Paella For Beginners

This traditional Spanish paella recipe is filled with spices, chicken, chorizo & peppers to create an incredibly flavorful meal that’s surprisingly easy to make in just one pan!

Authentic paella from Spain usually includes seafood, but in this recipe, we’re trading in the shrimp and clams for chicken thighs and Spanish Chorizo. I promise, you won’t miss the seafood in this wonderfully flavorful dish. But just in case you do, I’ve included instructions for how and when to add your favorite seafood to the recipe!

It’s the year 2020 and life is…. well pretty weird. There’s been a lot of time at home and a lot of time spent perfecting some of my favorite classic recipes. One of these recipes is Spanish paella.

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While I’ve been making paella for years, it wasn’t until 2020 that I decided to really get serious about making the perfect paella recipe. I knew that I wanted to include authentic ingredients and traditional techniques.

And after a lot of research, I’m excited to share my perfect authentic paella recipe with you today! It’s exploding with flavor and surprisingly, actually really easy to make. Yes, it will take a few more ingredients than most recipes and yes, it will take about an hour to make, but it really just comes down to adding ingredients to a pan!

And speaking of pans, don’t worry, you don’t need a special paella pan. I actually recommend against it! In my research for this article, I found that it’s not recommend to use a paella pan at home if you’re a paella beginner.

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Because a paella pan is so thin, it’s easier to burn the paella, so it really should only be used by experienced paella-makers. Lucky for you, that means, you don’t need a fancy new pan, any large non-stick skillet will work just fine!

I know that this sounds like a lot, but I promise, every little ingredient adds so much flavor to this dish and that’s what makes it so delicious!

If you want to put together at Amazon order, I recommend ordering the Saffron Threads, Spanish Chorizo, Bomba Rice and Piquillo Peppers online.

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If you want to avoid ordering ingredients online, look for saffron threads in the spice aisle at your local grocery store. Check out the deli section for the Spanish chorizo. Replace the bomba rice with calrose rice and replace the piquillo peppers with roasted red peppers.

The first step of this recipe is to soak the saffron threads in lemon juice. Saffron needs moisture to release it’s flavor and color, which is why this step is important.

The flavor will continue to release in the warm liquid in the paella, but given that the ingredient is so precious (

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The saffron will only need to soak in the lemon juice for 20-30 minutes. So as long as you soak it before starting the remainder of the recipe, it should be good to go when you’re ready to add it to the paella!

No problem! Raw, peeled and deveined shrimp should be added at the same time as the piquillo peppers. Gently press the shrimp into the paella before placing the piquillo strips on top of the paella.

Cover the paella, remove it from the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving. The heat from the paella will cook the shrimp in the skillet while it rests.

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Spain is one of my favorite European countries. The food, the wine, the culture, it really can’t be beat! In addition to Paella, Spain is known for their tapas. Tapas are an appetizer or snack in Spanish cuisine and can be served hot or cold.

If you want to create a Spanish feast, try pairing this Paella with one, two or ten of these delicious Spanish tapas!

This traditional Spanish paella recipe is filled with spices, chicken, chorizo & peppers to create an incredibly flavorful meal that's surprisingly easy to make in just one pan!

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Serving 4 g Calories 502 kcal (25%) Carbohydrates 61 g (20%) Protein 28 g (56%) Fat 15 g (23%) Saturated Fat 5 g (25%) Cholesterol 95 mg (32%) Sodium 1546 mg (64%) Potassium 605 mg (17%) Fiber 4 g (16%) Sugar 4 g (4%) Vitamin A 1971 mg (39%) Vitamin C 71 mg (86%) Calcium 57 mg (6%) Iron 3 mg (17%)

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I’m a sports-loving, coffee-drinking, food blogger, the host of “29 Minute Meals”, a contributing writer for TODAY Food, cookbook author and on-camera food and lifestyle expert! Here you’ll find most recipes are made in 29 minutes or less, in one pot, or in a crock pot!Paella is the ultimate one dish meal! Rice is the star of this versatile dish, which varies according to the cook and region of Spain. Paella can be made with a variety of seafood, meats and/or vegetables. Get comfy, I’m going to tell you everything I’ve learned about paella and teach you how to make paella in your kitchen!

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When we lived in Spain for 18 months, we consumed our fair share of paella in restaurants. Most of the paella we ordered were less than memorable. I often askedlocals where to find the best paella, and guess what the answer was over and over again? En casa. AT HOME.. I agree!

While in Spain, we were talking to one of our sons on the phone, and Grant told him I had just made paella. He asked “What is paella?” Grant’s response ” You know, that giant pan with food in it!” I laughed and wrote down the quote, because it was so funny to me, but he was right. Paella is actually the name of the pan, and it is, in fact, filled with food!

Paella is a dish that consists mainly of rice with a variety of meat, seafood or vegetables, cooked in liquid in a large shallow pan on the stovetop. Paella is the considered to be the national food of Spain. It is usually eaten on special occasions and Sunday, which is a family day in Spain. Most businesses are closed so families and friends can gather to enjoy time together. While we lived in Spain, we often saw families gathering and cooking paella on an outdoorburner, hooked up to a propane tank.

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Some people have burners in their kitchens as well. Paella was traditionally cooked on a wood fire outside. Paella is considered to be a meal only served at lunchtime, or medio-dia, because it is too filling to serve in the evening.

Paella originated in Valencia, located about 3 hours south of Barcelona. Valencia is a city, but also a region. Paella was first made by farmworkers in the fields at lunchtime over an open fire. They used rice, which was grown in the region, and anything else available to throw in the pan. In Valencia, snails, rabbit and chicken were plentiful, along with beans. That is why to this day, Valenciana Paella contains those ingredients!

Is what our Spanish amigos refer to as authentic paella. Paella Valenciana needs to have its own post! It is different from the paella I’m sharing today in method and ingredients.Later, I will share a recipe for Paella Valenciana and more about my experience making paella in Valencia!

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In this post, we will go over the basics of making paella, along with tips from my friend Marga, who was raised in Spain and an incredibly talented cook. Marga taught me how to make paella step-by-step, in her Spanish kitchen. Marga explained the why to each step in our paella making session!

I answer some of the most FAQ I have received when sharing about my experience making paella on Instagram, and also questions I had myself! One warning. Do not be intimidated by the length of the recipe! I broke it down into steps with make-ahead or preparation leading up to the actual cooking of the paella.

Preparation is key to this dish. Cooking is the least labor intensive part of making paella. If you prepare, it is really nothing more than cooking meat and veggies in a pan, cooking rice and then combining the two!

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Asking a native Spaniard about the best paella recipe, is like asking for the best potato salad recipe, or the best chocolate chip cookie or stuffing recipe back home. Everyone has their own twist and (strong) opinion on this popular favorite dish. Tradition also comes into play as well!

Many people native to Spain will say there are ingredients that have no business showing up in paella. Some of those ingredients are: chorizo, onions, tomatoes … It is all a matter of preference. Some say it is not proper to mix land and sea in a paella. Others say when using seafood, stick to either fish or shellfish, and it is ok to mix shellfish with chicken, and or rabbit (yes, rabbit is commonly eaten in Spain). We have found, when dining out in Spain, there are no rules as far as paella goes. Where