Last week, a coworker of mine got a gigantic paella pan for Christmas from his mother-in-law. This event reminded me of how delicious paella is, and how I’ve never actually attempted to make it. It was a great time for us to finally venture out to the local international market, as well. We were able to find everything we needed there, and all for much less than what we typically pay at the local grocer.

We were really happy with how this paella came out. As we substituted cauliflower rice for white rice, it does not need as much broth as you might find in traditional recipes. It does not, however, lack in taste. I look forward to making this again sometime soon, perhaps also adding in muscles or baby scallops to the mix as well.

Ingredients

3 chorizo, uncooked, thickly sliced

3 lbs chicken, bone in and skin on (we used 3 leg quarters)

1 lb peeled, deveined shrimp

6 C shredded cauliflower (about 1 head of cauliflower)

2/3 C flat italian parsley, finely diced

1 onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 peeled, diced tomatoes

1/2 C chicken broth

a pinch of saffron

2 tsp paprika

2 tsp dried oregano

1/4 C olive oil

Method

Sprinkle paprika and oregano over chicken and let sit 30-45 minutes.

Add olive oil to your large pan (paella pan if you’re so lucky), and heat over medium-high heat. Once heated, brown your thickly sliced chorizo, and then set aside.

Cook the chicken, skin side down first, and brown on either side. Cook approximately 5-7 minutes per side.

Lowering the temperature to medium heat, make a sofrito by sautéing the onions, garlic, and parsley in the same pan (reserving the liquids from cooking the chorizo and chicken), cooking the onions until translucent.

Fold in the diced tomatoes, pinch of saffron, and pour in the chicken broth.

Add in the cauliflower rice and shrimp, and then add back the chicken and chorizo.

Bake uncovered on 350ºF until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF (for us, approximately 20 minutes).

We hope you’ll give this great dish a shot. It’s really flavorful and filling, plus a lot of fun to make.

What’s your favorite Spanish dish to make? Let us know here, or on Facebook or twitter!