Spanish Seafood Paella
Ready In: 1 hr 45 mins
Serves: 8
Ingredients
- 2 1⁄2 lbs chicken parts
- 1⁄4 cup olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- fresh ground pepper
- 1⁄2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 large red bell pepper, roasted, peeled, seeded, and diced
- 1⁄2 cup sliced green onion
- 1 lb squid, cleaned, sacs cut into rings
- 1⁄2 teaspoon saffron thread
- 1 lb large raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 3 cups short-grain rice (preferably Spanish or Italian)
- 6 cups warm chicken stock
- 1 1⁄2 lbs small live clams
- 1 cup frozen peas
Directions
- With a heavy cleaver, chop each breast half into 3 pieces and each leg into 4 pieces.
- Combine the oil, onion, and garlic in a 12- to 14-inch skillet or paella pan and place over low heat.
- When the onion begins to sizzle, increase the heat to medium.
- Add the chicken pieces a few at a time and cook until lightly browned, sprinkling them with a little of the salt, pepper and paprika as they cook.
- As they brown, move the chicken pieces to the outside of the pan to make room for more in the center.
- When all the chicken has lost its raw color, add the squid, peppers, green onion, and the remaining salt, and crumble in the saffron. Stir in the rice, cooking for a minute or so to coat it with the oil.
- Add warm stock to within 1 inch of the rim of the pan (not all the stock may be needed).
- Arrange the shrimp over the top, and the mussels or clams in a ring around the outside, hinged side down.
- Cook at a lively simmer until the rice is just tender, about 20 minutes; scatter the peas over the top halfway through the cooking time.
- The paella may seem a little soupy when it first comes off the fire, but the rice will absorb the excess liquid in a few minutes.
- Tip:This works well woth boneless, skinless chicken thighs as suggested by YaYa.
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