Oven Paella

Ingredients

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2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground sweet Hungarian paprika

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

2 lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs

1 Tbsp olive oil

5 cups low-salt chicken broth

1/2 tsp saffron threads

1 1/2 red bell peppers, diced (about a cup chopped)

1 1/2 onions, diced (about a cup chopped)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 lb uncooked chorizo, casing removed (you can use hot Italian sausage if you can’t find chorizo)

2 cups uncooked long grain rice

3/4 lb uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined (leave the tails on if you like)

3/4 lb sea scallops (halve them if very large - you can use bay scallops but if you do, reduce cooking time after scallop addition)

1/2 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Method

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1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Mix cumin, paprikas, salt and pepper. Rub mixture all over chicken, coating completely.

3. Bring broth and saffron to simmer in a large saucepan. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then turn off heat and over.

4. Heat oil in a very large, oven safe saute pan over medium high heat. You want as much surface area on the bottom of the pan as you can get and you will need about 4 to 5 qt volume. Add chicken and saute until golden brown all over. This should take about 8-10 minutes. It does not need to be cooked through; it will finish in the oven. Transfer chicken to a plate and leave drippings in the pan.

5. Add bell peppers, onion and garlic to pan. Cook over medium until golden brown, about 10 minutes.

6. Add chorizo (or sausage) and cook while breaking it up until browned, about 10 minutes.

7. Add rice to pot and cook while stirring for 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of the saffron broth; bring to a boil.

8. Place the chicken and any of its drippings in the pot, nestling it down into the rice. Put the pan into the oven, tightly covered and cook for 45 minutes.

9. Take out of the oven and check to see if there is any broth left in bottom of pan. Try not to disturb the rice, don’t stir. It should be just moist. If not, add 1/2 cup broth.

10. Tuck raw shrimp into the top of the rice mixture. Cover pan and return to oven for 6 minutes.

11. Take out of the oven again and add scallops, gently pushing them into the top of the rice mixture. Cover pan and return to oven for 8 minutes.

12. Check seafood and add a couple minutes of cook time as needed. Don’t overcook the shrimp and scallops.

13. Sprinkle with parsley and serve.