What Will Make You Love This Recipe
I love the simplicity of this chicken chorizo paella. With so many keto chicken dinner recipes to choose from it can be hard at times. But this dish is one of those keto comfort food recipes that always draws me in.
Versatile – this dish is absolutely versatile. Swap the proteins to any you prefer. The cauliflower rice can be swapped to keto-friendly choices or even rice if you prefer.
Low carb – the paella is low carb and keto-friendly. Only 6g net carb per serve.
Everyday ingredients – Made with everyday ingredients found in most pantries.
Thermomix friendly – perfect for the Thermomix, Magimix and with easy cleanup. It comes together so quickly and is the perfect family favourite.
What is a Paella?
A paella (pronounced PIE – AYE – YAH) is a rice dish originally from Spain.
While we don’t eat rice on the keto diet we do have a great alternative. Recipes with cauliflower rice are on the increase every day and here is yet another.
I have often said I am not a cauliflower fan so for me to rate a recipe using it is a big call. This keto chicken chorizo paella may yet be one of my most favourite keto cauliflower recipes yet! Ingredients
Here is all you will need to make a keto paella. If you are missing some of the ingredients or want to add more just do it.
The Ingredients
Ingredient Substitutions and Options
- Sub olive oil for butter for a dairy free paleo paella.
- Chorizo can be left out or substituted for bacon or prawns/shrimp.
- Any cut of chicken can be used including bone in pieces.
- Swap chicken and chorizo for any seafood.
- Use a passata in place of tomato paste and tomatoes.
How to Make Vegetarian Paella
To make a vegetarian paella, firstly you will need to swap the chicken for your favourite vegetable or protein. I would use firm tofu or pumpkin cut into 2-3 cm cubes.
The chorizo can be left out and I personally would add more smoked paprika or dashi powder for the salty smoky flavour.
The stock can be replaced with white wine, verjuice or vegetable broth.
Step by Step Instructions
Here are just a few of the steps to make the best keto paella ever.
I have given you both a conventional (frying pan) method a Thermomix keto paella method in the recipe card below.
However, if you have a look in the FAQs I have included how to cook paella in an Instant Pot (or pressure cooker).
Step by Step Thermomix Paella
Chop onions and garlic 
Sauté onions, garlic and chorizo 
Insert blade cover and all ingredients. Cook for 15 min.
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Heat butter and add paella to the pan 
Cook until reduce and stir through olives and beans
Equipment Needed
To make this awesome low carb paella recipe you may need the following (depending on method).
- Thermomix
- Blade Cover
- Skillet or large cast iron frying pan
- Digital scales or measuring cups and spoons
- Instant Pot
- Paella Pan
Recipe Tips and FAQs
Have a read through the tips and FAQs before asking any questions. I try to address all the possible questions you might just have.
Yes, you can use frozen or fresh cauliflower. Get our “how to make cauliflower rice” tips, it’s so easy.
Reheat in a pan or the microwave.
Real rice is not keto-friendly. This recipe uses cauliflower rice. However, you can use other vegetable substitutes or ready-made keto-friendly products on the market. Some of my favourite keto rice substitutes are Palmini Rice and Lupin Kibble.
Absolutely! Store in an airtight container. Defrost overnight in the fridge.
How to make paella in an Instant Pot
To cook the paella in an Instant Pot follow the below steps.
- Set pressure cooker to sauté. Heat butter or oil, and sauté onions and garlic until soft.
- Add chorizo and chicken and sauté for 5 minutes. Stir through remaining ingredients; except olives, parsley and beans. Stir through.
- Set to Pressure cook/5 minutes and put lid on and seal.
- Release the pressure for 10 minutes naturally. Then manually release. Stir through beans and olives. Serve garnished with parsley.
More Recipes To Try
Here are just a few of my favourite keto dinner recipes. It is always hard to choose what to make but if you bookmark and save the recipes you can plan ahead.
- Italian Meatball Minestrone Soup
- Low Carb Keto Butter Chicken
- Sichuan Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Keto Beef Lasagna
- Keto Crispy Chicken Wings
- Chicken Pepper Fry
- The Best Keto Burger | Low Carb Big Mac
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I hope you love our keto Chicken Chorizo Paella as much as I do! If you do, then please rate the recipe ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ and leave us a review to help others know that this is a recipe worth trying.
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Keto Chicken Chorizo Paella
Equipment
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Ingredients
- 1/2 (1/2) onion
- 2 cloves (2 cloves) garlic
- 1 tablespoons (1 tablespoons) olive oil (30g)
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) butter (60g) (plus an extra 2 tbsp for Thermomix® method)
- 1 (1) dried chorizo sliced into thin slices, See Note 1
- 1 tablespoon (1 tablespoon) smoked paprika
- A pinch (A pinch) saffron
- 1/4 teaspoon (1/4 teaspoon) cayenne pepper
- 500 g (2 cups) chicken thigh fillets cut into cubes, See Note 2
- 1.5 cups (1.5 cups) cauliflower rice uncooked (230g)
- 200 g (7 oz) tinned tomatoes
- 1 tbsp (1 tbsp) tomato paste
- 60 g (2 oz) roasted red peppers cut into strips
- 1.5 tablespoons (1.5 tablespoons) preserved lemon pith removed, finely minced, See Note 3
- 200 g (7 oz) chicken stock or bone broth
- A large (A large) pinch of salt flakes and cracked pepper
- 16 large (16 large) stuffed green olives
- 2 tablespoons (2 tablespoons) fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1/2 cup (1/2 cup) green beans optional
Instructions
CONVENTIONAL METHOD
- Finely dice onion and garlic. Heat olive oil and butter in a heavy-based, frying pan over moderate heat. Add onion, garlic and chorizo; sauté until translucent. Remove and reserve.
- Add paprika, saffron, cayenne, and chicken to pan and brown chicken (but don’t cook completely through).
- Stir through riced cauliflower, tomatoes, red peppers, preserved lemon, broth, salt, pepper, and chorizo mixture to pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce and simmer until liquid has reduced and cauliflower is tender (and beans in last few minutes of cooking). Stir through olives. Transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley.
THERMAL METHOD
- Place onion and garlic into mixer bowl. Chop 3 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of bowl.
- Add olive oil, butter and chorizo to mixer. Cook 5 min/100℃/reverse/stir. Remove and reserve.
- Insert blade cover. Add all ingredients to mixing bowl, except olives and parsley. Cook 15 min/100℃/reverse/speed 1.
- Place 2 tablespoons of butter into a heavy-based, frying pan over moderate heat. Transfer the paella to the pan, increase heat to high, spread paella around the pan and do not stir. Add olives and cook until liquid has reduced (10-15 minutes). Add beans in the last couple of minutes cooking time (if using).
- Transfer to serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley.
Notes
- Chorizo is available in the supermarket. Salami or fresh chorizo sausage can be substituted.
- Chicken thigh fillets are preferred, however chicken breast or bone-in pieces can be substituted.
- Remove all the pith and soft centre of the preserved lemon. Thinly slice and dice the lemon rind. If you cannot find preserved lemon use some freshly micro-planed lemon rind.
- Store paella in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- This keto paella can be frozen into individual serves.
Your Own Notes
Nutrition
Megan Ellam is an Australian keto recipes blogger living in Thornton, NSW. She is the author of amazing keto cookbooks such as Slow Cook Keto, Keto Loco, The Healthy Family Keto Cookbook and Every Day Keto.
Megan has been following a ketogenic diet since being diagnosed with insulin resistance in early 2017. After a long cooking career Megan simply swapped her “foodie focus” to easy keto recipes. Her keto Australian recipes all include both metric and US customary measures so that everyone can enjoy them.
Megan also makes all the recipes suitable for conventional cooks, Thermomix recipes and thermal cookers e.g. Magimix recipes.
23 responses to “Keto Chicken Paella”
OH WOW – so good! Literally sitting here eating this dish and the taste is amazingYay! It looks terrible but tastes good. Haha!
News Flash: Rice is a CARB so this is not a KETO dish! EPIC Fail
Maybe read it again. It is cauliflower rice.
That meal was delicious – I was worried the chicken was going to be overcooked moving it from Thermomix to stovetop to thicken but it was amazing. I’m new to the keto journey but this was a great choice – I’ve also made the Tikka Masala, Healthy beef stew and Chilli beef with the wraps – all been delicious. Lemon bliss balls and coffee fat bombs end off the day nicely…Woohoo! Sounds like you have been cooking up a storm
Adding the ingredients to the shopping list now! If I use lip in kibble, do you recommend cooking it first, then just adding at the same time as the cauliflower is meant to be added?
I would try it without precooking but just check how long it needs to be done and compare first.
Yum….all of the great flavor of paella, without the carbs. Didn’t miss them at all.Yay!
A fantastic paella recipe,easy to follow and very tasty!Good to hear you enjoyed it Kay.
Love this spicy and flavorful dish! Such a great weeknight dinner option!Yay!
This was delicious! I used the conventional method, but also added shrimp during the last part of the cooking, right after it boiled. Yum!Glad you enjoyed it Kristina.
Paella is one of my favourite dishes, and it is fantastic to have such a flavoursome keto option! There is so much to love about this recipe – the preserved lemon and roasted peppers are great depth! Delicious!
Thanks Alex
A very delicious meal with juicy chicken and chorizo sooooo yummy. Made using the Thermomix with the blade cover very easy to make. A great recipe will definitely be making again. ๐๐That is so awesome! Thanks so much for trying it and taking the time to leave a review. You are also one of the lucky ones to actually have a blade cover.
Flipping awesome!!
A truely tasty comfort food. I made double just so I could enjoy it more than once.
I absolutely love this dish. Itโs so packed full of flavour. Itโs hard to stop at a single serve. I find it addictive.
This recipe blew me away. Itโs packed full of flavour and the chicken is juicy and itโs one of those meals where I couldnโt taste the cauliflower. This paella was loved by my family too and has been requested again . Thanks for another great recipe.
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