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I made Paella with shrimp, chicken and chorizo Saturday night with great results. It was the perfect way to celebrate turning 50.
I fell in love with Paella the first time I tasted it more than 20 years ago in San Francisco and order it out every chance I get which, unfortunately, isn’t very often. Phoenix is a great place for Mexican, not Spanish food.
I’m not sure what took me so long to make Paella at home. I guess I thought it was complicated.
But that all changed for me recently as I was reading The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks (affiliate link) by Kathleen Flinn, where she wrote, “Paella sounds complicated, but it’s just a casserole that originated as a poor fisherman’s supper designed to use of scraps left in the nets. Make it once and then adapt the technique to make a one-pot dish that’s simple or extravagant based on what you’ve got on hand. Just keep intact the base aromatics known as the sofrito: onions, garlic, and tomatoes.”
A simple casserole? That I can do!
I did a little more research, comparing and contrasting recipes. This recipe for paella with shrimp chicken and chorizo is a combination of Kathleen’s and Mark Bittman’s from How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food (affiliate link).
Since we were celebrating my 50th birthday, I made paella with shrimp, chicken, Spanish chorizo and asparagus. Everyone thought it was delicious.
How Many Calories and WW Points this Paella with Shrimp, Chicken and Chorizo?
According to my calculations, each serving has 424 calories.
To see your WW Points for this recipe, track it in the WW App!
(You must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.)
9 SmartPoints (Green plan)
9 SmartPoints (Blue plan)
9 SmartPoints (Purple plan)
11 PointsPlus (Old plan)
If you’ve made this Spanish Paella Casserole, please give the recipe a star rating below and leave a comment letting me know how you liked it. And stay in touch on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for the latest updates.
Paella with Shrimp, Chicken and Chorizo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 quart chicken stock
- Pinch of saffron threads (about 1/8 teaspoon)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 boneless skinless chicken thighs (4 ounces each), cut in half if large
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 bell pepper, chopped (I used yellow, but any color would work)
- 2 large tomatoes, seeded and chopped
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 heaping teaspoon Spanish smoked paprika
- 2 cups uncooked short- or medium-grain rice (such as paella rice or Arborio)
- 8 ounces Spanish chorizo, or other smoked or cooked sausage, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 pound medium-size shrimp, peeled, deveined and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish
- 1 large handful of slender stalks of fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 2 ounces diced roasted pepper (I used jarred)
- 2 or 3 lemons, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 450F degrees.
- Meanwhile, heat the stock and saffron in a small saucepan.
- Put the oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken thighs and cook, until well browned on both sides, about 10 minutes.
- Remove the chicken from the pan and add the onion, garlic and green pepper and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables soften, 3 to 5 minutes.
- Add the tomatoes, bay leaves and paprika and cook another 3 minutes. Add the rice and cook, stirring occasionally, until it’s coated, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Carefully add the stock and stir just until combined. Add the chicken and chorizo, stirring to combine.
- Carefully transfer the skillet to the oven and let it bake, undisturbed for 15 to 20 minutes, until the rice is dry and just barely tender. If the rice appears too dry, but still isn’t quite done, add a little more stock or water and bake another 5 minutes.
- When the rice is ready, add the shrimp, pressing them into the hot rice and then sprinkle on the asparagus, peas and pimentos. Place back in the oven and cook another 10 minutes, until the shrimp is done.
- Remove from the oven and sprinkle with parsley. If you like, put the pan over high heat for a few minutes to develop a bit of a bottom crust before serving.
- Remove the bay leaves.
- Serve with lemon wedges, if desired.
Notes
(Must be logged into WW on a smartphone or tablet.) 9 SmartPoints (Green plan) 9 SmartPoints (Blue plan) 9 SmartPoints (Purple plan) 11 PointsPlus (Old plan)
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Sources: The Kitchen Counter Cooking School: How a Few Simple Lessons Transformed Nine Culinary Novices into Fearless Home Cooks (affiliate link) and How to Cook Everything: 2,000 Simple Recipes for Great Food (affiliate link)
Has anyone calculated this to Smart Points?
Love Paella so much! Great idea to add in the asparagus 🙂