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Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella


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This Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella brings a twist to the traditional Spanish dish. Using quinoa instead of rice adds so much nutritional value while not compromising the authentic flavors in Paella we all love. Made with fresh saffron, seafood, chicken, veggies and more. Perfect summer meal to enjoy with family and friends! 

Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella

A couple of weeks ago we had a wonderful family beach day at our favorite beach. I’ve actually been going to this beach since I was a kid. Every time we make a visit I have to stop by a local fish market that’s right next to it. Love buying fresh seafood from this fish market. A lot of their fish and seafood has been caught the same day!

Whenever I buy seafood from this market my go to meals are either lobster or paella. Paella is one of my all time favorite dishes. I love seafood and Paella is one of the most delicious ways to enjoy it in my opinion. I also love cooking Paella and love getting creative with it. Like using quinoa in substitution for rice.

This Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella uses fresh ingredients and authentic flavors. Using fresh seafood and saffron are the key to making a successful and delicious Paella. The quinoa gives this dish the added nutritional value to make it the perfect filling and healthy meal.

It’s perfect for a summer Sunday dinner to enjoy with your family outside while creating endless memories. Give this recipe a try and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

What is seafood paella made of?

Paella is a typical Spanish dish consisting of flavorful ingredients cooked in one large pan. There are different versions of paella but essentially they are made of rice, seafood, chicken, chorizo, variety of veggies and spices, in particular saffron. Paella is one of the most delicious foods you could ever have. Especially if you are a seafood lover!

What spices are used in paella?

Paella uses a combination of spices and herbs to give it it’s tasty flavor. What really gives paella it’s unique taste is saffron. Saffron is a spice that comes from the flower of Crocus sativus. It has the reputation for being the most expensive spice in the world. Saffron can certainly be expensive, but it gives rice such a delicious flavor and vibrant yellow color.

Is paella made with rice or quinoa?

Traditional paella is certainly made with rice. For this specific recipe we use quinoa. It’s a nice twist to the classic Spanish dish. Adds a different texture, provides extra nutrition, while not sacrificing the authentic flavors found in paella we love so much!

What you need to make this Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella:

Ingredients:

  • Shrimp
  • Scallops
  • Mussels
  • Chicken Breasts
  • Quinoa
  • Chicken Broth
  • Red Bell Pepper
  • Frozen Peas
  • Yellow Onion
  • Tomatoes
  • Garlic
  • Spanish Saffron
  • Paprika
  • Ground Turmeric
  • Pink Salt
  • Black Pepper
  • Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • Lemon Juice
  • Lemon Wedges
  • Fresh Parsley

Equipment:

  • Paella Pan
  • Large Mixing Bowls

How to make Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella:

Prep Ingredients:

  • Step 1– Prep seafood by peeling and deveining shrimp, rinse and scrub mussels. Dab dry chicken breasts and scallops. Cut chicken into bite size cubes. Salt and pepper shrimp, scallops and chicken to taste.
  • Step 2– Remove top and insides of red bell peppers and julienne bell pepper. Dice tomatoes and onion and mince garlic cloves. Squeeze lemon juice, measure out spices. Rub together saffron strings with your thumb and index finger to get the flavors to be released. Set all prepped ingredients to the side. 

Start Cooking Ingredients:

  • Step 1– Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to paella pan and heat-up on medium-high heat. Add cubed chicken and stir fry until it’s cooked through and reaches golden-brown color on the outside. About 7-8 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from pan and set aside. 
  • Step 2– Clean paella pan with a damped paper towel and add another tablespoon olive oil and bring to a heat on medium-high. Place shrimp on heated pan spacing them apart throughout the pan. You may have to cook in batches depending on how big your pan is. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. They’re done when they reach a pink and opaque color. Make sure you don’t overcook shrimp. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. Cook the other batch if you have one the same way and set aside with the rest of cooked shrimp.
Cooking scallops on paella pan over stovetop.
  • Step 3– Clean pan again with a damp paper towel and drizzle another tablespoon olive oil and bring to a heat on medium-high. Place scallops on heated pan spacing them out throughout the pan. Sear for 1-2 minutes then flip over and sear for another 1-2 minutes again. Remove from pan and set aside. 
  • Step 4– Get rid of any excess juices there may be from scallops. Don’t clean pan however. The flavor from the seared scallops will transfer to the rest of ingredients adding more flavor to the paella.

Cook Quinoa:

  • Step 1– Drizzle another tablespoon olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat until onions begin to get translucent and you can smell the onion and garlic aroma. Toss in red bell pepper and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes. Toss diced tomatoes and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes until tomatoes begin to release juices. Stir in all spices; saffron strings, paprika, ground turmeric and pink salt and lemon juice. Stir until spices are well combined with sautéed veggies. 
  • Step 2– Stir in quinoa and mix with sautéed veggies and spices making sure quinoa is well coated. Pour chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add cooked chicken and peas and stir into quinoa. Set quinoa with added chicken and peas. At this point, you won’t be stirring quinoa any more. 
  • Step 3– Turn heat down to low and cover pan. Allow quinoa to simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove cover and at this point quinoa should be cooked through for the most part. You can use a fork to fluff quinoa around chicken and peas if you wish. 

Cook Paella:

  • Step 1– Add cooked shrimp and scallops to pan over quinoa. Place mussels over quinoa around the other seafood. Cover pan again and allow mussels to steam for 10 minutes on low. 
  • Step 2– Remove cover from pan and discard any mussels that didn’t open. Turn heat off and garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

Tips and Substitutions for making Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella:

  1. Use a paella pan to make your paella- This will give you all the space you need to cook all the ingredients in and will cook the quinoa through.
  2. Rinse your quinoa before cooking- Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin. This gives quinoa a bitter and soapy taste. Rinsing your quinoa will get rid of this coating and will make your paella taste much better.
  3. Rub together saffron strings with your thumb and index finger- This will to the flavors to be released. Don’t skip using saffron. This is what gives paella its authentic flavor.
  4. Don’t clean pan after removing excess liquid from scallops- This will give your paella so much more flavor.
  5. Don’t stir quinoa after you add chicken and peas- You want the quinoa to set on the bottom. This will prevent the quinoa from sticking to the pan and burning. It will actually form a light-crust which is known as socarrat. Trust me, you want that!
  6. Get rid of any mussels that didn’t open- Any mussels that don’t open during cooking means that are not good and you want to discard these.
  7. Substitute for quinoa- You can of course just use rice. Use a long grain rice such as jasmine rice that doesn’t get mushy or clamps up.
  8. Switch up your seafood- Get creative with your seafood and use any variations you may like. Clams, calamari, lobster meat or even lobster tails are great in this paella.
  9. Substitute for parsley- You can use fresh cilantro.
  10. Substitute for chicken broth- Use vegetable stock.

Did you like this Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella? You may also like these other seafood recipes:

5 from 1 vote
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Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella

This Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella brings a twist to the traditional Spanish dish. Using quinoa instead of rice adds so much nutritional value while not compromising the authentic flavors in Paella we all love. Made with fresh saffron, seafood, chicken, veggies and more. Perfect summer meal to enjoy with family and friends!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Spanish
Keyword Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Calories 517 kcal
Author Angelica Arias

Ingredients

  • 1 lb large shrimp (peeled and deveined)
  • 1 lb scallops
  • 1/2 lb mussels
  • 2 chicken breasts
  • 1 1/2 cup quinoa (uncooked)
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 cup frozen peas
  • 1 medium yellow onion
  • 3 plum tomatoes
  • 5 garlic cloves
  • 2 tsp saffron
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp ground turmeric
  • 1 tsp pink sea salt
  • 5 tbsp olive oil (divided)
  • 2-3 tbsp fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
  • lemon wedges for garnish
  • fresh parsley for garnish
  • pink salt and pepper to taste for seafood and chicken

Instructions

Prep Ingredients:

  1. Prep seafood by peeling and deveining shrimp, rinse and scrub mussels. Dab dry chicken breasts and scallops. Cut chicken into bite size cubes. Salt and pepper shrimp, scallops and chicken to taste.

  2. Remove top and insides of red bell peppers and julienne bell pepper. Dice tomatoes and onion and mince garlic cloves. Squeeze lemon juice, measure out spices. Rub together saffron strings with your thumb and index finger to get the flavors to be released. Set all prepped ingredients to the side.

Start Cooking Ingredients:

  1. Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to paella pan and heat-up on medium-high heat. Add cubed chicken and stir fry until it's cooked through and reaches golden-brown color on the outside. About 7-8 minutes. Remove cooked chicken from pan and set aside.

  2. Clean paella pan with a damped paper towel and add another tablespoon olive oil and bring to a heat on medium-high. Place shrimp on heated pan spacing them apart throughout the pan. You may have to cook in batches depending on how big your pan is. Cook shrimp for 1-2 minutes. Flip over and cook for another 1-2 minutes. They're done when they reach a pink and opaque color. Make sure you don't overcook shrimp. Remove shrimp from pan and set aside. Cook the other batch if you have one the same way and set aside with the rest of cooked shrimp.

  3. Clean pan again with a damp paper towel and drizzle another tablespoon olive oil and bring to a heat on medium-high. Place scallops on heated pan spacing them out throughout the pan. Sear for 1-2 minutes then flip over and sear for another 1-2 minutes again. Remove from pan and set aside.

  4. Get rid of any excess juices there may be from scallops. Don't clean pan however. The flavor from the seared scallops will transfer to the rest of ingredients adding more flavor to the paella.

Cook Quinoa:

  1. Drizzle another tablespoon olive oil and sauté onions and garlic for 2-3 minutes on medium-high heat until onions begin to get translucent and you can smell the onion and garlic aroma. Toss in red bell pepper and continue to sauté for 1-2 minutes. Toss diced tomatoes and continue sautéing for another 2 minutes until tomatoes begin to release juices. Stir in all spices; saffron strings, paprika, ground turmeric and pink salt and lemon juice. Stir until spices are well combined with sautéed veggies.

  2. Stir in quinoa and mix with sautéed veggies and spices making sure quinoa is well coated. Pour chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Add cooked chicken and peas and stir into quinoa. Set quinoa with added chicken and peas. At this point, you won't be stirring quinoa any more.

  3. Turn heat down to low and cover pan. Allow quinoa to simmer on low for 10 minutes. Remove cover and at this point quinoa should be cooked through for the most part. You can use a fork to fluff quinoa around chicken and peas if you wish.

Cook Paella:

  1. Add cooked shrimp and scallops to pan over quinoa. Place mussels over quinoa around the other seafood. Cover pan again and allow mussels to steam for 10 minutes on low.
  2. Remove cover from pan and discard any mussels that didn't open. Turn heat off and garnish with lemon wedges and fresh parsley. Serve and enjoy!

Recipe Notes

Tips and Substitutions:

  1. Use a paella pan to make your paella- This will give you all the space you need to cook all the ingredients in and will cook the quinoa through.
  2. Rinse your quinoa before cooking- Quinoa has a natural coating called saponin. This gives quinoa a bitter and soapy taste. Rinsing your quinoa will get rid of this coating and will make your paella taste much better.
  3. Rub together saffron strings with your thumb and index finger- This will to the flavors to be released. Don’t skip using saffron. This is what gives paella its authentic flavor.
  4. Don’t clean pan after removing excess liquid from scallops- This will give your paella so much more flavor.
  5. Don’t stir quinoa after you add chicken and peas- You want the quinoa to set on the bottom. This will prevent the quinoa from sticking to the pan and burning. It will actually form a light-crust which is known as socarrat. Trust me, you want that!
  6. Get rid of any mussels that didn’t open- Any mussels that don’t open during cooking means that are not good and you want to discard these.
  7. Substitute for quinoa- You can of course just use rice. Use a long grain rice such as jasmine rice that doesn’t get mushy or clamps up.
  8. Switch up your seafood- Get creative with your seafood and use any variations you may like. Clams, calamari, lobster meat or even lobster tails are great in this paella.
  9. Substitute for parsley- You can use fresh cilantro.
  10. Substitute for chicken broth- Use vegetable stock.

Nutrition Facts
Quinoa Chicken and Seafood Paella
Amount per Serving
Calories
517
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
18
g
28
%
Saturated Fat
 
3
g
19
%
Trans Fat
 
0.02
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
3
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
10
g
Cholesterol
 
169
mg
56
%
Sodium
 
1552
mg
67
%
Potassium
 
1067
mg
30
%
Carbohydrates
 
41
g
14
%
Fiber
 
6
g
25
%
Sugar
 
4
g
4
%
Protein
 
46
g
92
%
Vitamin A
 
1429
IU
29
%
Vitamin C
 
46
mg
56
%
Calcium
 
99
mg
10
%
Iron
 
4
mg
22
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

*Number of total servings in estimated. Actual number of servings may vary depending on your own personal preference in portion sizes.

**Nutritional values shown are general guidelines for 1 serving using the ingredients listed above. These numbers do not reflect and may vary depending on substitutions, additions and/or different brands and/or other ingredients that may be used. 

*Recipe updated and improved as of 8/25/2020

*Post updated as of 3/17/2020

**Disclaimer: This post may contain affiliate links and sponsored content. All the opinions are my own and I only recommend products I use in my own home with my own family. 


 


12 Comments

  1. Angie, this paella looks amazing. The next time I spend time at the beach with my family, I’m definitely going to cook this. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thank you so much! Now you have an excuse to plan a beach trip soon! 😊

  2. This recipe looks and sounds AMAZING!! I love all the fresh seafood and produce used!! I’ve never cooked with scallops, I blame it on being far from the coast, but this makes me want to try!!

    1. Thank you! I think freshness is a must with seafood. Scallops are really easy to cook. And super delicious!

  3. 5 stars
    This looks so delicious and fresh! I am deeply inspired to try it! And, I just love your photography. Thank you for sharing!

    1. Aww thank you! It makes me happy to hear you’re inspired to try it! 😊

  4. This looks so good. I think I made a paella years ago so I think the time is due for another pot! Thank you for sharing!

    1. Paella is a must every once in a while! No problem! Hope you try it soon!

  5. I could make this! I am not a cook at all but this looks delicious and I would surely impress some people. Saving this recipe!!

    1. It is really easy to make! I’m sure you’ll make a delicious paella!

  6. I love the idea of subbing quinoa in place of the rice! What a healthy choice.

    1. It makes it super healthy and so good too!

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