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CEiMB ~ Chicken Paella with Sausage & Olives!

June 21, 2010 by DanicasDaily 16 Comments

Today was pretty good for a Monday.  It started off with a little “homemade” goodness, then, a delicious lunch out with my friend, my FAVORITE NEW FROYO FLAVOR, a fun NEW RECIPE and The Bachelorette SCANDAL!!!  What can I say, I love good food and a little reality drama 😉

This morning I realized I think I have sort of a slight Fat Free Decaf Iced Latte with Caramel Drizzle addiction (3 pts)  At least I get my dairy in this way  😉

Starbuck's Venti Iced Latte

But, there is honestly just something SO GOOD about having a BIG iced latte with some of the BEST Homemade Brown Sugar Banana Nut Bread (4 pts).

Brown Sugar Banana Nut Bread

Since today was the 1st day of summer, my friend & I headed out to enjoy the sunshine and eat outside!

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Oh…and maybe get some veggies in at Panda Express!

I think it’s SO COOL that they have added to their nutrition information online.  Not only have do they have the nutrition guide, but, a nutrition calculator where you can build your meal and a Wok Smart Guide….Just another reason to LOVE Panda!

Steamed Mixed Veggies

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Kung Pao Chicken ~ Not as healthy as my usual mushroom chicken choice, but, sometimes you just have to have the spicy, nutty stuff.

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All together with Broccoli Beef!

Panda Express

The real reason though….happened when we saw Over The Top Shop post that they had BANANA FROYO!!!!  Seriously….this might be my favorite new flavor ever!

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BANANA FROYO, Caramel, Heath Bar Crunch, Yogurt Chips and a couple Waffle Cone Pieces for scooping…..totally worth every calorie/point!

When I got home, I found this card in the mail from The Husband!

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I LOVE random cards that say super sweet things 😉

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Tonight I whipped up this week’s Craving Ellie In My Belly Recipe.  It came from Ellie’s latest cookbook ~ So Easy!

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Chicken Paella with Sausage & Olives!!!

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So, there’s a funny story that goes with this recipe ~ A few of us really thought that the first sentence about using the oven wasn’t supposed to be there.  I even had The Husband read the recipe twice and we both decided the oven wasn’t needed…..Until, I got to the transfer to the oven part ~ oops! 😉

I LOVE pictures in cookbooks because they let me know how it “should” look 🙂

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I think I came pretty close since I changed a few things.

Chicken Paella with Sausage & Olives

INGREDIENTS (Ellie’s recipe as modified by me):

1 T plus 2 tsp olive oil

2 Far West Hot Beef Hot Links, halved and sliced

1 lb skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces

1 medium onion, chopped

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

1 12 oz package frozen peas

1 cup uncooked white or brown basmati rice

1 can Rotel ~ Diced Tomatoes with Green Chiles

1/4 cup sliced black olives

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1/8 tsp ground curry

1/8 tsp Trader Joe’s 21 Seasoning Salute

1 Tbsp Cilantro, roughly chopped (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2.  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.

3.  Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until browned about 5 minutes.

4.  Transfer the chicken and chorizo to a plate.

5.  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.

6.  Return the chicken and chorizo to the skillet

7.  Add the chicken broth, peas, rice, tomato, olives, salt, pepper, turmeric, and saffron.  Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer to the over.

8.  Cook until the rice appears to be tender and the liquid is absorbed about 30 minutes.

Makes 6 LARGE servings, 8 points each

Nutritional information with my changes (using caloriecount.com):

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A few notes on the substitute ingredients I used.

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I like using Basmati White or Brown Rice when I make it on the stove as part of One Pot Meals because it cooks faster as the liquid evaporates since it’s a thinner grain.

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My favorite addition to almost any recipe – it just adds that “something” when you feel like you need “something” else.

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STEP-BY STEP

TIP ~ After you cut your chicken into cubes, be sure to pat it dry on paper towels to get any excess moisture out.  If you want your meat to “brown” this is an important step.

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Brown your spicy goodness ~ any spicy sausage would do.  Her original recipe uses Chorizo, but, I used what we had on hand.

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Add the chicken and cook until browned,a bout 5 minutes.

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Sauté your onion until soft, then, add your garlic.

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Return your chicken/sausage mixture to the pan and add everything else. 

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Bring it to a boil, cover and finish cooking in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is evaporated and the rice is cooked through. 

TIP ~ The type of rice you use will determine how long you cook it in the oven as shorter/thicker grains take longer to cook.

TIP ~ You can cover your pan handles with foil before you put your pan in the oven to protect them, however, most pan handles are ok under 400 degrees.

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Top with cilantro, dig in and enjoy!

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Plus a quick salad side!

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I LOVED this recipe ~ it’s packed with flavor and spice!  I think it would be the perfect comfort meal in the winter when you want something hardy!  I’d definitely make it again and cannot wait for leftovers as I bet it gets better each day.

What do you all think of The Bachelorette this week and that Rated R / Casey Drama???

I am so dying over Allie’s face when Kasey shows her his tattoo ~ she can’t bring herself to say “guard and protect my heart” LOL….I think Kasey is a nice guy, but, the show totally made him look pretty bad.

Off to finish the show!!

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Filed Under: CEiMB, Recipes, Restaurant Reviews Tagged With: Chicken

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Comments

  1. 1

    Lauren says

    June 22, 2010 at 3:39 am

    Haha, I’ve been enjoying the Iced Coffees too lately!!! Such a huge treat on the hot summer mornings. I just can’t bring myself to hot coffee anymore.

    Aww, hubby is a doll! 🙂 I love that when he thinks of you throughout the day, he wants to be sure that you know it! 🙂

    Happy Tuesday lady!

    Reply
  2. 2

    Kristin (Cook, Bake and Nibble) says

    June 22, 2010 at 4:08 am

    Aww, your hubby is such a sweetie!

    And that paella looks FAB!!

    xo
    Kris

    Reply
  3. 3

    Mary @ What's Cookin' with Mary says

    June 22, 2010 at 9:36 am

    I love one pot meals! And this one looks great. I ordered paella once in a restaraunt and didn’t care for it… it tasted pretty plain (like white rice and the proteins they used) and the rice was CRUNCHY… Not ok. Never tried it again after that, but your home made verision may have inspired me to try, try again.

    Reply
  4. 4

    liz says

    June 22, 2010 at 10:23 am

    LOL!! Thanks for not calling me out directly for the recipe mishap 🙂 I read that recipe twice, then had Ryan read it, and neither of us saw where it went into the oven… Oops! This looks so good, but I’m not sure I’m going to get it made this week. Definitely one I’ll come back to if I miss it though.

    Your hubby is a keeper! 🙂

    Reply
  5. 5

    Tasha says

    June 22, 2010 at 12:23 pm

    OMG you’re killin me here. That all looked sooooo good. And see ya later, Kacey! Is it just me or did he have a crazy weird voice? Loved Allie’s face when he showed her the tat.

    Reply
  6. 6

    janetha says

    June 22, 2010 at 12:28 pm

    jay is just the greatest guy around! cute card 😀 and your CEiMB recipe turned out delicious looking. i always gravitate toward her recipes on the food network website. i am loving iced coffee right now! probably because of the heat! gorgeous flowers photo. love ya!

    Reply
  7. 7

    Kristen @ Change of Pace says

    June 22, 2010 at 6:49 pm

    My new thing at Starbucks is iced chai tea lattes… YUM! That recipe looks so simple and fresh! Thanks for sharing 🙂

    Reply
  8. 8

    Melissa S. says

    June 22, 2010 at 7:01 pm

    that dinner looks amazing! i certainly want to try a vegetarian version of that!

    and that banana bread! yumy!

    Reply
  9. 9

    Tami says

    June 22, 2010 at 8:17 pm

    I have that cookbook and I will have to make that recipe it looks wonderful!

    Reply
  10. 10

    DanicasDaily says

    June 23, 2010 at 8:56 am

    Hi Melissa,

    You could totally make a great vegetarian version of this – just use SOYRIZO and Chickenless Chicken Strips or chickpeas 🙂 I can’t wait to hear what you think.

    Danica

    Reply
  11. 11

    Bri says

    June 24, 2010 at 1:02 pm

    Your paella looks wonderful! I love all the detailed pictures and steps you put into your blog post. I actually did make this with chicken breast and Soyrizo, and we loved it this way. The Soyrizo crumbles up pretty fine, so you hardly realize it’s there, but it lends huge flavor!

    As for Bachelorette, I think Kasey is probably very sweet, but unfortunately he came off as creepy on the show. She was right to get rid of him!

    Reply
  12. 12

    Joanne says

    June 25, 2010 at 5:27 am

    Your Paella looks fabulous! You did a great job. It was an absolute hit in our house.

    Reply
  13. 13

    Angela says

    May 12, 2011 at 11:16 am

    Hey Danica! this recipe looked so good that i had to include one of your pictures in a paella blog post. it’s linked right back to this page and gives you all the credit! thanks for sharing! here’s the blog post – http://reluctantwwfoodie.wordpress.com/2011/05/12/hungry-girls-paella/

    Reply
  14. 14

    Kayte says

    October 10, 2011 at 2:04 pm

    Looks great…must have missed commenting on this one. A ton of information in this post, always nice to learn new things!

    Reply
  15. 15

    Margaret says

    October 14, 2011 at 6:24 am

    Sounds like a busy and fun day. The Ellie recipe looks delish. And it was easy. I loved it when I made it last summer. Have to make it again.

    Reply

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About Danica

Whether she’s enjoying a dish at a local restaurant or whipping up a crowd-pleasing, nutritious meal at home, Danica has a passion for all things food. She believes in and follows the Weight Watchers principle of “all things in moderation” and chronicles her culinary adventures here. Besides sharing her daily eats and tasty, nutritious recipes, Danica connects others seeking a healthier lifestyle on her site and shares her travel adventures around the world.

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