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    Home » Recipes » Seafood Recipes

    Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella Recipe

    Published: Dec 16, 2019 · Modified: May 26, 2021 by Chef Dennis Littley

    6.0K shares
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    4.92 from 34 votes
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    Chicken & Shrimp Orzo Paella Pinterest image

    My Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella could be on your dinner table tonight. It’s easy to make, healthy and delicious! So what are you waiting for?

    An overhead view of Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella on a green rimmed off white plate on a wooden cutting board

    The combination of these flavors with a subtle hint of saffron, the smokiness of the paprika, and the hint of oregano add a lot to this dish. And the holy trinity of veggies, onions, peppers, and celery paired with garlic and tomatoes make it even more delicious!

    What Ingredients do you need to make Orzo Paella?

    ingredients to make Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella

    Let’s start by gathering our ingredients for my Shrimp and Chicken Orzo Paella. In chef speak this is called the mise en place. All you need is a few ingredients and you’re ready to get cooking. I did add clams to my version and forgot to add them to this pic, but they are optional.

    How do I cook Orzo Paella?

    stainless steel pot with chicken and shrimp orzo paella as it cooks in the pot

    You can personalize this dish using just chicken and adding sausage. Including more seafood as I did with the clams is also a good option. You can also substitute the Orzo with Whole Wheat Orzo, white or Brown Rice or any of your favorite grains.

    Overhead shot of Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella on a white plate

    I hope you enjoyed this not so classical orzo paella recipe. It’s one of my Restaurant Style Dishes that you can prepare faster than picking up takeout in your own home tonight at a fraction of the cost of dining out at your favorite restaurant.

    What is Orzo?

    My friends are always asking me what is Orzo? Orzo (also known as risoni) is a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice. In Italian orzo literally translates to barley.

    Here are some other recipes you may like: 

    • Skillet Paella
    • Root Vegetable Paella
    • Pineapple Shrimp Luau 

    Did you make this? Please RATE THE RECIPE below!

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    Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella
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    4.92 from 34 votes

    Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella

    You'll love my healthy and delicious Chicken and Shrimp Orzo Paella. Not only is this restaurant-style dish easy to make it can be on your table in minutes
    Prep Time10 mins
    Cook Time20 mins
    Total Time30 mins
    Course: Entree
    Cuisine: Spanish
    Servings: 2
    Calories: 853kcal
    Author: Chef Dennis Littley

    Ingredients

    • 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs
    • olive oil for saute
    • 8 jumbo gulf shrimp peeled and deveined
    • 12 small clams washed littlenecks or pasta clams, optional
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika or regular paprika
    • ½ teaspoon dried oregano leaves
    • ½ teaspoon sea salt
    • ½ teaspoon black pepper
    • 2 tablespoons flour
    • 1 small onion diced
    • 1 large red bell pepper diced
    • 4 stalks of celery diced
    • 2 cloves garlic sliced
    • 1 ½ cups orzo or whole wheat orzo
    • 15 ounce can of diced tomatoes in juice organic
    • 1 cup chicken broth
    • pinch of saffron threads
    • 2 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
    US Customary – Metric
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    Instructions

    • mix flour with smoked paprika, oregano, sea salt and black pepper
    • dredge chicken thighs in seasoning mix coating both sides fully
    • heat pan over medium-high heat and add olive oil
    • saute chicken thighs in pan 2 minutes per side to get good color
    • remove chicken from pan and add additional olive oil
    • add peppers, onions, celery and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes
    • add shrimp into the veggie mixture for a minute to cook partially then remove shrimp from the pan
    • add orzo, tomatoes, chicken stock and saffron and mix well cook for 2 minutes stirring well so orzo doesn’t stick
    • add chicken thighs and clams on top of the mixture, turn the heat down to low and allow to cook fully (10 minutes)
    • at about 7 minutes into the cooking add shrimp to the pan and replace the lid
    • stir the mixture together as needed to ensure the orzo doesn't stick to the pan
    • Plate up your masterpiece and serve
    • *make sure not to have the heat too high

    Nutrition

    Calories: 853kcal | Carbohydrates: 112g | Protein: 70g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 278mg | Sodium: 1573mg | Potassium: 1754mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 3080IU | Vitamin C: 112.4mg | Calcium: 210mg | Iron: 7.6mg
    Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

    More Seafood Recipes

    • Baked Garlic Butter Salmon
    • New England Clam Chowder Recipe
    • Crab Stuffed Mushrooms
    • Easy Pasta with Red Crab Sauce

    About Chef Dennis

    Picture of Chef Dennis

    Chef Dennis is a semi-retired Chef, writer/blogger, photographer, recipe developer and creator of A Culinary Journey with Chef Dennis aka Ask Chef Dennis®. Chef Dennis worked professionally in White Table Cloth Restaurants for 40 years and has been developing easy to make, restaurant-style recipes since 2009. The second phase of his reinvention from chef to blogger has earned him a place at the Worlds Dinner Table. Join him on his Culinary Journey enjoying his easy to make Restaurant Style recipes and travel adventures. For more details, check out his About page.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Betty

      June 09, 2021 at 8:31 pm

      5 stars
      Great recipe I added 8cloves of garlic crushed to the making leftovers into soup for tonight loved it

      Reply
    2. Brandon Miller

      December 27, 2019 at 10:20 am

      5 stars
      Marvelous recipe, thank you so much! I swear I’ve made everything as you’ve said but mine doesn’t look nearly as good though, but the taste is just fantastic! My Orzo looks a lot more yellow as well for some reason, and the overall cooking and prepping process took way more than 30 min. but that’s just your many years of practice and talent against my zero of both, haha! I’m a big fan of yours already even though I only started reading you 2 weeks ago since I got out of rehab and trying to start a life from scratch. Cooking really helps me concentrate and keep things together, especially in the evenings when I’m tempted to go places so I really thank you for what you’re doing.

      Reply
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