Slow cooker chicken and prawn paella recipe

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We love using our slow cooker. It is a great way to cook a healthy, tasty dinner for the whole family with minimal effort. Some nights I don’t want to have the slow cooker running all day, or don’t have time earlier in the day. That is when recipes, such as this slow cooker chicken and prawn paella, are perfect!

What I love about this recipe is that you only need a couple of hours, and you won’t have to constantly stir a pot like you normally do with rice based dishes.

As a busy working Mum of 2 the mornings can be busy, and so I love that I can pop this on just before the school run and then we’re able to have a tasty family meal together when my husband gets home from work.

This slow cooker chicken and prawn paella is ready in around 2.5 hours and tastes almost as good as a paella that has been slaved over for hours!

If you’re looking for some inspiration for other slow cooker recipes then be sure to check out my Easy slow cooker recipes (UK recipes). Be sure to check out my slow cooker tips while you’re here too.

Ingredients for slow cooker chicken and prawn paella

1 tbsp olive oil

1 chopped onion

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp thyme

300g risotto or paella rice

400g tin of chopped tomatoes

700ml chicken stock

350g frozen cooked prawns (you can also add leftover cooked chicken at this stage)

Scroll down for some ideas to make this a little more luxurious if your budget allows!

Method for slow cooker chicken and prawn paella

Lightly fry the chopped onion in olive oil.

Add the paprika & thyme.

Measure out the rice and add this to the frying pan.

Fry for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Place into the slow cooker pot.

Add your stock cubes. Or fresh stock if you’re fancy.

Add the water for the stock.

Add the tinned tomatoes. Stir and then leave to cook on high for 2 hours.

Add the frozen prawns or other seafood. You can also add leftover chicken at this stage. Cook for a further 30 minutes or until the seafood is cooked through and the rice has softened.

In my slow cooker I find that 2.5 hours total time is perfect, but this can vary based on the size of your slow cooker.

Serve!

I added chopped chorizo at the last minute and it was delicious.

Want to make this a little more luxurious?

At the beginning of cooking I like to lightly brown some chicken thighs, or even chicken breast if you prefer, and then add these to the slow cooker pot.

Also, serving with chorizo at the end is great, but you can also sauté this at the beginning and it’ll release a lovely oil that will bring lots of extra flavour to the dish.

When serving you could also add a couple of nice lemon wedges.

Want to add some more vegetables?

If you’re looking to make this a little healthier then I always find that red pepper works well, as does adding some frozen peas around 30 minutes before serving.

What else can you make besides paella in a slow cooker?

Don’t overcook the rice!

This may seem obvious but stick to the timings of this recipe. It can be a tiny bit hard to tell with slow cookers exactly if they work the same, as they’re all different sizes etc, but stick to that timings!

Don’t be tempted to add your shrimp earlier than stated as you will overcook it and it’ll be tough and chewy!

ALL of the slow cooker recipes on this website have been cooked using a Ninja Foodi OL750UK, or a previous Ninja multi-cooker model, but you can use ANY slow cooker, as timings should be very similar.

Note: All calorie information is for demonstration purposes only and is based on the specific uncooked ingredients that I used when creating the recipe.

Why not try one of these fantastic slow cooker accessories or cookbooks:

How to make slow cooker chicken and prawn paella:

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