Chicken and Seafood Paella

Makes a full meal for 6-8 people. Cook time: 1 hour, 20 minutes.

The ingredients:

• 1 thawed fryer chicken, cut into individual pieces
• saffron, between 1/4 tsp and 1 tsp, depending on how much you're willing to use (the more the better)
• 1 cup olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups plain, white rice
• 1 cup frozen green peas (if canned instead of frozen, add with the seafood at the end)
• 1 minced red bell pepper
• 6 artichoke hearts (buy them canned, marinated is fine)
• 2 chorizos, sliced (Spanish sausages--get Spanish chorizo, not Mexican)
• 2 bayleaves
• 2 pimentos (or 1 small jar minced)
• salt to taste (I like about 1 1/2 tbsp)
• cayenne pepper, a few dashes
• black pepper, a whole lot of dashes
  
• Seafood (optional, in order of decreasing importance):
• 1/2 pound shrimp (more if you aren't adding much other seafood)
• 1/2 pound crabmeat, picked over to remove all shells
• 1/3 pound bay scallops
• 10 or so mussels (doesn't affect the flavor of the dish at all)
• 5 to 10 clams, well-scrubbed (doesn't affect the flavor of the dish at all)

The algorithm:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large pot or pan (5 quarts minimum, unless you're cutting the recipe down), heat all the olive oil to medium-high heat.

Brown chicken pieces in 2 batches. First add half the pieces of chicken and fry for about 4 minutes per side, then remove to a separate dish. Then add the rest of the chicken, fry for about 4 minutes per side, and remove it to the other dish.

Turn heat down to medium. Add rice, and nothing else. Fry rice, stirring occasionally, until slightly browned. Olive oil will have been absorbed as well.

In a separate pot or pan, heat chicken stock until almost boiling, then take off the heat and add the saffron, stirring. Saffron may or may not dissolve. Either is fine. After this has sat for 2 or 3 minutes, and once the rice in the other pot has browned, pour the hot saffron chicken stock into the pot with the rice. Now add all other ingredients except seafood, and stir briefly. Finally put the browned pieces of chicken back in, arranging on top of the mixture.

Cover and bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes. Take out and test rice. It should be almost completely done. If not, cook a little longer. Add the seafood, arranging it attractively on top. Cover and steam about 15 minutes longer or until rice/seafood is done.