Paella with Chicken, Spicy Italian Sausage, and Shrimp
My family and I first had paella at the King Alfonso XIII Hotel in Seville, Spain during one of our summer family trips. It was exquisite, even though in Spain the shrimp stare back at you. That was a very traditional seafood paella. This paella is somewhat different in that it incorporates Italian sausage, but is still just as delicious. It does take about 2-3 hours to make, so be prepared for a lot of chopping and cooking. You will need a large two-handled stove and oven proof pan about 14 inches in diameter, preferably a traditional paella pan. This recipe serves about 10 people, but can easily be halved or quartered. It also makes fantastic leftovers.
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Servings: 10 people
Calories: 943 kcal
Net Carbs: 52 g
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp (3 Tbsp) extra virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 3/4 lbs (794 g) fresh ground hot Italian sausage
- 12 (12) chicken thighs , excess fat trimmed
- 5 cups (800 g) chopped white onion, (about 2 large onions)
- 10 cloves (10 cloves ) garlic, minced
- 3/4 lb (340 g) tomatoes, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 (2) bay leaves
- 4 (4) medium zucchini , quartered and sliced
- 3 (3) red bell peppers, diced
- 1 1/2 lbs (680 g) uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 clove (1 clove ) garlic , minced
- 1/4 tsp (1/4 tsp) + a generous pinch saffron threads
- 2 1/2 cups (463 g) arborio rice or authentic Spanish paella rice
- 1 1/2 tsp (1 1/2 tsp) salt
- 5 cups (1.2 kg) low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 tsp (2 tsp) sweet Spanish paprika
- fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Pre-chop all vegetables and prepare the other ingredients. Heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a heavy large shallow pot over medium-high heat. Add the sausage and sauté until cooked through, turning often, about 10 minutes. Transfer the sausage to a large bowl.
- Sprinkle the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Working in batches if need be, add the chicken to the same pot. Cook until evenly browned, about 6 minutes. Turn the chicken over, and cook until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes longer. Transfer the chicken to the bowl with the sausage.
- Add the onions and the 10 chopped garlic cloves to the pot. Sauté until tender, about 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and bay leaves and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and bell peppers.
- Toss the shrimp with the remaining 2 Tbsp of olive oil, 1 minced garlic clove, and a generous pinch of saffron threads in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. In the large oven proof pan (most likely the same pan on the stove), mix the rice and 1 1/2 tsp salt into the vegetable mixture and spread out evenly. Put the sausage and chicken pieces into the rice mixture. Pour any accumulated juices from the bowl over the rice.
- Bring the chicken broth, paprika, and remaining 1/4 tsp saffron to a boil in a medium saucepan. Pour evenly over the rice mixture. Cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil or with its lid if it has one. Bake until the rice is almost tender, about 40 minutes.
- Sprinkle the shrimp mixture with salt and pepper. Arrange atop the rice mixture. Cover the pan with the foil or lid again. Bake until the shrimp are just opaque in the center, the rice is tender, and almost all the liquid in the pan is absorbed, about 20 more minutes.
- Sprinkle with the freshly chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Nutrition
Calories: 943kcalFat: 54gSodium: 1612mgNet Carbs: 52gSaturated Fat: 16gPotassium: 1171mgCarbohydrates: 57gVitamin A: 1861IUFiber: 5gVitamin C: 76mgSugar: 8gCalcium: 172mgProtein: 56gCholesterol: 365mgIron: 7mg
