Paella

½ lb. Sweet Italian Sausage (or Chorizo), sliced
8 chicken thighs (boneless, skinless)
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
1 (10 oz.) package yellow saffron rice mix, uncooked
3 ½ cups water

1 lb. medium-sized shrimp, uncooked (peeled & deveined)
1 (10 oz.) package frozen English (or petite) peas, thawed


Brown sausage in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.

Remove sausage, reserving drippings in Dutch oven.

Add chicken pieces (in small batches) to drippings, and cook until browned, turning once.

Remove chicken and set aside.

Cook onion, bell pepper, and garlic in drippings, stirring constantly until tender.

Add chopped tomatoes.

Add yellow saffron rice mix and 3 ½ cups water; bring to boil. Remove from heat.

Stir in browned sausage; spoon mixture into a 4-quart Paella pan or baking dish.

Arrange chicken pieces on top of mixture.

Bake paella, covered, at 375 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove casserole from oven, top with shrimp and peas.

Cover and return to oven for an additional 30 minutes or until chicken is done.

Yield: 8 servings

Notes: The original recipe calls for 1 (2-3 lb.) chicken fryer, cut up. I used boneless, skinless thighs which are much more tender than breast meat and easier to eat with a fork than drumsticks and wings.

If the rice is too soupy after an hour, remove cover from pan and continue baking until all liquid is absorbed.