Easy Piaya Recipe

This quick and easy Paella recipe is easy enough for a weeknight meal, yet fancy enough to serve to dinner guests. Full of Spanish flair and amazingly tasty!

Paella is one of the world’s most famous rice dishes and one of my personal favorite dishes. When my husband really wants to pamper me he takes me out to eat paella. We have a couple of Spanish restaurants nearby that are very good, but they are also very expensive, so we go on only for really really really special occasions.

Some paella purists say that chicken and rabbit are mandatory, snails are optional, meanwhile fish and shellfish are absolutely out of the question. Unlike with a risotto, stirring is absolutely forbidden because you don’t want a creamy result, and so forth!

Easy Shrimp Paella With Smoked Chicken Sausage

Honestly, I think that the most important thing is that the person who is cooking really enjoys the dish itself and the process of making it.

I do not claim that my recipe represents the traditional Spanish way of cooking Paella, but it’s pretty darn good and the fact that it comes together quickly in just one pot makes it even better.

BrothThis recipe turns out great using chicken broth, but if you want to make it even more special, you can usethis Cooking Broth for Valencian Paella. If using paella broth, mix 1 container (4 cups – 1000ml) + 1/2 cup chicken broth. You can omit the saffron because it is included in the paella broth.

Simple Chicken Paella

Rice:I used Uncle Ben’s original rice (long grain) because it was the one I had on hand, but Paella is supposed to be done with medium-grain rice. Some stores, such as Sur La Table and World Market, sell authentic rice for paella. You can also find it onAmazon.

Saffron:If you do not find/have thesaffronyou can use an envelope of thisseasoning mixthat is easy and cheaper to buy in any grocery store.

Paella Pan:This is thepaella panI used. If you don’t have a paella pan, use a 13- 15 inch or larger skillet. Try to find a heat source that can accommodate the whole paella pan or skillet. Depending on the configuration of your burners, you’ll need to place the pan over two burners or set it on your largest burner. Either way, you’ll have to move and rotate the pan to distribute the heat.

Easy Lobster Paella Recipe

Variations:You can add some mussels if you want. Add them in step 5, after arranging the shrimp. Make sure to discard any shell that is not open after cooking.

Paella is supposed to be done with medium-grain rice called “Bomba”. Some stores, such as Sur La Table and World Market, sell authentic rice for paella. You can also find it on Amazon.

A Paella pan is very helpful when making Paella, but If you don’t have a paella pan, use a 13- 15 inch or larger skillet. Try to find a heat source that can accommodate the whole paella pan or skillet. Depending on the configuration of your burners, you’ll need to place the pan over two burners or set it on your largest burner. Either way, you’ll have to move and rotate the pan to distribute the heat.

Easy Spanish Paella I Panning The Globe

Paella is a one-pot, all-in-one dish. To accompany this quick and easy paella, you need nothing more than wine, bread, and lots of family and friends.

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Broth: This recipe turns out great using chicken broth, but if you want to make it even more special you can use this Cooking Broth for Valencian Paella. If using paella broth mix 1 container (4 cups – 1000ml) + 1/2 cup chicken broth. You can omit the saffron because it is included in the paella broth.

Easy Paella Recipe

Rice: I used Uncle Ben’s original rice (long grain) because it was the one I had on hand, but Paella is supposed to be done with medium grain rice. Some stores, such as Sur La Table and World Market, sell authentic rice for paella. You can also find it on Amazon.

Saffron: If you do not find/have the saffron you can use an envelope of this seasoning mix that is easy, and cheaper, to buy in any grocery store.

Paella Pan: This is the paella pan I used. If you don’t have a paella pan, use a 13- 15 inch or larger skillet. Try to find a heat source that can accommodate the whole paella pan or skillet. Depending on the configuration of your burners, you’ll need to place the pan over two burners or set it on your largest burner. Either way, you’ll have to move and rotate the pan to distribute the heat.

Best Paella Ever · I Am A Food Blog

Variations: You can add some mussels if you want. Add them in step 5, after arranging the shrimp. Make sure to discard any shell that is not open after cooking.

Calories: 711 kcal Carbohydrates: 86 g Protein: 41 g Fat: 21 g Saturated Fat: 5 g Cholesterol: 243 mg Sodium: 1757 mg Potassium: 802 mg Fiber: 4 g Sugar: 5 g Vitamin A: 2150 IU Vitamin C: 81.1 mg Calcium: 193 mg Iron: 5.2 mg

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Authentic Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe

Originally posted in January 2016 post content was edited to add more helpful information, no change to the recipe in September 2021.

Thanks for stopping by! I’m Oriana, a wife, mom to three wonderful kids, and a passionate baker and cooker of all eggless things delicious. My goal is to give you the confidence and knowledge to cook and bake without eggs while providing quality recipes that your whole family will love. I’m really happy that you’re here, so take a seat and have fun exploring! Read More…This saffron-infused easy seafood paella with shrimp and lobster is a simpler take on the traditional beloved Spanish dishwith fewer ingredients and no special pan. It will deliver the WOW factor on all level, but you don't need to wait for a special occasion to make it!

This is my personal take on this dish and is different from the traditional, but it offers a few easy tips for the home cook (be sure to check out the tips and video below)

How To Make Easy Paella Without Saffron

According to this History of Paella article, paella combines the Roman and Arabic cultures as Arab conquerors introduced rice in Valencia. The word paella, may have stemmed from the Arabic word baquia, which simply means leftovers. And it is said that this meal was introduced by Valencia farm workers as the delicious solution to leftovers. Basically, a one-pot rice meal embellished with whatever ingredients one had on hand. And that's why, it makes perfect sense that there are many variations of it today.

In an article by The Guardian, Valencian chef Llorenç Millo is quoted saying, paella has as many recipes as there are villages, and nearly as many as there are cooks. To me, that makes it one of the most exciting and inviting dishes.

And I'll say right off the bat, this seafood paella recipe is my own pared down version, prepared as an easy weeknight solution that does not require a special fire nor a special pan.

Quick & Easy Paella

Historically, in Valencia, this dish would have incorporated things like chicken thighs, rabbit, snails and beans (about three kinds of fresh beans). But, as mentioned earlier, paella is the mother of leftover solutions and one-pot meals, and the ingredients will vary from place to place, depending on the traditions and what ingredients are available. Nowadays, particularly in the States, paella is almost always associated with seafood.

When you cook paella rice, you're looking for the end result to be dry, separated rice and not something like a creamy risotto or a sticky rice like you would eat at a Chinese restaurant. That's why, your choice of rice here is important.

The best rice option to use when making this dish is a medium-grain rice that can absorb the liquid while maintaining some bite and firmness. Round Spanish rice could be hard to find, but something like Goya medium grain rice (affiliate link) will work. Long-grain rice is not a good option here.

Easy Shrimp Paella Recipe

In this easy seafood paella, I kept the ingredient list short, focusing on two seafood options: shrimp and lobster. If either is not available to you, feel free to get creative using a firm fish or some mussels or clams. I did not add any chicken or chorizo, but again, if that is something you are looking for, feel free to adapt this recipe (see section below called variations).

And while, traditionally, this dish is cooked over open fire made of tree prunings, this easy, home-cooked version is simply cooked on the stovetop.

If you have a paella pan or even a special outdoor paella grill (affiliate links), that would be ideal. But I don't have one, and found it easy enough to use a sturdy skillet.

The Best Easy Seafood Paella

The important thing is that the skillet you use has a large and even surface, which aids in