Spanish Paella Recipe Seafood Chicken Chorizo

I have loved Paella ever since Paul and I visited Spain years ago and enjoyed it at a number of places made with a variety of different ingredients from mixed seafood to rabbit and chicken. I love them all! Paella is a fantastic dish to make at home and incredibly delicious with lots of textures and flavors. We recommend serving it family style right in the pan you cooked it in for everyone to scoop up as much as they would like so they can get some of the crispy rice crust on the bottom, which is the best part! I wanted to make paella as part of my American Eats series to represent Nevada, which has a large Basque population from Spain after seeing it on the menu at a Basque restaurant. After doing more research, I’m not sure how well paella represents the Basque culture, but it’s most definitely Spanish and is one of their most loved dishes. This is my best paella recipe that is as close to authentic paella as I have been able to make seeing as how I’m not from Spain or own a special pan. But the flavors, textures, and method are pretty much just what I remember from my visits to the country. I hope you try it and love this dish as much as we do!

What is Paella?

Paella is a Spanish dish that originated in the Valencia region of Spain. It is a rice-based dish that is typically made with the main ingredients of a short-grain rice, saffron threads for color and aroma, a variety of vegetables, and some type of meat or seafood. Traditional Spanish paella is cooked over an open flame in a wide, shallow pan called a “paellera.” The ingredients are added in layers and cooked slowly, allowing the flavors to meld together.

Some of the most common types of paella are:

Paella is a staple dish in Spanish cuisine and is often served in a large paella pan at family gatherings and special occasions. It is also a popular dish in many Spanish restaurants around the world. The beauty of paella is that you can adapt and adjust the ingredients to fit your liking!

Recipe Ingredients

Paella ingredients are simple although the list might look long. The main ones to get right are choosing the right kind of rice and finding saffron threads, which can be pricey, but worth it for the best paella. Also, note that while we used seafood, chicken, and chorizo for our paella, you can get away with just one type of protein or whatever combination you like best or have available to you.

Bomba rice – This is a particular kind of Spanish rice that is the key ingredient for making really great traditional paella. You can also look for Calasparra rice, which is another short grain rice that can be used for this easy paella recipe. I don’t recommend using regular white rice or even arborio rice, which is used for risotto. Chicken broth or chicken stock – The recipe is written with just the right amount so the rice cooks through without having too much liquid, which could prevent the socarrat from forming on the bottom of the pan. Chicken – We prefer using chicken thighs because they are more moist and less likely to overcook, but you could also use chicken breasts cut into small pieces. Olive oil Protein – In this paella recipe I like using chorizo sausage, boneless, skinless chicken thighs, prawns or jumbo shrimp, and mussels, but rabbit is another popular paella choice (although much more difficult to come by here). Vegetables – Chopped onion, red bell pepper, carrot, garlic, and frozen peas. Green beans, fava beans, are also popular options. Tomato paste – Adds depth of flavor and richness. Smoked paprika – We prefer the smokey, robust flavor of smoked paprika since traditional paella is cooked over an open fire, but you can sub sweet paprika if that’s what you have on hand. Saffron threads – The orange-red threads give the paella its signature color and a wonderful aromatic quality. They can be expensive, but are worth it for the best results and most traditional flavor. Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper Fresh parsley and lemon wedges – For serving.

How to Make Paella

What kind of rice should you use for paella?

The type of rice you use for paella is crucial to achieving the perfect texture and flavor. The traditional rice used in paella is a short-grain variety known as Bomba rice. Bomba rice is a high-quality rice that absorbs the flavors of the other ingredients and retains its texture when cooked in the broth. Another type of rice that can be used for paella is Calasparra rice, which is another short-grain variety also grown in Spain. Calasparra rice is similar to Bomba rice in that it can absorb a lot of liquid without becoming mushy, making it ideal for paella. In general, it’s best to use short-grain rice with a high starch content for paella, as this type of rice can absorb the liquid and flavors of the other ingredients without breaking apart or becoming sticky. Other types of rice, such as long-grain rice, will not work as well and may result in a less-than-perfect paella.

What kind of pan should you use for paella?

There are special paella pans which are shallow and wide that can be specially purchased for making paella, but most of us probably don’t have one. And if you are anything like me, I don’t have room in any of my cupboards for a specialty pan like that when I have a large 12″ skillet that does the trick just as well. I will say that I don’t recommend using a cast iron pan for paella. The main reason being that cast iron retains heat and I have found it hard to cook paella properly in cast iron versus my all-clad regular pan because of the heat regulation that happens when cooking paella. If you don’t have a large enough pan, you may want to cook your paella in two separate skillets to make sure you have more surface area for the rice to get nice and crusty on the bottom.

Tips and Suggestions

Use a big enough skillet. You can buy specially made paella pans, which are wide and shallow for more surface area for the crispy rice crust on the bottom. I don’t recommend using a cast iron skillet, which retains heat and is not the best choice for making great paella. My largest 12″ all-clad skillet barely contains all of the ingredients (you can see that it is brimming full). Try making this on the grill! Traditional paella is cooked over an open fire, so if you have a pan that you can use on the grill I say go for it! Don’t add the seafood too soon. Seafood cooks quickly and becomes rubbery and tough if overdone so wait until close to the end before adding it. Once the shrimp have turned pink and are cooked through they are done.

Storage & Reheating Instructions

Leftover paella is absolutely delicious and we always fight over who gets it for lunch the next day. It will keep for 2-3 days in an airtight container in the fridge or you can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. To reheat, you can cover it with foil and stick the paella in a 375°F oven for 10-15 minutes or microwave individual portions. You will lose some of the crustiness of the bottom layer of rice with this approach, but it’s still going to be pretty darn delicious paella.