Simple Paella

This is a wonderful Spanish dish filled with chicken, clams, mussels, and shrimp. We love it on cold winter nights!

• Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 1  tablespoon dried oregano, crumbled
• 1  teaspoon kosher salt
• 1⁄2 tablespoon fresh coarse ground black pepper
• 2  tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4  links mild Italian sausage
• 3  small  skin on boneless chicken breasts
• 3  small chicken thighs, skin on
• 1⁄4 cup dry white wine
• 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron thread
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  large yellow onion, chopped
• 1  tablespoon  minced garlic
• 2  teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 -4  tablespoons  Frank's red hot sauce
• 1⁄4 cup  chopped cilantro
• 1  teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 24  ounces  seeded and diced canned plum tomatoes
• 1  cup  short-grain white rice
• 32 -40  fluid ounces  chicken stock
• 12  shrimp, peeled, and devined
• 18  clams or 18  mussels, in the shell scrubbed and debrided if using mussels
• 2  tablespoons  chopped cilantro (to garnish)

Directions

1. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper. Add the vinegar and form a paste. Stir in the olive oil.
2. Place the chicken pieces in a glass container and marinade them in the above mixture overnight.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, warm the wine, remove from heat. Crush the saffron threads gently and add to the warm liquid. Let this stand while you prepare the paella.
5. In a large deep frying pan or dutch oven, over medium high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the chicken in batches and brown quickly on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside.
6. To the oil remaining in the pan, add the onions, and saute over medium heat, stirring often, until tender and translucent about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, cumin, hot sauce, cilantro, red pepper flakes, and tomatoes and saute stirring for 5 minutes.
7. Add the rice, reduce the heat to low and stir for 3 minutes.
8. Add the chicken stock (the amount you add will depend on the absorbency of the rice) and the saffron along with its soaking liquid and bring to a boil.
9. Reduce the heat and simmer uncovered and without stirring for about 10 mintues.
10. Add the browned chicken, cover the dutch oven, and place in the preheated 325 degree oven bake until the liquids are absorbed and the rice is tender, about 15 more minutes.
11. During the last 5 minutes of cooking add the shrimp to the dutch oven.
12. Meanwhile, in a saucepan, place the clams and/or mussels, discarding any that do not open to the touch. Add wine or water to depth of 1 inch. Cover, place over medium-high heat and cook until the shellfish open, about 5 minutes.
13. Add them to the paella 1-2 minutes before it is ready, discarding those that do not open.
14. Remove paella from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.