CEiMB - Chicken Paella with Sausage and Olives

Our CEiMB is back up and running after a short break!  Margaret of Tea and Scones chose our recipe this week for the group.  I decided after checking out the recipe it would be something Chandler would love so I prepared it for his lunch on Father's day!  The only substitution I made was the sausage.  They had chorizo sausage at Publix, but it did not seem to be too fresh as the last date of sale was two days from now.  So I substituted Cajun smoked sausage and it had quite a spicey bite to it!  I was not quite sure how green olives would blend with this mixture of meat and rice, but they added a very nice flavor to it.  If you notice the tomatoes are missing in this photo, they are!  I forgot to add them when I was preparing it, but they did get added after the photo.  And my photo is not very good because as usual, I was in too much of a hurry to plan and stage a lovely photo!

I don't know how it is in your part of the country, but it is hot here.  And I mean HAWT.  Like 98 degrees on Sunday.  Remember when we were little we would put on swimsuits and run through the sprinkler and it was so cold on our little hot bodies but we did not care?  My neighbors would probably have me committed if I did that now.  I'll just settle for some ice cold lemonade instead.  Have you ever thought about how much time you have spent buying swimsuits?  I actually picked a swimsuit off the rack at Kohls the other day and without trying it on brought it home and it fit. Usually it is harder to choose.  One makes our stomach look big. That one makes our hips look wide. This one flattens our chest out like a pancake and that one shows cleavage down to our navel. This other one rides up our rear like a letter in a mailbox. My motto is show a lot of cleavage and then the viewers will never get down as low as the stomach, hips, and legs. Problem is I don't have cleavage either!!  I know I know - TMI.

This paella was very easy to prepare.  I did have to bake it a bit longer than the recipe said as my rice did not cook as fast as it should have.  We loved this and I will definitely make it again!  Check it out for yourself and please go check out Margaret's blog and see what she did with hers.  Just click on her link above.

Recipe
1 T plus 2 tsp olive oil

3 oz chorizo sausage with casing removed, sliced into 1/4" rounds
1 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 10 oz package frozen peas
1 cup uncooked white rice
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
1/4 cup sliced green Spanish pimento-stuffed olives
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/8 tsp ground turmeric
small pinch of saffron threads

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Heat 1 T of oil in large heavy skillet over medium-high heat (use a skillet that has a lid to cover)
Add the chorizo and cook, stir occasionally until browned, about 3 minutes.
Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned about 5 minutes.
Transfer the chicken and chorizo to a plate.
Heat the remaining 2 tsp of oil in the skillet,
Add the onion, and cook stirring until softened about 3-5 minutes
Add the garlic and continue to cook for a minute more.
Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet
Add the chicken broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, salt, pepper, turmeric, and saffron.
Cover and finish cooking in the oven for 30 minutes.