Chicken and Quinoa Paella

Ingredients

• 6 cups chicken stock
• 2 bays leaves
• 3 teaspoons kosher salt , or more to taste, divided
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper , divided
• 1.5 pounds skinless , boneless chicken breast halves, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
• 1.5 pounds tomatoes , halved
• 4 tablespoons olive oil , divided
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 0.5 cups onion strips , 1/4-inch thick
• 3 cloves garlic , minced
• 0.5 pounds 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 saffrons threads
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary , stemmed

Instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

2. 2

   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.

3. 3

   Season chicken with salt and pepper.

4. 4

   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.

5. 5

   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.

6. 6

   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.

7. 7

   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.

8. 8

   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.

9. 9

   Bake in the preheated oven until quinoa is tender yet firm to the bite, 35 to 45 minutes.