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Overhead view of paella with a serving spoon and napkin beside it.
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Paella

Easy one-pan Paella recipe loaded with fresh seafood, chicken, spicy chorizo, vegetables, savory spices, and crispy rice. The perfect festive dish for your next party or group gathering!
Course Main Course
Cuisine spanish
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 55 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Servings 6 to 8 servings
Calories 477kcal
Author John Kanell

Equipment

  • Large skillet or paella pan

Ingredients

  • 3½ cups low-sodium chicken broth (840ml)
  • ¼ teaspoon Saffron threads
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil divided
  • 2 ounces Spanish chorizo sliced
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken thighs chopped (450g)
  • 1½ teaspoons smoked paprika divided
  • 1½ teaspoons salt
  • 1 white onion diced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 ripe tomatoes diced or grated (6 ounces/168g)
  • 4 garlic cloves crushed
  • ½ cup dry white wine (120ml)
  • 1½ cups Bomba rice (285g)
  • ½ pound jumbo shrimp (225g)
  • 1 pound mussels (450g)
  • Lemon wedges for serving

Instructions

  • In a medium saucepan, combine the chicken stock and saffron. Bring to a simmer over medium heat. Reduce to low heat, and partially cover to keep warm.
  • Meanwhile, in a 12-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chorizo and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the chorizo is crisp. Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
  • Add the chopped chicken to the skillet and season with ½ teaspoon of paprika and ½ teaspoon of salt. Increase the heat to medium-high. Let cook, undisturbed, for 5 minutes. When the chicken easily releases from the bottom of the pan, stir to cook the other side until the center is no longer pink, 3 to 5 more minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the same plate as the chorizo.
  • Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and onion to the skillet. Let cook for 4 minutes. Add the red bell pepper, tomatoes, garlic, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1 teaspoon smoked paprika. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the moisture from the tomatoes has mostly evaporated, about 6 minutes.
  • Add the rice. Stir to coat with the vegetable mixture and let cook until it smells nutty, about 2 minutes. Stir in the white wine, and let cook until almost fully evaporated, about 3 minutes.
  • Scatter the chorizo and chicken over the rice mixture, then pour in the warm broth. Stir a few times to allow the mixture to settle into an even layer in the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, without stirring, until the rice is peeking through the surface of the broth.
  • Top with the shrimp and mussels. Cover with a lid or large piece of aluminum foil, and cook until the shrimp is pink and the mussels start to pop open, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove the lid and increase the heat to high for 2 minutes to create a crispy bottom. Remove the skillet from the heat and cover once again. Let rest for 5 minutes for the rice to absorb any remaining liquid and for the mussels and shrimp to finish cooking.
  • Serve immediately, from the pan, with lemon wedges and garnished with chopped parsley, if desired.

Notes

  • Use a quality broth. The secret to a good paella is the quality of the broth. Do not substitute the broth for water in this recipe! It is essential to use a good chicken broth or seafood stock for the best overall paella flavor.
  • Crisp the rice. Increase the heat at the end of the cooking process to create a wonderfully crispy bottom, also called soccarat. This crispy thin layer of rice is a signature of the dish and one of my favorite parts about paella!
  • Use different proteins. Add more seafood like calamari or scallops, swap the chicken for turkey or boneless pork loin for the chorizo, or omit the meat entirely if you prefer just seafood. There are several variations of paella depending on the region they are made. For example, “Paella Valenciana” (known as the traditional paella) is made with chicken, rabbit, and sometimes duck. Mix and match ingredients as you please, just be sure to use the recommended amounts in the recipe.
  • Make it vegetarian. This recipe can easily be made vegetarian by omitting the protein, swapping the chicken broth for vegetable broth, and adding more chopped vegetables like green beans, artichokes, mushrooms, and asparagus. Skip the meat and seafood cooking steps and add the vegetables with the red peppers in the recipe.
  • Optional variations. Add one cup of fresh or frozen green peas or fava beans to the skillet along with the cooked chicken and chorizo for a delicious pop of green. Additionally, swap out the red bell pepper for any other color of bell pepper. If you want more spice, add black pepper or cayenne pepper to taste. You can also add a dried bay leaf to enhance the stew-like flavors.

Nutrition

Calories: 477kcal | Carbohydrates: 48g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 1019mg | Potassium: 659mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1220IU | Vitamin C: 33mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 5mg