Description
Paella is party food, a delicious crowd pleaser with a Latin flair. This chicken and shrimp paella has a little chorizo thrown in for an irresistible spicy flavor.
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 2 cups white onion, medium dice (about 1 large)
- 8 cloves garlic, pressed
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1/3 cup chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons salt, more to taste*
- 1 tablespoon paprika, or a bit more*
- 3 cups Valencia rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- generous pinch saffron affiliate link threads (Do not crumble the saffron.)
- 1 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined with tails on
- 2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
- ½ lb ground Spanish chorizo (this is already cooked)
- 1 cup white wine
For Garnish
- Jarred pimento peppers, cut into thin strips
- Frozen sweet green peas, thawed
Instructions
- Heat paella pan, caldero or skillet over medium heat for a few minutes. While it heats, prepare your ingredients.
- Trim the excess fat from the chicken thighs and thoroughly dry them. Then season with smoked paprika and salt on both sides. Set aside.
- Peel and devein the shrimp. Thoroughly dry and season with smoked paprika and salt on both sides. Set aside. Dice the onion and peppers.
- Rinse the rice. (I usually just rinse once.)
- Now that the pot is hot add the chorizo and cook for 2 minutes until it’s starting to crisp. Remove from the pot but leave the drippings.
- Add the chicken thighs in one layer and don’t crowd them. Cook it in stages if necessary. Cook on each side for about 5 minutes each. Remove it and let it rest.
- Add the shrimp and cook on one side for about 3 minutes (you don’t want it to overcook and get rubbery. It will finish cooking with the rice. Once it’s done on one side, remove it and let it rest.
- Saute onions, garlic, pepper for about 5 minutes, until softened.
- Stir and cook for one more minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook one more minute.
- Add the rice and cook it for about 6 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth, wine, and saffron threads. Add the chicken, shrimp, and chorizo and stir and adjust seasonings if needed.
- Bring to a boil, turn off the heat, and cover. Let it coast for about 20 minutes. Rice should be a bit al dente. If you want to cook it a little bit longer, let it coast for another 10 minutes. If you’re not serving right away, you can transfer the pot to a 250-degree oven while you get everything else ready.
- Once the rice is al dente, add the garnish and serve. Let’s get the party started!
Notes
Seasoning: You’ll season each element individually, so you may end up using a bit more (my son does not measure his spices). I usually use the measurements provided, so I suggest you measure out the spices first and then sprinkle them from your measured portion. If you end up running out, just use a little more, it will be fine.
Pans: I used an extra large caldero affiliate link that has been in my family for decades. But you can use a paella pan affiliate link. I’ve also linked to a caldero that’s similar to the one I have. Keep in mind that this is a very large pot and you may not have many uses for it, unless you cook for large groups.
Keywords: cuban paella, paella mixta, paella spices, chicken and shrimp paella