Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella is a gluten-free, 1-skillet dinner recipe that's simple yet anything but ordinary.
A couple weeks ago I developed the recipe for Easy Chicken, Chorizo and Shrimp Paella. 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 in an easy skillet format because I was craving paella!
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.
Saffron is the ingredient in Paella that makes it Paella, and not “rice, meat, and vegetables.” To me, saffron smells like the sea with floral notes. It’s a special ingredient that’s unique and fun to cook with, and adds a flavor you can’t compare to any other. 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 this jar from Trader Joe’s is around $6.
While the saffron and broth are coming up to a boil, chop 2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs into bite-sized pieces. 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 use Mexican Chorizo for this dish, which is a ground, uncooked sausage. Both contain spices like paprika and garlic, but Mexican chorizo is easier to find.
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 made in just one dish.
Take a trip from the ordinary for dinner tonight and give this Paella a go!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
- pinch Spanish saffron
- drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs, chopped
- 6 oz Mexican chorizo
- 1 shallot or 1/2 onion, chopped
- salt and pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 vine-ripened tomatoes, chopped
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- dash of cayenne pepper, optional
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 6 oz large shrimp, peeled, deveined and chopped
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
Directions
- Bring chicken broth and saffron to a boil in a small saucepan then turn heat to low and place a lid on top to keep hot.
- Meanwhile, heat extra virgin olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat then add chicken, chorizo, and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and then saute until chorizo and chicken are cooked through, 5 minutes, breaking chorizo up as it cooks. Add garlic then saute for 1 minute. Add tomatoes and their juices, paprika, and cayenne pepper if using then saute until tomatoes are softened, 3 minutes.
- Add rice and hot broth to skillet then stir to combine and bring to a boil. Place a lid on top then lower heat and simmer until rice has nearly absorbed all the broth and is just slightly al dente, 13-15 minutes. Stir in shrimp and peas then place lid back on top and let skillet sit off the heat for 5 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper to taste then serve.
Nutrition
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
this was so delicious and just what we needed on this cool-ish day! thank you!
I’m a little late to the party, but just pinned this, this afternoon and made it for dinner. It was super easy and yummy!! Thank you for sharing this recipe! Delicious!
This looks amazing and it is going on my menu plan for this week, so thank you!
But, I have to say…it’s so frustrating seeing a picture of a 7 ounce package of chorizo when the recipe calls for 6 ounces…a mere one ounce difference. That minuscule amount couldn’t be calculated into the recipe?
I made this for dinner last night and it was really good! I cheated a little though and bought saffron rice and skipped buying the saffron separately. Everything still turned out really good! Thanks for this one!
Authentic or not, it was delicious! Made this tonight for the fam & was pleasantly surprised at how easy it was.
Nothing says I’ve never been to spain and eaten authentic paella like putting chorizo in it. There are basically three types in Spain; Mar: seafood, Montanya: Rabbit/Chicken, and Mar y Montanya:Seafood and Chicken/Rabbit. Never in all my 10 years of living in Spain have I seen chorizo, this would be seen as a travesty in Spain and probably outlawed as it takes away from the natural flavor that the fresh seafood or meat that is meant to be the true focal point of the dish. I wish we would stop America nipping things and learn how to eat real simple food.
Americanizing, not nipping. Thank you spell check.
Someone brought me saffron as a gift from a trip so when I saw this I knew I had to make it! I was able to find the chorizo, too! I used chicken breasts because that’s what I had and I skipped shrimp because I’m not a huge fan. Otherwise followed the instructions and it was delicious! Will definitely make again! Only thing – I’ve never cooked with the Mexican chorizo before.
I normally buy links similar to italian links from Whole Foods. The Mexican kind doesn’t really cook up like ground beef, so texturally there aren’t pieces of it in my paella. But I love the flavor it brings!
We loved this! Another IGE winner – no surprise. Bonus: I make my own chorizo and am always looking for more uses for it. This is an awesome addition to my recipe archive. Thanks, Kristin!
So glad to hear!! And I’d love your chorizo recipe if you’re willing to share with us! :)
No problem.
http://aloshaskitchen.blogspot.com/2012/07/mexican-style-chorizo.html
This is from my actual food blog. The tumblr is just my main day-to-day running/food/cats/everything blog. ;)
First time I’ve commented on one of your recipes! This turned out fantastic. I omitted the saffron, as I could only find it for $20 a jar, and used Soyrizo instead. My fiance said I can make this any time. Wish I had added more cayenne as I like spicy..but for leftovers today I topped it with some Tapatio and it was great. Thank you!
Trader Joe’s has a small bottle of saffrom for $5.99!
the paella was AWESOME and super easy! i omitted the cayenne pepper just because my 4 year old walked in the house told me that the chicken smelled soooo good. the unfortunate thing is that the chorizo i bought was just a touch on the spicy side for her, but she tried so hard to eat it! it’s definitely husband, wife, and nugget approved!
Why do you call this paella? I’m from Valencia and this is a strange mixture cooked in North Spain and France. It has nothing to do whith a traditional paella. Anyway, it looks delicious
I agree. I lived in Catalunya for 10 years and have never seen chorizo in paella. Looks great, but it should not be called paella, maybe McRice with chorizo?
A delicious and true comfort meal.
I love that you are inspired! I agree with Chef Alex…it is fun and keeps things exciting to try things you are unsure of! I did just that a while back…DUCK. We won’t discuss how it turned out…but it was an adventure none-the-less HA!