Chicken and Shrimp Paella with Chorizo
Well it was a long week–which is ironic because with the holiday on Monday, it was actually a short work week. Why do short weeks feel longer than a regular week? For the record, I vote for 3-day weekends! Heck, let’s just aim for 4-day weekends. You know…to maintain the even number thing. 😉
I was still at the office when Nelson sent me a text asking if I’d like paella for dinner. He didn’t need to ask twice. “Yes, please!” What a nice meal to close off the work week.
Nelson made this paella with chicken, shrimp and Portuguese chouriço. Yes, normally people use Spanish chorizo, but we all love chouriço in this house, and we’re Portuguese, so why mess with that. We (except our little guy) also love, love, love shrimp, so Nelson included plenty of that in this dish too. And few meals in this house don’t include bread–which our little guy is most grateful for (the kid seriously loves bread)–so Nelson also picked up a nice fresh crusty bread to go with the meal.
Mmmmm, I’m so happy we have left-overs. I’m already getting excited about eating this again.
This may not be an authentic Spanish paella, but even in Spain there’s disagreement about where this originated and which version is the most authentic. Our version has our own twist, but it’s still built on the traditional foundation…and it’s yummy in our tummies. That works for us.
We hope you enjoy this meal as much as we do!
Chicken and Shrimp Paella with Chorizo
- ¼ tsp crushed saffron
- ¼ cup hot water
- ¾ lbs Portuguese chouriço sausage sliced and cut in half coins (because we're Portuguese)
- 1 lbs black tiger shrimp (defrosted and patted dry)
- 1½ lbs skinless chicken thighs (about 6)
- 3 plum tomatos (seeds removed) chopped in large chunks
- 1 small Vidalia onion diced
- 2 tsp coarse salt
- 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tbs olive oil
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 3 bay leaves
- 2 stocks of green onions chopped
- 2½ cups Arborio rice
- 2 cups clam juice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 2 roasted red peppers sliced thin (I used jarred)
- 1 lemon cut into 8-10 wedges
- ¼ cup fresh parsley chopped
- Crush saffron threads into the ¼ cup of hot water and set aside until needed.
- Pat down chicken and shrimp, ensuring both are dry.
- In two separate bowls, season the chicken and shrimp with the salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet or paella pan on medium-high.
- Place the chicken, shrimp, and chouriço in three areas of the pan on the hot oil.
- Cover and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes (cooking time may very slightly), mixing occasionally.
- The shrimp should have turned completely orange. If not, let it cook a little longer.
- Remove the shrimp from pan and set aside.
- Now distribute the chicken and chouriço in the pan and add the chopped onion, chopped tomatoes, and garlic to the chicken and chorizo. Give it a stir.
- Cover and let it keep cooking on medium-high for about 5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Uncover and the bay leaves and chopped green onions.
- Distribute arborio rice evenly over all existing ingredients.
- Pour the saffron and water mixtures evenly over the rice.
- Pour in 2 cups of clam juice, 4 cups of chicken broth and give it another stir.
- Raise the temperature to high and bring to a slight boil.
- Lower the temperature to medium low and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until the rice is expanded and most of the liquid is soaked up (taste the rice at this point for doneness and flavour. It should be al dente.
- Pour the peas over the mixture.
- Place the cooked shrimp and roasted red peppers over the mixture. Give it a gentle stir.
- Cover and cook for an additional 2-3 minutes on medium low.
- Shut off stove, remove from heat and uncover.
- Add lemon wedges and chopped sprinkle parsley over top.
- Serve in the pan with crusty bread and salad.
Definitely making paella soon… its been too long since I last made one! Thanks for the inspiration.
I love paella! I don’t make it enough though. This one is exactly my cup of tea! It looks amazing!!