Bucky's Recipe

Easy Chicken Paella

Category: Poultry

1 lb. extra large shrimp, peeled and deveined
salt and pepper
oil
9 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken thighs, halved
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2 inch wide strips
8 oz. chorizo, sliced 1/2 inch thick on bias
1 onion, chopped
14 1/2 oz. diced tomatoes, drained
2 c. Arborio rice
3 c. chicken broth
1/3 c. dry white wine
1/2 t. saffron
1 bay leaf
1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and de-bearded
1/2 c. frozen peas, thawed
2 T. parsley, chopped
1 lemon, wedged

Toss shrimp in 1/4 t. each salt and pepper, 1 t. garlic, 1 T. oil. Cover and refrigerate until needed. Season chicken with salt and pepper and set aside.
Saute peppers in 2 t. oil in Dutch oven on high until skin begins to blister and turn spotty black. Transfer to plate.
Add 1 more t. oil to Dutch oven and cook chicken on medium high in single layer with out moving for 3 minutes. Turn and brown on second side for 3 minutes. Remove from pan.
Reduce heat to medium and add chorizo cooking until browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Place with chicken.
Add 2 T. oil, over medium heat, saute onion about 3 minutes; add garlic and cook 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook 3 minutes. Stir in rice and cook until well coated with tomato mix, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in chicken broth, wine, saffron, bay and 1/2 t. salt. Return chicken and chorizo to pot and bring to boil, uncovered. Cover pot and transfer to oven and bake at 350 for 15 minutes until all rice is absorbed. Scatter shrimp over rice, insert mussels, hinged side down so they stand upright, arrange pepper strips in pinwheel pattern and scatter peas over top. (If Soccarat (crusty bottom rice) is desired, place Dutch oven, uncovered, over medium high heat about 5 minutes, rotateing 180 degrees every 2 minutes for even browning). Cover and return to oven until shrimp are opaque and mussels have opened, 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand, covered about 5 minutes. Discard mussels that have not opened. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.