Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella

Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella is a gluten-free, 1-skillet dinner recipe that’s simple yet anything but ordinary.

Hey, hey, everyone, how was your weekend?

Per usual ours absolutely flew by. I spent Saturday morning handing out Iowa Food and Family Cookbooks at the Home and Garden Show that was in town (stay tuned for a new cookbook that’s launching this spring – I’ll be sure to post dates/times when I’ll be handing them out,) then Ben and I cooked ourselves a Valentine’s Day feast for two after the little man went to bed!

Salmon sushi rolls and sashimi crafted by yours truly, accompanied by bubbly and chambord poured by my Valentine. Trust me, we’re not usually this fancy but the grocery store was having a mega sale on chambord last week so Ben snatched up a bottle. I’m so glad he did because HOLY COW is it ever good! Vodka + soda + lime + chambord might be my new go-to cocktail.

While I prepped the sushi, Ben got to work cooking a whole red snapper we picked up on a whim on Saturday afternoon. Yes, we were totally that couple trolling the grocery store at 4pm on Valentine’s Day trying to figure out what to make for dinner. We already pseudo-celebrated with Surf and Turf for Two last weekend (by the way, I LOVED seeing all your recreations on Instagram – made my heart so happy!) so we weren’t entirely sure what to make for the special day. That said, Ben spotted the snapper and immediately declared it is his personal challenge for the evening.

He drizzled the fish with an Asian-inspired sauce made from hot red chilis, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, ginger, and a few other ingredients, then added sprigs of fresh thyme and lemon slices on top, and then baked it for 30 minutes at 375 degrees before broiling with more of the sauce.

SO good. I don’t think I’ve ever had red snapper before and it was very delicate and flaky. That sauce was my favorite part though. Salty, a little sweet, and the perfect amount of spice.I’m going to see if he can recreate it for another dish I have in mind. All that to say, we definitely ate well this Valentine’s Day!

On Sunday I scrubbed the house including the kitchen cabinets – GOSH it felt good to get sticky baby fingerprints washed off all our lower ones! – then the three of us headed to the mall to grab some lunch and run around. Lincoln met his limit at Banana Republic so we rushed home so he could nap and I could type up the recipe I’m sharing with you today – Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella! 

As you may know, earlier this fall I got the chance to meet superstar chef Alex Guarnaschelli in NYC with a bunch of other food bloggers and, although we only spent an hour or so with her, she left a lasting impression on me. Among the nuggets of wisdom I took away from our meeting was to make food you aren’t familiar with, which I thought was so interesting.

The topic of conversation was staying inspired in the kitchen, and her advice was to cook foods you’ve never made before, or in the past have intimidated you. You don’t always have to make what you know because if you do, how do you grow as a cook and keep having fun in the kitchen? It made so much sense to me! I totally find myself in ruts of using the same familiar flavors because they’re exactly that, familiar. But like Alex described in New York, and Ben showed me at the grocery store this weekend, it’s fun to branch out and challenge yourself in the kitchen.

With that in mind, a couple weeks ago I made Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella at home. Not because I recently had it at a fun restaurant, or because I had a great story behind the recipe – I simply wanted to make Paella because I’ve never made it before. HA! I thought it might be complicated, but to my surprise, Paella is inherently easy.

First things first, what is Paella? Paella is a rice-based dish that hails from Valencia, Spain, and is named for the pan that it’s traditionally cooked in, a Paellera. Recipes vary from region to region, and person to person, and can include meat, seafood, and vegetables – the amounts and types are up to the cook.

Perfect!

Although I don’t own a Paellera, lucky for me and you a big skillet will work instead, and the ingredients we’ll throw inside, while fantastically full of flavor, are easily found at the grocery store. Chorizo, chopped chicken thighs, and onions are sauteed with shallots, garlic, and tomatoes then simmered with long grain rice in a saffron-infused broth. The dish is finished by stirring in chopped shrimp and sweet peas that are gently cooked by the residual heat from the pan.

This Paella is fresh, filling, full of tongue-tingling Spanish flavor, and yet, so easy. After the prep work of chopping a few ingredients, the dish came together in under 30 minutes and in just one pan. Take my word for it – different doesn’t have to mean difficult.

Start by bringing 2-1/2 cups chicken broth to a boil with a pinch of saffron then place a lid on top and turn the heat to low to keep hot.

I feel saffron is the ingredient in Paella that makes it Paella and not “rice, meat, and vegetables.” In all my research before making this dish I read again and again that you simply cannot leave it out, and there is no substitute. After making Paella, I have to agree. To me, saffron smells like the sea while Ben thinks it has floral notes. The point is, it’s a special ingredient that’s unique and fun to cook with! It adds a flavor you can’t compare to any other, and a little goes a long way.

Saffron has had the reputation of being difficult to find, and costing an arm and a leg if/when you finally found it, but I got this jar at Trader Joe’s for $5.99 and saw it at my regular grocery store, too.

While the saffron and broth are coming up to a boil, chop 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. In the spirit of trying something new, give chicken thighs a chance if you’ve never cooked with them before. Chicken thighs are buttery and delicious, and are usually about half the cost of chicken breasts.

Add the chicken to a large skillet with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, 1 chopped shallot or small onion, and 6oz Mexican chorizo then season with salt and pepper and saute until the chicken and chorizo are cooked through.

Traditionally Spanish chorizo, a dried, cured sausage, is used in Paella, though I used Mexican Chorizo, a ground, uncooked sausage. Both contain spices like paprika and garlic, but I used Mexican Chorizo because, well, I like it! We use it a lot at home for egg and hash brown skillets, plus it’s easy to find (I find this brand near the specialty Mexican cheeses at the store,) and gluten-free.

Once the meats are cooked through, add 3 cloves minced garlic and saute for 1 minute, then add 2 chopped vine-ripened tomatoes, 2 teaspoons paprika, and a dash or 10 of cayenne pepper (optional.) Saute for another 3-4 minutes, or until the tomatoes are tender.

Next add 1 cup long grain white rice then stir to combine with the other ingredients.

Carefully pour the hot saffron-infused chicken broth into the skillet then bring the mixture to a boil (should happen almost instantly.) Place a lid on top then turn the heat down and simmer until nearly all the broth has been absorbed and the rice is al dente.

Finally, add 6oz chopped peeled and deveined shrimp and 1/2 cup frozen peas then stir to combine, place the lid back on top, and let the skillet sit off the heat for 5 minutes to cook the shrimp through.

Taste then add salt and pepper if necessary, then scoop and serve!

I love eeeeverything about this dish but especially the fresh, perfectly-cooked shrimp, spiced chorizo, tender chicken, and saffron-infused rice. Elegant, easy, and hello (!!) made in just one dish. Take a trip from the ordinary for dinner tonight and give this Paella a go. Promise it’s easy, and totally tasty to boot. Enjoy!