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!
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