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Grilled Chicken and Vegetable Paella

Katie Lee's grilled chicken paella
Nathan Congleton / TODAY
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Chef notes

This is a dish that was born from leftovers. I used leftover rice, leftover grilled chicken, and leftover cooked bacon. I transformed all of the leftovers with fresh veggies and herbs from the farm stand for a brand new fresh dish. This also works great with grilled shrimp or ribs.

Ingredients

  • 8 chicken legs
  • 4 tablespoons canola oil, divided
  • Garlic salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes (yellow or red)
  • 1 zucchini sliced ½ inch thick diagonally
  • 1 squash sliced ½ inch thick diagonally
  • 4 cups cooked rice (leftover rice works great)
  • 2 ears corn, cut from the cob
  • 1 bunch scallions, white and light green parts only, thinly sliced
  • 6 slices cooked bacon, chopped
  • 6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 Lemon, zested and juiced
  • 1 cup minced fresh herbs (I used lemon basil, flat leaf parsley and cilantro)

Preparation

Heat a grill to medium high. Toss chicken legs with 1 tablespoon canola oil. Season with garlic salt and pepper. Grill until cooked through. Remove to a sheet pan.

Toss zucchini and squash with 1 tablespoon oil and season with garlic salt and pepper. Do the same with the tomatoes. Grill zucchini and squash about 4 to 5 per side, until tender. Grill tomatoes about 4 minutes, until they begin to slightly char. Remove to sheet pan with chicken.

In a large bowl, combine rice, corn, scallions and bacon. Coat a cast iron skillet with remaining oil. Firmly press rice mixture evenly onto the bottom of the skillet. Place skillet onto the hot grill. Do not stir. Let skillet sit on heat for about 25 minutes. A crispy crust will form. Scatter sun-dried tomatoes and lemon zest over rice. Place chicken, tomatoes, zucchini, and squash onto the rice. Squeeze lemon juice over the chicken and vegetables, and scatter herbs on top. Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the rice from the pan and toss the mixture before serving.