Operation Attitude Gratitude

Ella Ella Paella

INGREDIENTS

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ½ teaspoon oregano
• 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch chunks
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 2 Spanish chorizo (or andouille) sausages thickly sliced on a bias
• 1 yellow onion diced
• 4 garlic cloves chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 bunch flat-leaf parsley leaves chopped
• 1 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups medium-grain Spanish rice 
• 3 cups chicken stock
• generous pinch saffron
• 10 littleneck clams cleaned
• 10 mussels cleaned
• 10 medium shrimp peeled and deveined
• 1/2 cup frozen sweet peas thawed
• lemon wedges for serving
• sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine the paprika and dried oregano in a small bowl. Rub the paprika mixture all over the chicken and marinate chicken for 1 hour in the refrigerator.
2. Heat the oil in a 15-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Add the chorizo to the pan and sauté the chorizo until browned. Remove and reserve chorizo.
3. Add chicken to the pan and brown on all sides until fully cooked. Season with salt and cracked pepper. Remove from pan and reserve. In the same pan, sauté the onions, garlic, red pepper, and parsley for 2 or 3 minutes on medium heat.
4. Add the fire-roasted tomatoes and cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes to let the flavors come together. Add the rice and stir to coat the grains in the mixture. Add the water and simmer for 10 minutes. From this point do not stir the pot.
5. Add chicken and chorizo back to the pan along with the saffron.
6. Add the clams, mussels, and shrimp, tucking them into the rice. Continue to cook until the rice has absorbed all of the liquid, the shrimp is cooked and the mussels and clams have opened, about 15 minutes more.
7. Add the peas and toss to combine. If any of the clams or mussels do not open, discard them before serving.  Remove the paella from the heat and let it rest for 5-10 minutes. Serve with the extra lemon wedges and season with Sea Salt or Cracked Black Pepper to taste if needed.