Slow-Cooker Paella
By Joe GitterPublished on January 16, 2018
Time
2 to 3 hours on high
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Slow cooker size
5 to 7 quarts
Ingredients
Before You Begin
You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe. If using smaller or larger shrimp, be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed.
Instructions
- 1. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and lightly coat with vegetable oil spray. Microwave onion, oil, garlic, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, saffron, and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to prepared slow cooker. Stir in rice.
- Microwave clam juice, water, and sherry in now-empty bowl until steaming, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in even layer on top of rice. Scatter chorizo over chicken. Gently press 16 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper onto surface of chorizo, folding down edges as needed. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is just tender, 2 to 3 hours on high.
- Discard parchment and foil collar. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and scatter on top of paella. Cover and cook on high until shrimp is opaque throughout, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle peas and red peppers over shrimp, cover, and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
Time
2 to 3 hours on highYield
Serves 6 to 8Slow cooker size
5 to 7 quartsIngredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
Why This Recipe Works
Paella is a Spanish dish of rice, hearty meats, and seafood that are slowly simmered until they meld into one delicious whole. Heating clam juice, water, and sherry in the microwave gave us a complex yet simple base in which to cook our rice. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs were robust enough to withstand slightly higher heat than we usually apply to chicken. A hefty amount of garlic, tomato paste, chorizo, and spices bolstered the meatiness of the dish. We stirred everything together and waited; the meat cooked perfectly, but the rice was mushy in some places and undercooked in others. We found that the meat was interfering with the rice cooking evenly. By layering the chicken and chorizo on top of the rice, the rice could absorb just the right amount of liquid while the chicken would slowly steam from the liquid below and be basted by the flavorful fat rendering from the chorizo above. Placing a parchment shield on top of the meats before putting the lid on also helped to trap heat and allowed the rice and chicken to cook through properly. Shrimp are a traditional component of paella, and we added them at the end because they needed just 20 minutes to cook.
Before You Begin
You will need an oval slow cooker for this recipe. If using smaller or larger shrimp, be sure to adjust the cooking time as needed.
Instructions
- 1. Line slow cooker with aluminum foil collar and lightly coat with vegetable oil spray. Microwave onion, oil, garlic, tomato paste, paprika, cayenne, saffron, and 1 teaspoon salt in bowl, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 5 minutes; transfer to prepared slow cooker. Stir in rice.
- Microwave clam juice, water, and sherry in now-empty bowl until steaming, about 5 minutes; transfer to slow cooker. Season chicken with salt and pepper and arrange in even layer on top of rice. Scatter chorizo over chicken. Gently press 16 by 12-inch sheet of parchment paper onto surface of chorizo, folding down edges as needed. Cover and cook until liquid is absorbed and rice is just tender, 2 to 3 hours on high.
- Discard parchment and foil collar. Season shrimp with salt and pepper and scatter on top of paella. Cover and cook on high until shrimp is opaque throughout, 20 to 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle peas and red peppers over shrimp, cover, and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley and serve with lemon wedges.
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