review 2 Photos Traditional paella is made with rice. This recipe replaces the rice with quinoa, which is very good at absorbing the flavor of whatever it cooks in. This recipe simplifies cooking paella by foregoing the paella pan and using a common baking pan, the perfect size for parties and potlucks. Garnish with lemon wedges. Submitted by Oliver P Villaescusa Published on April 20, 2018 Save Rate Print Share Close Add Photo Prep Time: 25 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 10 mins Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Servings: 10 Yield: 1 9x13-inch paella Jump to Nutrition Facts Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients 1x 2x 4x Oops! Something went wrong. Our team is working on it. Original recipe (1X) yields 10 servings 6 cups chicken stock 2 bay leaves 3 teaspoons kosher salt, or more to taste, divided 2 teaspoons ground black pepper, divided 1 ½ pounds skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes 1 ½ pounds tomatoes, halved 4 tablespoons olive oil, divided 2 teaspoons smoked paprika ½ cup onion strips, 1/4-inch thick 3 cloves garlic, minced ½ pound green beans, stem ends trimmed, halved 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips 3 cups white quinoa 25 saffron threads 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, stemmed Directions Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring chicken stock and bay leaves to a boil in a large saucepan. Reduce heat and simmer while preparing the other ingredients. Taste stock; it should taste a little over-salted. Season with 1 to 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon black pepper as needed. Season chicken with salt and pepper. Squeeze out seeds from each tomato half over a sieve and into a bowl. Reserve the juice and discard the seeds. Grate the cut sides of the tomatoes over a bowl through the large holes of a box grater. Discard the skin. Combine the tomato juice and the grated pulp. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for 2 to 3 minutes and coat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add chicken in batches, in a single layer with space between pieces. Saute until meat is mostly opaque, about 4 minutes; it will continue cooking in the oven. Place chicken in a 9x13-inch baking pan. Repeat with the remaining chicken, being careful not to burn the fats rendering in the skillet. Add 2 tablespoons olive oil to the same skillet. Add the tomato juice-pulp mixture. Cook, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of skillet, until juices are mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add 2 teaspoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, and paprika. Mix well. Add onions and garlic; saute until is fragrant, about 3 minutes. Stir the mixture, called a sofrito, into the baking pan with the chicken. Heat the last tablespoon of olive oil in the hot skillet. Add green beans and saute for 1 minute. Add bell peppers; saute until green beans are crisp-tender, about 2 minutes more. Transfer mixture to the baking pan and stir well; mix in quinoa and saffron. Remove and discard bay leaves from stock and bring to a boil. Pour 1/2 into the baking pan. Mix carefully until well combined. Add remaining stock and stir carefully. Lay rosemary sprigs on top. Bake in the preheated oven until quinoa is tender yet firm to the bite, 35 to 45 minutes. Cook's Notes: You can use any combination of dark and white chicken meat. Replace the fresh tomatoes with 1 cup canned diced tomatoes, if desired. Skip Step 4 if using. Yes, you have to count the saffron threads. I Made It Print Nutrition Facts (per serving) 350 Calories 11g Fat 41g Carbs 23g Protein Show Full Nutrition Label Hide Full Nutrition Label Nutrition Facts Servings Per Recipe 10 Calories 350 % Daily Value * Total Fat 11g 14% Saturated Fat 2g 9% Cholesterol 39mg 13% Sodium 1030mg 45% Total Carbohydrate 41g 15% Dietary Fiber 6g 22% Total Sugars 4g Protein 23g 46% Vitamin C 39mg 43% Calcium 59mg 5% Iron 4mg 21% Potassium 696mg 15% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs. ** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data. (-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.