SERVES 8
SKILL LEVEL: EASY
COOK TIME: 40–45 MINS.
PREP TIME: 15 MINS.
COST: $$
Paella is one of those words that might as well have a blinking light and sound effects coming off the page. Like a burger, or pizza, or cappuccino, it makes me feel good. When you use the best fresh seafood, succulent dark meat chicken, and savory sausage, you’ve got my attention. The ability of rice to suck up and marry those flavors is what makes paella so comforting and satisfying. I always caution people that making paella is not like making risotto. When you make risotto, you are looking for ultimate creaminess in the rice, constantly stirring as it cooks. With paella, although you get some creaminess, if you don’t bother it too much while it’s cooking and let it work its magic, you get a beautiful crunchy crust called socarrat. Flavorful crunch is always a crowd pleaser. Just watch what your kids go for when you put anything with crunch in front of them.
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ pound Spanish chorizo
8 chicken thighs
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 cups short-grain rice
¼ cup white wine
1 heaping teaspoon saffron threads
1½ cups San Marzano tomatoes, drained and chopped
5 cups chicken stock
12 mussels, debearded and scrubbed
12 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1 pound large shrimp
1 cup frozen peas
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
1. Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
2. In a paella pan or a large high-sided skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook until it has browned and rendered some of its fat, about 3 minutes. Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside on a plate.
3. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the pan, browning for 3–4 minutes per side. Remove to the plate with the chorizo.
4. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes.
5. Add the rice and toast, stirring to coat the rice in the oil. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the saffron and the chopped tomatoes.
6. Slowly add the stock, stirring as you add. Season again with salt, and add the chicken and chorizo back to the pan. Nestle the mussels, clams, and shrimp into the rice. Sprinkle the peas all around and cover with foil and place in the oven.
7. Cook for 25–30 minutes, or until the clams and mussels have opened and the chicken has cooked through. Remove from the oven and take straight to the table. Garnish with chopped parsley and enjoy.