Best Chicken Paella Recipe

Easy Chicken Paella — If you’re never made paella before, here’s how with this EASY recipe ready in 45 minutes!! Juicy chicken and tender rice with onions, peppers, tomatoes, and more! So much FLAVOR in every bite!!

I am by no means a paella expert. Here’s what I did back in 2016, here’s how the recipe came about, we loved it, and I have been making it again and again ever since.

With that said, here’show I stumbled into having to try my hand at a centuries-old Spanish dish with no clue about where to begin.

How To Make Paella

I’m an avid runner, and on a warm Saturday afternoon I ran by a local artisan grocery store and there was a man, Luis, making paella on the sidewalk in a huge paella pan over an open fire. I stopped because the smell was amazing and he asked me if I wanted to try some.

I said I didn’t have any money with me because I was just out running and he said, no it’s free. In San Diego, nothing is free except the sunshine and this very generous portion of paella.

It was beyond excellent. The rice was perfectly tender and scented with saffron, there were red bell peppers and onions for flavor and texture, and the chicken was soft and moist.

Simple Chicken Paella

I knew I had to recreate it so went home and started researching paella online. I came across a million different recipes and ways to make it and every one was different and one more confusing and complex than the next. I almost gave up.

Until I was running the next weekend and Luis was outside again making paella. This time I picked his brain about how to make it and what he did.

He explained the steps to me and that’s how I made this easy chicken paella with a few tweaks of my own, including scaling down the recipe from massively huge to large family-sized.

Easy Chicken, Chorizo And Shrimp Paella

The paella was ready in about 45 minutes, far exceeded my expectations, my family raved about it, and I’m really glad I challenged myself to make this recipe. You never know until you try is the advice I always give my readers and I’m glad I took my own advice!

I strongly recommend going with that because there are so many different spices in authentic paella and unless you want to buy all of them, or really know what you’re doing and are a paella expert, a packet of seasoning mix is the easiest!

Since I didn’t make it that way, I can’t give specific cooking times and when within the process of the rice cooking you add the ingredients and all seafood cooks at a very different rate. Do some research online and cross-reference some recipes and you’ll likely add seafood towards the end of the overall cooking time.

Chicken Paella Recipe: How To Make It

Yes, you sure can and I have this Instant Pot Shrimp Paella recipe that is fast, easy, and every bit as good as the stove top version!

Storage: Paella will keep airtight in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Lime Cilantro Chicken with Mixed Rice and Black Beans–Easy, one skillet, 15-minute meal! Tons of textures and bold flavors in every bite! The lime makes this dish just pop!

Chicken, Prawn And Chorizo Paella

Buffalo Chicken Burrito Bowls— Juicy chicken along with your favorite burrito ingredients served in a bowl! Pile the toppings sky high and not worry about a wrap breaking, plus it’s a little healthier!! Easy and ready in 15 minutes!

Chicken Avocado Black Bean Salad —A Mexican-inspired salad with tender chicken, black beans, creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice and more!

Easy 30-Minute Chicken Fajitas —These chicken fajitas take just 30 minutes to make and are the perfect weeknight dinner. Friends and family will go crazy for this recipe!

Spanish Style Paella Recipe: How To Make It

15-Minute Salsa Verde Chicken, Rice, and Beans – Fast, EASY, one skillet recipe!! Between the salsa verde, lime juice, and cilantro mixed with juicy chicken, rice, and beans, you’ll be hooked!

Chicken Enchilada Stuffed Zucchini Boats — Skip enchilada wraps and use zucchini instead!! Easy, healthier and there’s so much FLAVOR between juicy chicken drenched in enchilada sauce, corn, peppers, and CHEESE!!

Sheet Pan Baked Salsa Chicken and Potatoes — An EASY dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes and made on ONE pan with so much FLAVOR!!

The 20 Best Spanish Recipes: Part 2

Welcome to ! Here you’ll find fast and easy recipes that taste amazing and are geared for real life. Nothing fussy or complicated, just awesome tasting dishes everyone loves!You’ll love this amazing Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Paella! It’s an easy, flavor-packed rice dish that is loved all around the world.

It’s packed with tender chicken, spiced Spanish chorizo, veggies, and tender rice. The entire dish is so well-balanced and the flavors are seriously out of this world!

It comes together in just 45 minutes. Whether you’re making it for dinner or to entertain guests at home, this chicken and chorizo paella will surely impress everyone!

Chicken & Shrimp Spanish Paella

Paella is one of those dishes that have a special place in my heart. I’ve tried many variations of it, and while seafood paella will always be my number one, this Chicken and Chorizo Paella comes very, very close.

The flavors in this chicken and chorizo paella are marvelous! Incredibly fragrant, and a bit smokey with a hint of spice from the Spanish chorizo. The rice absorbs all that wonderful flavor from the sofrito, chorizo, and the spices.

The traditional way to cook paella is over open flame outdoors, but I adapted this chicken chorizo paella recipe so you can make it indoors on a gas or electric stove.

Chicken And Pepper Paella With Chorizo

I love to serve chicken and chorizo paella with this gorgeous Grilled Peach Salad and this elegant Fresh Spring Salad. These fried Coconut Shrimp appetizer also pairs really well.

If you’re a fan of one-pan rice recipes, you also need to try my One Pot Mexican Rice, One Pot Jambalaya, and Curry Fried Rice!

Paella is one of the most well-known dishes from Spain, most commonly from the region of Valencia, although there are variations from other regions too. This iconic rice dish is made with a variety of proteins and vegetables, and spices, one of the most popular ones being saffron. It is traditionally cooked in a shallow paella pan over open flame.

Spanish Paella Recipe (paella Valenciana)

, which is that glorious crust of toasted rice that forms in the bottom of the pan. It can be hard to achieve sometimes, but hey, practice makes perfect!

The best rice to make this chicken and chorizo paella (or any other variations) is Arborio or Bomba rice. Other types of rice commonly used in Spain are Calasparra, Senia, and Bahia, but those can be harder to find depending on where you live.

These types of rice do a great job absorbing all the liquid and flavor without getting clumpy, so the grains remain beautifully separated.

Cheat's Summer Veg Paella Recipe

If you can’t find it, regular short-grain rice will do. I would NOT recommend using brown rice though since it does not absorb liquid and flavor as well.

Saffron is a fragrant spice from a flower called crocus sativus. They look like threads and are deep orange in color. In cooking, saffron releases flavors that infuse the entire dish with delicate and subtle floral aroma, and also adds a beautiful light golden hue.

The flavors are so subtle you can barely taste it on its own, but without it, you’ll feel like something is missing. It’s the kind of aroma that permeates through the entire dish and elevates it.

Chicken Seafood Paella

Yes, saffron can be expensive but it’s so worth it, in my opinion. It will take your chicken and chorizo paella from amazing to super amazing! A little bit goes a long way. I usually get mine at my local Whole Foods, but you can also find it at Trader Joe’s or online.

Below are a few helpful ingredient notes from recipe testing. As always the full ingredient list with quantities can be found in the recipe card down below.

Making paella is actually very easy! No need to buy a special paella burner or pan, and no special skills required. I adapted the traditional recipe so you can make it right at home, whether it’s on a gas or electric stove.

Chorizo Paella With Shrimp And Chicken

In a small bowl, infuse the saffron threads with some chicken broth. This will bring out the floral aroma of the saffron. Set aside.

Season chicken with salt and pepper. In a large 12-inch skillet, heat about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until golden brown. It doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point.

In the same skillet (do not wipe clean), add a few more drizzles of olive oil and saute the diced onions, bell peppers, garlic, and smoked paprika until softened and fragrant. Then, add the sliced chorizo and cook for another 3 minutes, until the flavors come together.

Paella Of The Land Recipe

Once the broth starts to come to a simmer, cover with the lid and let it cook over low heat, undisturbed. Do not stir it, as this would cause the rice to get too sticky, sort of like risotto. Plus, you want the bottom to cook