- 3 1/4 cups store-bought low-sodium chicken broth Coarse salt
- 1 large poblano pepper
- 1 (15-ounce) can diced tomatoes in their juices, preferably fire-roasted
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs
- 1/2 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 cup (4 ounces) Mexican chorizo sausage, casings removed
- 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 cups medium-grain rice
- 1/2 pound medium-large shrimp, peeled, tail-on, if desired, and deveined
- 1 pound mussels, scrubbed
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons silver tequila (optional)
- Place chicken broth and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a medium saucepan. Cover and heat over low heat.
- Over a low gas flame or under the broiler, roast poblano pepper, turning frequently, until charred, about 5 minutes over flame or 10 minutes under broiler. Remove from heat and cover with a clean kitchen towel until cool enough to handle. Rub off charred skin using a paper towel; remove stem and seeds. Rinse pepper and pat dry; cut into 1/2-inch strips; set aside.
- Place tomatoes and their juices in the jar of a blender. Blend until smooth; set aside.
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch paella pan over medium-high heat. Season skin side of chicken thighs with salt and place skin-side down in pan; season with salt. Cook until skin is deep golden, about 10 minutes. Turn and cook until chicken is browned and juices run clear, about 10 minutes more. Transfer chicken to a large rimmed baking sheet and set aside.
- Reduce heat to medium and add onion and chorizo. Cook, stirring, until chorizo is cooked through and onion begins to brown, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add reserved poblano pepper and tomato puree. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and oil begins to separate from mixture, about 5 minutes.
- Add rice to pan and cook, stirring, until rice turns milky white in color, 4 to 5 minutes. Add heated chicken broth and stir to combine. Cook, without stirring, until rice has absorbed most of the liquid and is almost cooked through, about 12 minutes.
- Return chicken to pan and nestle into the center of the rice. Arrange shrimp in a ring around the chicken and the mussels in the rice at the edge of the pan. Cover the pan with a piece of parchment paper-lined aluminum foil; transfer to oven and bake for 15 minutes.
- Remove paella from oven and stir in peas, parsley, and tequila, if desired. Using a large serving spoon, gently fluff mussels and shrimp into rice mixture. Re-cover and let stand for 10 minutes until rice and shellfish are cooked through. Serve immediately.
