15/04/2024

Chicken and Fennel Paella Verde

This paella blanca (although I do use a bit of saffron) is a fresh take on this Spanish classic and combines chicken, fennel, zucchini and asparagus with the zing of lemon.

Serves:

4-6

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 30-40 minutes

Download Recipe PDF

Ingredients

1 bulb fennel
1 litre hot chicken or vegetable stock
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads*, optional
1 lemon
olive oil, as needed
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
600g boneless chicken thighs, chopped
sea salt and pepper, to taste
3 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 1/2 cups paella rice** or long grain rice
1 cup dry white wine
1 bunch asparagus, cut into pieces

Method

Retain the fennel fronds from garnish, discard the stalks and finely dice the fennel bulb.
Combine stock and saffron, allowing the saffron to infuse. Season chicken. Cut a few thin slices from one end of the lemon and cut the rest into wedges for serving.
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a paella pan and quickly fry zucchini until golden, remove.
Add a little more oil if needed and brown the chicken. Add fennel and garlic and sauté until softened. Add rice and sauté for 2 minutes until toasted. Mix in wine, stock and saffron and bring to the boil. Stir in asparagus. Simmer without stirring for 20-25 minutes, adding a little extra water if needed, until rice is cooked and a golden crust has formed underneath.
Arrange cooked zucchini slices and lemon slices over the top. Cover and allow to stand for 5-10 minutes to cook completely. Sprinkle with fennel fronds and pepper, and serve with lemon wedges.

Tips

This recipe suits a 40cm paella pan. A black paella pan is preferable. It can also be made in a large wide ovenproof pan or frypan or dutch oven (check the handles are oven proof).
*If real saffron is unavailable, 1/2 teaspoon turmeric can be substituted.
**PAELLA RICE varieties like Bomba or Calasparra are recommended in this dish for best results. Although you can substitute long grain rice, do not use risotto rice (Arborio, Vialone Nano, Carnaroli) as they do not have the right texture.
STYLING Curl the zucchini slices and tuck into the rice.
DRINK Albarino