Ease of Preparation: Medium
Time of Preparation: 45 – 50 minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
When a dish is this full of ingredients, you must call it a mixta! This is the classical paella, the heavyweight champ of all rice dishes. Featuring chorizo, chicken, shrimp, clams, wine, and perfumed with fragrant saffron and smoky paprika, everyone will cheer when this hits the table!
Ingredients:
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 1 cured chorizo sausage, cut into coins
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 green bell pepper, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 Roma tomatoes, very finely diced
- 2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) saffron threads
- Salt and pepper
- ½ cup (120 ml) white wine
- 4 boneless chicken thighs, cut into halves
- ½ cup (120 ml) chopped flat leaf parsley, divided
- 2 cups (470 ml) bomba rice
- 5 cups (1.2 L) low sodium chicken broth
- ½ pound (227 g) jumbo shrimp, head-on, split back, cleaned
- ½ pound (227 g) littlestone clams (small) soaked in clean water overnight
- Lemons, to garnish
- Scallions, to garnish
Method:
Heat olive oil in a large skillet or paella pan over medium heat.
Add the chorizo and brown until crisp, remove with a slotted spoon (leaving the hot oil), set aside and reserve.
Add the chicken pieces and sear on all sides, 1-2 minutes, until brown (not cooked through). Remove from the pan (leaving the hot oil), set aside and reserve.
Add the onion, bell peppers, and garlic to the hot oil and cook until onion is translucent, 1-2 minutes.
Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, salt, and pepper.
Add the tomato paste and cook for 2 minutes, until starting to caramelize.
Add the white wine and saffron, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add chicken broth, increase the heat, and bring to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes.
Add the chicken and half the chorizo back into the pan.
Add half of the parsley and sprinkle the rice over.
Bring mixture back to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking (do not stir, allowing a crispy crust, aka, a ‘socarrat’, to form at the bottom).
Cook for about 10 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp and clams into the mixture, sprinkle remaining chorizo on top, then cover and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Remove lid.
Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and for the rice at the top to be nearly tender.
To finish, increase heat to medium-high and cook for 8-10 minutes.
Garnish with fresh parsley, scallions, and lemon slices.
Serve hot.
