Fluffernutter an' Key Lime Pie Paella Bombs

Chicken and chorizo paella gets crowned with baked fluffernutter hand pies and a quick no-cook key lime filling, all dusted in graham crumbs and toasted coconut. Same sweet-and-savory chaos as before, just baked instead of fried and whisked cold instead of simmered.

Serves 8 · as served on Bluesky ↗

Baking those hand pies instead of babysitting a pot of hot oil was the first thing to go — same golden crimped pocket, way less to clean off the stove, and nobody's stuck holding a thermometer while the paella's already going on the next burner. That key lime filling doesn't need a saucepan either; condensed milk and lime juice will thicken right up in a bowl with a good whisk and a few minutes in the fridge, no egg yolks or careful stirring required. I dropped the saffron too, since it's the priciest thing in most spice drawers and the smoked paprika still carries plenty of color and smoke on its own. Made something close to this for my sister-in-law Denise's Fourth of July potluck when her oven was the only appliance not already spoken for, and this leaner version came together with half the mess. Still the same wild sweet-and-savory bomb of a dish, just built for a Tuesday instead of a production.

Ingredients

Fresh

• 1 piece onion (diced)
• 1 piece red bell pepper (diced)
• 4 clove garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp lime zest

Fridge

• 1½ lb boneless chicken thighs (cut into 1-inch chunks)
• ½ lb chorizo (sliced into rounds)
• 16 piece refrigerated pie dough rounds (4-inch rounds)
• 1 piece egg (beaten)

Freezer

• 1 lb shrimp (peeled, deveined, thawed)
• 1 cup frozen peas

Pantry

• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cup short grain rice (such as bomba or arborio)
• 4 cup chicken broth
• ¾ cup creamy peanut butter
• ¾ cup marshmallow fluff
• ½ cup key lime juice
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ cup graham cracker crumbs
• ½ cup sweetened shredded coconut (toasted)

Spice rack

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp salt

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees, then whisk the key lime juice, sweetened condensed milk and lime zest together in a bowl until it just starts to thicken, then chill it in the fridge until needed.
2. Lay the pie dough rounds out on a parchment-lined baking sheet, spoon a dab of peanut butter and marshmallow fluff onto one half of each round, fold into a half-moon, crimp the edges tight with a fork, then brush the tops with the beaten egg.
3. Bake the hand pies until golden and puffed, about 15 minutes. ⏱ 15 min
4. Heat the olive oil in a paella pan or large skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken thighs and chorizo, then transfer both to a plate.
5. Add the onion and red bell pepper to the pan and cook until softened, then stir in the garlic, short grain rice and smoked paprika and toast for a minute or two. ⏱ 2 min
6. Pour in the chicken broth, return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, season with the salt, bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook without stirring until the rice is tender, about 20 minutes. ⏱ 20 min
7. Scatter the shrimp and frozen peas over the top, cover, and cook until the shrimp turn pink, about 5 minutes. ⏱ 5 min
8. Nestle the baked hand pies right into the hot paella around the edges of the pan, drizzle generously with the chilled key lime mixture, then dust with the graham cracker crumbs and toasted coconut, and serve the whole pan straight to the table while everything's still hot.

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