Festive Skillet Paella

Festive Skillet Paella

1/8 tsp. crushed saffron threads
2 cups chicken stock
1 red pepper, cut lengthwise in half
1/4 cup KRAFT Zesty Italian Dressing
1 can (14-1/2 oz.) diced tomatoes, drained
1/2 cup chopped onions
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 lb. Italian sausage links, cut into 1-inch-thick slices
1 pkg. (6 oz.) OSCAR MAYER Honey Ham, chopped
3 slices finely chopped OSCAR MAYER Bacon
1 cup long-grain white rice, uncooked
1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp, peeled, deveined
12 mussels, cleaned, scrubbed with beards removed
1 cup frozen green beans, thawed

HEAT oven to 325°F.
STIR saffron into chicken stock; set aside. Cut half the red pepper into thin strips; chop remaining pepper half. Heat dressing in large ovenproof skillet on medium heat. Stir in chopped peppers, tomatoes, onions and garlic; cook 5 min. or until peppers and onions are crisp-tender, stirring frequently. Add chicken, sausage, ham and bacon; stir. Cook 10 min., stirring frequently.

ADD chicken stock mixture; mix well. Bring to boil; stir in rice. Top with shrimp, mussels, beans and red pepper strips; cover. Remove from heat.

BAKE 20 min. or until mussels open and shrimp turn pink. Let stand 5 min. before serving. Discard any unopened mussels.

SUBSTITUTE
Substitute frozen peas for the green beans.

MAKE IT EASY
Substitute canned chicken broth for the chicken stock. Since most 14-1/2-oz. cans of chicken broth contain a little less than 2 cups, you can make up the difference by adding dry white wine or water instead of opening another can.

COOKING KNOW-HOW
Traditionally, Spanish "cooking" sausage, or chorizo, is used in paella. This can be either the mild moist chorizo sold fresh or the dry-cured paprika seasoned pork sausage. Another popular sausage is morcilla, a black blood sausage typical of Asturias. This sausage is made with onions and paprika. Mexican chorizo is not recommended for paella because it is too greasy and can turn your paella red instead of the familiar soft saffron color.
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