Authentic Spanish Paella Recipe

You can make a delicious, authentic Paella–the most popular dish of Spain–in your own kitchen with simple ingredients like rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood. If you love cooking International food, you will fall in love with this comforting dish! 

My goal with this paella recipe was to use the tutelage I received while living in Madrid to create a traditional Spanish paella that anyone can make (and without special equipment, like a paella pan). After lots of trial and error, I am so excited to share everything I know and have learned about making Paella, as authentically and practically for the home cook, as possible.

Paella (pai · ei · uh) is a classic Spanish rice dish made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood cooked and served in one pan. Although paella originates from Valencia, it’s recognized as the national food of Spain and there are several different varieties. The most common types of paella are chicken paella, seafood paella, or mixed paella (a combination of seafood, meats, and vegetables).

Spanish Paella Recipe (paella Valenciana)

The main ingredients in every paella dish are rice, saffron, chicken, and vegetables.  From there, ingredients vary depending on the type of paella or region where it’s made.  The ingredients in this easy paella recipe include:

1. Sauté:  Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell peppers and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

4. Add broth.  Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!). Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth once or twice during cooking.

Paella, The Traditional Spanish Dish From Valencia

5. Cook uncovered: Cook paella uncovered for 15-18 minutes, then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender.

6. Cover and let rest.  Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

Spanish rice (also called “bomba” rice, calaspara rice, arroz redonda) is traditional in Paella, and it’s what I recommend using. It’s a short grain rice that absorbs more water than regular rice, without turning mushy. You can buy Spanish rice on Amazon, World Market or an international food market.

Traditional Paella Recipe

If you don’t like seafood, leave it out and substitute more chicken and vegetables. You can use any combination of your favorite seafood including clams, scallops and chopped pieces of fish. Frozen seafood is a great accessible option if you don’t live near the ocean. (Costco sells a great mixed seafood bag in their freezer section with shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, and calamari.) Be sure to thaw frozen seafood in the fridge overnight before using.

When buying fresh seafood make sure to smell it to make sure it’s fresh. It should not have a strong fishy odor. Most of the seafood used here will smell like nothing, or just like the ocean (slightly salty). Be sure to clean it properly (remove “beards” from mussels, if necessary).

No, you can us a regular large skillet to make Paella (I use a 12×2 inch skillet and this recipe fills it to the brim). Traditional paella is cooked in a large paella pan because it allow the rice to be spread out into a thin layer and cook more evenly.

Traditional Spanish Paella

You can make a delicious, authentic Paella--the most popular dish of Spain--in your own kitchen with simple ingredients like rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood.

*Rice: Spanish rice (also called “bomba” rice, calaspara rice, arroz redonda) is traditional in Paella, and it’s what I recommend using. (If your grocery store doesn't carry it, try Amazon, World Market, or an International food market). If necessary you can substitute medium grain rice, like Calrose rice which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores, and reduce the broth to 3 ¾ cups. (I don’t recommend using Arborio rice or long-grain rice for Paella).

*Broth: Authentic paella would include making your own fish stock from the discard shells of seafood. I usually substitute chicken broth for convenience.

Weeknight Paella Recipe

*Seafood: If you don’t like seafood, leave it out and substitute more chicken or vegetables. You can use any combination of your favorite seafood including clams, scallops and chopped pieces of fish. Frozen seafood is a great accessible option if you don’t live near the ocean. (Costco sells a great mixed seafood bag in their freezer section with shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, and calamari.) Be sure to thaw frozen seafood in the fridge overnight before using. If buying fresh seafood, smell it to make sure it’s fresh. It should not have a strong fishy odor. Most of the seafood used here will smell like nothing, or just like the ocean (slightly salty). Be sure to clean it properly (remove “beards” from mussels, if necessary).

*Saffron: this may be the most important ingredient, so it’s best to buy high quality. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, try an International food market, or Amazon. If necessary, substitute 1 teaspoon saffron powder.

Calories: 535 kcal Carbohydrates: 59 g Protein: 37 g Fat: 15 g Saturated Fat: 3 g Cholesterol: 260 mg Sodium: 1159 mg Potassium: 805 mg Fiber: 3 g Sugar: 3 g Vitamin A: 1408 IU Vitamin C: 58 mg Calcium: 125 mg Iron: 4 mg

Chicken Paella Recipe

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.We love serving up comfort food to our guests when we are entertaining. These hearty delicious meals are amazing and are always simple to prepare. If you are looking for some great comforting food ideas to serve up, then check out my Homemade Macaroni and Cheese or Meatloaf.

Paella in its simplest form is chicken or rabbit that is cooked with sofrito, Bomba rice, and broth. This version of paella is known as Paella de Valencia. We oftentimes think of paella being a combination of proteins such as chicken, sausage, and seafood. This however is incorrect and is almost always one or the other and never a combination. When only seafood is used as the main protein, it is known as Paella de Mariscos.

If you look up Paella in the states, you will notice the combination of proteins cooked together. I am actually a huge fan of this because it reminds me quite a bit of jambalaya. Here are some of the ingredients you would likely find in a paella:

My Traditional Spanish Paella

Similar to many classic Italian dishes, this recipe would vary depending on the availability of ingredients. This dish may look different, especially if seafood is involved. There may have been only mussels in some versions, or just shrimp in another, if that was all the fisherman, caught that day.

While the main ingredients of rice, sofrito, broth, and spices remain the same, the proteins would completely change by region in Spain as well. My suggestion is to use some of that old world though and make this dish using ingredients you have on hand or are readily available.

Cook the chicken in some oil in a large paella pan for about 6-8 minutes per side or until well browned and cooked most of the way through. Set aside.

Christmas Spanish Style

Add in the chicken, mussels, clams, and shrimp and cook over low to medium heat until most of the liquid is absorbed and then add a lid and cook on low heat for 15 minutes.

Make-Ahead: This recipe is meant to be eaten right away. You may be able to leave the cover on the pan of the paella and keep warm for maybe 30 minutes before serving.

How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of paella to a pan along with a few tables of liquid and cook over low heat while stirring until hot. You can also warm in the microwave.

Spanish Seafood Paella Recipe • Ciao Florentina

Be sure to follow me onFacebook, YouTubeInstagram, andPinterest, and if you’ve had a chance to make this then definitely drop me a comment and a rating below!

Calories: 281 kcal Carbohydrates: 33 g Protein: 15 g Fat: 9 g Saturated Fat: 2 g Trans Fat: 1 g Cholesterol: 62 mg Sodium: 201 mg Potassium: 362 mg Fiber: 2 g Sugar: 3 g Vitamin A: 765 IU Vitamin C: 21 mg Calcium: 36 mg Iron: 2 mgIf ever there were a dish more closely associated with a country than paella is with Spain, we're having a hard time thinking about what it is right now. Maybe it's the gorgeous images chef and recipe developer Catherine Brookes of Blue Sky Eating captured while creating her take on this Spanish classic that's contributing to the brain fog, not to mention the rumbling in the stomach they tend to cause.

Originally a Valencian dish, paella is indeed now treated by many as the

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