By MACROS | Published on March 7, 2017
Recharge your energy using this clean, flavourful seafood dish that’s easy to prepare and can be frozen for your future refuelling needs.
401 calories | 41g protein | 41g carbs |Â 8g fat |Â 5g fibre |Â 5g sugar
Ingredients (for at least 6Â servings)
- 680g chicken breasts
- 225g jumbo shrimp (raw, peeled and deveined)
- 2 tbsp coconut oil
- 4 cups cooked short-grain brown rice or Arborio rice
- ï‚Ÿ 2 cups low salt chicken broth
- 1â„2 red onion (sliced)
- 2 Roma tomatoes (diced)
- 2 1â„2 cups frozen peas
- Juice from one lemon
Seasonings
- 1 tbsp garlic paste (or minced garlic)
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1/2 tsp saffron threads
- Sea salt to taste
- Pepper to taste
Garnish
- Fresh parsley
Method
Step 1: Cook rice according to the instructions on the packet and set aside. To save time and space in the kitchen, I use a rice cooker to prepare the rice.
Step 2: Chop raw chicken breasts and shrimp into small pieces.
Step 3: Set a (cast-iron) skillet on medium high heat and add 2 tbsp coconut oil. Once it has melted, add red onion and garlic paste. Stir with a wooden spoon and cook until the edges of the red onion have browned.
Step 4: Toss in raw, chopped chicken breasts and cook until the chicken is 75% done. Don’t be alarmed if some parts of the chicken are still pink.
Step 5: Toss in raw shrimp and stir with wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until the shrimp is about 75% cooked.
Step 6: Add paprika and a pinch of sea salt and pepper. Stir.
Step 7: Then, add cooked rice and diced tomatoes. Stir and reduce heat to medium.
Step 8: Pour in the chicken broth and then add saffron. Next, allow the contents to simmer and gently stir. After that, allow it to cook for about three minutes. If you’d like to, you could always add fresh lemon juice.
Step 9: Lastly, add frozen peas and stir. Allow the paella to simmer for about five minutes, then garnish with freshly chopped parsley.
Key superfoods
Shrimp
Let’s get something clear about these little fellas: they don’t increase your cholesterol. Further to that, a chemical called chitosan derived from shrimp shells can actually be useful to lower obesity and fight high cholesterol, found research in Clinical and Experimental Pharmacology. We’re not suggesting you start blending the shells, but if one or two get into your dish, consider yourself lucky.
Saffron
If you’re looking for a leg up when you’re throwing the third leg in, this could be the best food for date night. Saffron is a highly- effective performance booster that acts like a natural aphrodisiac without any side effects, found research in Food Research International. An easier way to spice up your bedroom antics you will not find.
Coconut oil
Switching to coconut oil is a smart choice for a host of benefits, but one that you might not know is that it could keep your smile intact. That’s because research at the Society for General Microbiology found coconut oil is able to attack the bacteria that cause tooth decay. Adds a great tasting tropical twist to this seafood dish that’ll keep you grinning.
