Instant Pot Paella Chicken

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Instant Pot Chicken Paella is one of the best instant pot recipes! Made using a few shortcuts and simple ingredients, this chicken paella is ready in no time!

My Instant Pot is my new favorite kitchen accessory. I’m having so much fun on my search for the best instant pot recipes!

Instant Pot Paella

This Instant Pot Chicken Paella is definitely one of my favorites so far as it’s so easy but packed with flavor. I’ve never made a chicken and rice recipe this easy.

Paella is a Spanish rice dish, typically served in a large pan and topped with chicken or seafood. To make this Instant Pot Chicken Paella, I took a few shortcuts to make this quick and easy dish.

Seafood Paella isn’t actually classic. Paella was first cooked over wood fires in the fields of Spain and made with rabbit, chicken and snails. In the states, these flavors probably wouldn’t go over too well.

Instant Pot: Seafood Paella

In the states, the most commonly used proteins are clams and mussels, as well as chicken thighs. Seafood stock or chicken broth is used for the rice regardless of the other proteins being added.

Afterall, saffron was expensive and the hue of your rice could symbolize your stature in society. The more you used, the wealthier your family!

Bomba rice is the traditional rice for paella, but you can use any short grained rice. I like to use arborio, which is typically used for risotto.

Pressure Cooker Shrimp Paella

Salsa functions as a makeshift sofrito. With a base of tomato, garlic and onion it is only missing the bell pepper, which we will add at the end. I like using a thick and chunky salsa so it has plenty of depth.

The liquid absorbs into the rice itself giving it flavor and adds to the beautiful hue along with saffron. Chicken stock also gives more flavor than water alone.

If you are so inclined, you can also add a pound of cooked and shelled shrimp at the same time as the roasted red pepper and frozen peas. All are good paella ingredients.

Easy One Pot Chicken And Chorizo Paella

Really any additional cooked seafood or meat can be added at this time. Seafood is traditionally found in paella along with chicken, so I do like to add it sometimes, especially if I’m serving guests.

Traditional paella can take a while to cook but yet another reason to love my instant pot is that this easy paella recipe is ready in just minutes! Never before has flavorful paella been just a 30 minute meal.

If you do want to use an old school paella pan, check out my seafood paella recipe. Make sure to cook it on an open flame (no electric burners for this one!)

Instant Pot Jambalaya

This chicken and rice recipe is a great comfort food recipe for the cooler months too. Sometimes I just want something hearty and warming that’s not classic comfort food, which this definitely is.

Instant Pot Taco Meat is the perfect and fast way to make tender ground beef for tacos. Serve it immediately or freeze it!

Making your own yogurt at home is easy, delicious, and super cost-effective. Forget stocking your shopping cart with an endless supply of yogurt tubs, cups, and pouches.

Instant Pot Paella Recipe: A Gorgeous, Luxurious Rice With Chicken

Can I make paella ahead of time? You sure can, but with such a simple and quick recipe, you might not need to.

Can I freeze chicken paella? Sure! Follow my tips for best freezing practices. Freeze in individual airtight containers for your own, healthy TV dinners.

Do I have to use chicken sausage? Use whatever type of chicken or sausage you’d like! Just make sure whatever you add to the pot is cooked before adding it.

Amazing Instant Pot Rice Dishes (from Risotto To Rice Pudding)

Is this Instant Pot Paella gluten free? My version is gluten free, however, check your individual ingredients to make sure yours is as well.

What does saffron taste like? It is hard taste to describe. Doesn’t help ya, huh? I think it is floral and I love the scent and flavor. Really any additional cooked seafood or meat can be added at this time. Seafood is traditionally found in paella along with chicken, so I do like to add it sometimes, especially if I’m serving guests.

Do I have to use saffron? You can omit it, but the flavor and hue of saffron are one of the defining elements of paella.

Vegetable Paella Recipe

Good knife– Global is my favorite! They are worth the price, I promise. I am kind of obsessed with them and store them tucked away so no one else can use them. Including hubby. Hands off my good stuff!

Good Extra Virgin Olive Oil– A good olive oil will taste like, well, olives, while a poorly made one will taste like vegetable oil. Gross. While people tend to favor Italian and Greek olive oils, I prefer to buy mine domestically.

There are some great ones out there from all over the world, but the reporting of ingredients isn’t always the same and you could find that your super expensive olive oil was actually cut with vegetable oil.

Shop Paella Instant Pot Recipe

Instant Pot Chicken Paella is based off the traditional Spanish dish. Flavorful & ready in just minutes, this will be your go-to chicken and rice recipe.

Calories: 331 kcal , Carbohydrates: 17 g , Protein: 21 g , Fat: 20 g , Saturated Fat: 4 g , Cholesterol: 81 mg , Sodium: 2090 mg , Potassium: 362 mg , Fiber: 3 g , Sugar: 6 g , Vitamin A: 1080 IU , Vitamin C: 25.5 mg , Calcium: 36 mg , Iron: 2 mg

Jessica the mom, wife and food lover behind Savory Experiments. She is obsessed with butter, salt and bacon and spends all her time in the kitchen and behind a camera. Jessica is a contributor to PopKitchen by Parade, Better Homes & Gardens, The Daily Meal Food + Travel and more!No need for a paella pan for this one-pot meal! The pressure cooker makes paella quick and easy. This rice dish is studded with tender chicken and slices of spicy sausage for lots of flavor.

Pressure Cooker Paella

Coco began developing recipes for Simply Recipes in 2016 and is the author of five cookbooks. She is an industry expert on Instant Pot cooking.

I love using my Instant Pot pressure cooker to make an easy, weeknight version of paella. It cooks up quickly and evenly, and there’s no need to tend to a pot or pan on the stove.

The method is very simple—you sauté the vegetables with chicken and sausage, add the rice and liquid, and then cook everything under pressure for just ten minutes. That's it!

Instant Pot Paella (chicken, Shrimp & Chorizo)

After cooking, you may see a crust of dark caramelization and crunchy rice at the bottom of the pan -- this is ok! This is called socarrat and is traditional for paella. Just mix it in and enjoy.

Here's a time-saving pressure cooker trick that I use in this recipe: Heat up the chicken broth ahead of time, and thaw the peas in the broth. You can do this on the stovetop or in the microwave, whichever you prefer.

Hot ingredients take less time to come up to pressure so you shave a good 5 to 10 minutes off the total cooking time doing this, and dinner gets on the table sooner!

Pressure Cooker Paella With Chicken Thighs And Smoked Sausage Recipe

Leftovers from this paella will keep for up to 5 days and reheat well in the microwave. If the paella seems dry when you're reheating, stir in a few tablespoons of water.

Short-grain rice is traditional for paella, however it's fine to substitute long-grain white rice or quick-cooking brown rice for this recipe. Cooking times are the same.

Note from the editor: Our original version of this recipe called for one ripe diced tomato or one whole canned tomato (crushed), which adds a more authentic flavor to the paella. However, we received comments that this caused the paella to occasionally burn on the bottom. We've removed the tomatoes from the recipe to ensure a more consistently successful dish, but if you'd like to experiment with tomatoes on your own, add the tomato after cooking the garlic and cook until most of the liquid has evaporate before adding the onions. Thanks!

Fifteen Minute Instant Pot Shrimp Paella

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2, 000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.

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Spanish Chicken And Chorizo Paella