Dutch Oven Paella

Total Time: 46 mins Preparation Time: 45 mins Cook Time: 1 min

Ingredients

• Servings: 6
• 1 lb extra-large shrimp, peeled and deveined (21/25)
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 2 tablespoons garlic, minced
• 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs, trimmed of excess fat and halved crosswise
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut pole to pole into 1/2-inch-wide strips
• 8 ounces chorizo sausage, spanish sliced 1/2 inch thick on the bias
• 1 medium onion, chopped fine (about 1 cup)
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can diced tomatoes, drained, minced, and drained again
• 2 cups rice, valencia or 2 cups arborio rice
• 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2/3 cup dry white
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron thread, crumbled
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 dozen mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 1/2 cup frozen green pea, thawed
• 2 teaspoons fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges, for serving

Recipe

• 1 adjust oven rack to lower-middle position; heat oven to 350 degrees.
• 2 toss shrimp, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1 teaspoon garlic in medium bowl; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until needed.
• 3 season chicken thighs with salt and pepper; set aside.
• 4 heat 2 teaspoons oil in large dutch oven over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. add peppers and cook, stirring occasionally, until skin begins to blister and turn spotty black, 3 to 4 minutes. transfer peppers to small plate and set aside.
• 5 add 1 teaspoon oil to now-empty dutch oven; heat oil until shimmering but not smoking. add chicken pieces in single layer; cook, without moving pieces, until browned, about 3 minutes. turn pieces and brown on second side, about 3 minutes longer; transfer chicken to medium bowl. reduce heat to medium and add chorizo to pot; cook, stirring frequently, until deeply browned and fat begins to render, 4 to 5 minutes. transfer chorizo to bowl with chicken and set aside.
• 6 add enough oil to fat in dutch oven to equal 2 tablespoons; heat over medium heat until shimmering but not smoking. add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, about 3 minutes; stir in remaining garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. stir in tomatoes; cook until mixture begins to darken and thicken slightly, about 3 minutes.
• 7 stir in rice and cook until grains are well coated with tomato mixture, 1 to 2 minutes. stir in chicken broth, , saffron, bay, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. return chicken and chorizo to pot, increase heat to medium-high and bring to boil, uncovered, stirring occasionally. cover pot and transfer to oven; cook until rice absorbs almost all liquid, about 15 minutes.
• 8 remove pot from oven (close oven door to retain heat). uncover pot; scatter shrimp over rice, insert mussels hinged side down into rice (so they stand upright), arrange bell pepper strips in pinwheel pattern, and scatter peas over top.
• 9 cover and return to oven; cook until shrimp are opaque and mussels have opened, 10 to 12 minutes.
• 10 let paella stand, covered, about 5 minutes. discard any mussels that have not opened and bay leaf, if it can be easily removed. sprinkle with parsley and serve, passing lemon wedges separately.