Paella Soup
This paella soup recipe is flavorful and delicious: chock full of meat, seafood, veggies, wine and broth. All of the ingredients together will make your taste buds sing.
I didn’t even know that paella soup was a ‘thing’. I got the idea because I love paella, but didn’t want it with rice. Not that I don’t like it with rice, I just wanted something different. So, I thought to myself,
“Let me make a soup version of paella and instead of the rice, I’ll add orzo.”
I thought I was being so clever.
Well, it turns out that I’m not so original. There are other recipes out there like this, but I love how flavorful and delicious this recipe is.
My sister Nancy and I used to go to Cape Cod together on mini-vacations. We loved to visit this one restaurant that served the best paella I’ve ever had. Over the years, I tried to duplicate it, but I’ve never been able to. Until now.
I’ve gotten pretty close to my memories of what that Cape Cod paella tasted like, but in soup form.
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Helpful tips
- For this soup, I like using shrimp that is on the big side; I recommend 16 – 20 per pound.
- I make this soup with boneless and skinless chicken thighs but if you prefer breast meat, go for it.
- Defrost the shrimp at least ten minutes before starting the recipe. It takes around 5 minutes to defrost them and up to 5 minutes to take the shells and tails off and to devein them if necessary.
- Here’s how to defrost the shrimp: Place a colander in the sink and place the frozen shrimp inside. Run cold water over the shrimp and use your hands to separate them. I do this over and over during the five minutes until they are thawed.
- Cut up the chicken into 1.5 inch chunks.
- Cut the chorizo in slices first and then in quarters. Even though most chorizo has an edible casing, I always peel it off.
- Start cooking the vegetables right before you start cooking the shrimp and chicken. So you will need more than one sauté pan plus the Dutch oven. But if you don’t mind the extra time, you can get away with one sauté pan and the Dutch oven.
- You can either use the saffron threads whole or crush them with a mortar and pestle, your choice.
- I like a lot of orzo in my soups, so I used 1.5 cups. But if you like a soupier soup, just use one cup.
- If you choose to only use one cup of orzo, omit the cup of water.
How to make paella soup
Pre-step
Get a Dutch oven or medium to large stockpot and two sauté pans.
Step one
Gather the vegetables – onion, carrots and celery. (A)
Step two
Defrost the shrimp, take off the shells and devein them. Cut the chicken in 1.5 inch chunks and cut the chorizo in slices and then quarters. (B)
You will be cooking the chicken and shrimp at the same time as the vegetables. Once they are done, just set them aside.
Step three
Heat the sauté pans on medium. Once they are heated up add butter to one pan and olive oil to another.
Add shrimp to the butter pan and chicken to the other.
Step four
Sauté the shrimp for 5 minutes or until they become opaque. (C)
Step five
Sauté the chicken for 8 minutes tops. You don’t want to cook the chicken fully as it will finish cooking in the soup. (D)
Step six
Gather the rest of the ingredients – a dry white wine, dry sherry, chicken broth and saffron threads. (E)
Step seven
While you’re preparing the chicken and shrimp, heat the Dutch oven on medium. Add olive oil and once that’s heated, add the carrots first. Sauté for 5 minutes.
Add the onion, celery and chopped vegetables, salt and a little pepper and sauté them for 10 minutes. Make sure the carrots are getting soft. If it needs more time, add 5 more minutes.
Step eight
Add wine, sherry, garlic paste and saffron threads. (F)
Step nine
Add partially cooked chicken, 48 ounces of chicken broth, (if you are using a larger quantity of orzo) – a cup of water , orzo (G) and chorizo. (H)
Step ten
Raise the heat under the pan to medium/high and once the soup comes to a slight boil, lower the heat to a simmer and let it simmer for 10 minutes. (Or until the orzo is done.)
Step eleven
Add the shrimp and let it simmer for 2 more minutes.
Gather some soup crocks and slice up some fresh bread.
All that is left is to ladle some in a bowl and eat it all up.
I mention in the helpful tips that if you like a soupier soup, you can decrease the amount of orzo to 1 cup. Here’s the original photo that shows what it will look like.
I hope you enjoyed this paella soup recipe.
Other popular soup recipes
And as always, may all your dishes be delish!
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Paella Soup
Ingredients
Vegetables and Broth
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion (chopped)
- 3 carrots (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 2 teaspoons salt
- .25 teaspoon pepper
- 48 ounces chicken broth
- 1 cup dry white wine
- .25 cup sherry
- .50 teaspoon saffron threads (heaping – either whole or crushed)
- 3 teaspoons garlic paste (or 3 cloves – crushed)
Meats
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 4 skinless and boneless chicken thighs (cut into 1.5 inch pieces – you can substitute 2 boneless breasts if you prefer)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 pound shrimp (shells off and deveined)
- 8 ounces chorizo sausage (casing removed and sliced and quartered)
Pasta
- 1.5 cup orzo (for a soupier soup – decrease to 1 cup – see notes)
- 1 cup water (omit if you are using only 1 cup of orzo)
Instructions
- Heat a medium stockpot on medium heat
- Add 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Add carrots and sauté for 5 minutes. Add onions and celery, salt and pepper and sauté for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Add broth, white wine, sherry, garlic paste and saffron and bring to a slight boil
At the same time as you start the veggies
- Heat two sauté pans and add 1 tablespoon of oil in one, and butter in the other
- Add chicken to the olive oil pan and shrimp to the butter pan
- Sauté shrimp for 5 minutes stirring every 30 seconds or so until they become opaque, remove from pan and set aside
- Turn chicken every few minutes and sauté for 8 minutes maximum – you will not cook the chicken all the way through
- Add chicken, chorizo and orzo to the broth and once it comes to a slight boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes
- Add shrimp and simmer for 2 minutes
- Ladle some in a bowl
- Eat
- Smile
- Enjoy
Equipment
Notes
- For this soup, I like using shrimp that is on the big side; I recommend 16 – 20 per pound.
- I make this soup with boneless and skinless chicken thighs but if you prefer breast meat, go for it.
- Defrost the shrimp at least ten minutes before starting the recipe. It takes around 5 minutes to defrost them and up to 5 minutes to take the shells and tails off and to devein them if necessary.
- Here’s how to defrost the shrimp: Place a colander in the sink and place the frozen shrimp inside. Run cold water over the shrimp and use your hands to separate them. I do this over and over during the five minutes until they are thawed.
- Cut up the chicken into 1.5 inch chunks.
- Cut the chorizo in slices first and then in quarters. Even though most chorizo has an edible casing, I always peel it off.
- Start cooking the vegetables right before you start cooking the shrimp and chicken. So you will need more than one sauté pan plus the Dutch oven. But if you don’t mind the extra time, you can get away with one sauté pan and the Dutch oven.
- You can either use the saffron threads whole or crush them with a mortar and pestle, your choice.
- I like a lot of orzo in my soups, so I used 1.5 cups. But if you like a soupier soup, just use one cup.
- If you choose to only use one cup of orzo, omit the cup of water.
Nutrition
Originally published in February of 2017.
From lighting up stages with her BA in theater to food journalist, Elaine Benoit's journey is a testament to passion's transformative power. As the CEO of Dishes Delish, she offers a blend of healthy, comforting recipes and exquisitely crafted cocktails. Beyond the kitchen, Elaine voiced her culinary adventures on her podcast, "Dishing," and co-owns Food Blogger Help, extending her expertise to guide budding food bloggers to success. Whether it's for a heartwarming dish or insights into food blogging, Elaine's diverse experiences make her a beacon in the culinary digital landscape.
This is such an fantastic variation Elaine and i love…love the title, pretty awesome indeed!
Thank you Maria! 🙂
Lol sounds like something enjoyed those leftovers! This soup sounds delicious.
Thanks Jenna!
This looks sooo good! I want a huge bowl of it now 🙂
Deanna, I’ll be right over 😉 Thanks 🙂
It’s always sad when a loved restaurant closes. Glad you made this and shared it. Soup is definitely something i need right now with this snowstorm!
Michelle, Yes I love soup (actually year round) but this blizzard we just had makes me want some right now.
Love the idea of a paella soup (it was a new idea to me!). 🙂
Lisa! Thank you.
This looks delicious! I love the idea of combining the chicken and shrimp together to saute.
Thanks Luci!
That sounds so tasty and looks beautiful, I have a feeling the name would make my Spanish friends head explode but that wold be funny to watch 😉 😀
Brian, haha. I’m sure. I also think one of my Spanish friends is shaking her head at me.
Paella in a soup? Love it!
Thanks Christopher! 😉
All the flavors of a traditional paella in a bowl. Delicious comfort food for the cooler weather.
Thank you Sharon.
I am on an anti inflammatory diet – wondering if I can sub brown rice for orzo and take out the sherry or sub that.
Maria, you can definitely substitute brown rice. What I would do is cook it separate from the soup and just add it before you serve it. And you can take out the sherry. Not sure what you would substitute it with other than maybe a non alcoholic sherry?
Wow, this is such a great idea. I love paella but have never thought about making paella soup. So creative!
Thanks so much Nart! I appreciate it.
Wow! This paella soup looks amazing! I can’t wait to dig into a bowl of this.
Thanks Andrea. I hope you enjoy it when you do!
What a brilliant idea! The restaraunt I do marketing for has a paella style dish and its so fabulous but in a soup form sounds actually even better!
Thanks Liz! I hope you try the recipe.
I love this idea for paella soup! I just made a paella a few days ago, and while I love it, sometimes it feels a bit heavy to me. Making it into a sound really lightens it up!
It is definitely lighter than traditional paella. Thank you Alison.
oh I love paella, but in soup form sounds divine!! What a great recipe, thanks for sharing!
Thanks Andrea. I love paella as well!
Such a great idea to make paella into a soup. So colorful and full of flavor too. It’s totally soup season and this is a winner.
Thanks so much Debra. I adore seafood, especially in a soup. Hubby even likes this even though he’s not a fan of shrimp or chorizo. 🙂 Must be the combination.