There's LOTS of FLAVOR in here, and it's so good. Although saffron is expensive (she also brought some home for me), you use very little of it, and it will last for years. **
I made it with just chicken for these photos ~ since there's just 2 of us now, and I didn't want to have too much leftover.
PAELLA
1/4 cup olive oil ……………………....……......…...... 1 medium onion, chopped
1 to 1-1/2 lbs. chicken pieces …………......…..... 2 cloves garlic, chopped
3 cups water ……………...………………….......…..... 2 tsp Kosher salt
1 16-oz can tomatoes (diced ~ I like Italian seasonings best), undrained
1-1/2 cups uncooked regular rice ……......…... 1 TB paprika (even better to use half smoked paprika)
1 TB instant chicken bouillon ……….……......... 1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp saffron or ground turmeric ……….......1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 lb cleaned, raw shrimp …................................1 pkg (10 oz) frozen peas, thawed
about 1 lb fresh clams or mussels …..…........…1-2 TB chopped fresh parsley
1 can or package (about 15 oz) artichoke hearts, drained & cut in half or 1/4s
***
Heat oil in paella pan or Dutch oven until hot. Cook chicken over medium heat until brown on all sides (about 15 minutes). Remove chicken.
Cook and stir onion and garlic in oil until onion is tender ~ drain fat from pan. Stir in water, rice, tomatoes, salt, paprika, bouillon, pepper, saffron, cayenne ~ add chicken back to pan. Heat to boiling; reduce heat ~ cover and simmer 20 minutes.
Stir shrimp and clams into chicken mixture. Cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Add artichoke hearts and peas; cover and heat until hot (5-10 minutes). Serve in large shallow bowls ~ garnish with parsley and lemon wedges
Serves 8-10