A hugely popular dish throughout the country, every Spanish recipe collection will include at least one paella recipe. This hearty dish is made to be shared, with everyone helping themselves to a portion from the pot the food was cooked in. Great as a dinner party food or for informal gatherings, learning how to cook paella properly will bring some Spanish flair to the dishes you prepare.
How to cook paella
Although paella is often a mainstay of many seafood recipes and other types of pescatarian dishes, Spanish cooks often prepare it with meat. There is no single most authentic version because the dish varies from region to region and, in many cases, from household to household. Therefore, once you have discovered how to master the basics, you can put your own stamp on the dish.
Chicken and chorizo paella recipe
This chicken and chorizo paella style rice will guide you on how to make chicken paella with chorizo, a spicy pork sausage widely used in Iberian cuisine. That said, you can adapt it quite easily to cook the dish without chicken if preferred, as this prawn and chorizo paella recipe demonstrates. Regardless of the particular ingredients you happen to have available, here are the basic steps to follow for perfect chicken and chorizo paella based on three servings:
- Dice 200g of chicken thighs or breast meat and about the same amount of chorizo.
- Heat a paella pan (paellera), or use a skillet or wok with a little olive oil if you don't have one.
- Brown off the chicken and chorizo and then set them aside, keeping the oil in the pan.
- Sauté vegetables in the leftover oil. Typically, an onion, a bell pepper, and a couple of cloves of sliced garlic will be used.
- Add two freshly chopped tomatoes or half a standard-sized can if you don't have fresh available, along with a teaspoon of smoked paprika.
- Next, add 200g of rice to the pan and stir until all the ingredients combine.
- Slowly pour 750 ml of chicken stock into the dish and a pinch of saffron for the authentic colour and flavour it offers.
- Return the chicken and chorizo to the pan, giving it a final stir to ensure they're distributed well throughout the rice.
- Cook on medium heat for about 25 minutes without stirring, which will allow the crust on the bottom of the pan to form.
- When the rice has absorbed almost all of the liquid from the broth and other ingredients, turn the heat off and allow the dish to rest for about eight minutes.
- Garnish the paella with fresh parsley and lemon slices, and serve.
Vegetarian paella recipe
If one or more vegetarians will be sharing the dish, follow this vegetarian paella recipe for a suitable alternative. Basically, all you need to do is adapt any chicken paella recipe and leave the meat out. Check out these cooking tips for perfect vegetarian paella:
- Substitute the chicken and chorizo with seafood, such as octopus, prawns, or monkfish, using fish stock to replace the chicken stock that is traditional, even in fish-based paellas in Spain.
- For a non-fish version of the dish, use vegetable stock and mushrooms or artichoke hearts to replace the meat.
- Adjusting the seasoning of a vegetarian paella will help overcome the lack of smoky flavours chorizo brings. Add a bit more smoked paprika and saffron, or consider a pinch or two of ground cumin as well.
- For extra protein, add some chickpeas at the end of the cooking process. Canned chickpeas only need to be warmed through and will be ready to eat in minutes.
Which seafood works well in paella?
This prawn and chorizo risoni recipe offers a superb flavour that combines seafood and veggies. If you are looking for a deeply fishy flavour to add spark, then finely chopped anchovies will bring out a pungent umami taste. Squid, calamari, clams, and mussels are all traditional choices in Spain, with or without chicken.
How to form a paella crust
If you find that the crust at the bottom of the paella dish isn't forming as you had hoped, then follow these tips:
- Press the rice down using the side of a spatula so that it makes better contact with the bottom of the dish.
- Continue cooking until you hear a cracking sound or the rice looks as though it has completely dried out the broth.
- Use a wide pan with as much surface area on the bottom as possible.
- Turn the heat up towards the end of the cooking process.
For a twist on a traditional paella, try chorizo paella with cherry tomatoes, which balances smoky sausage with bursts of sweetness from the tomatoes.
Spanish Paella FAQs
How do you make paella?
Paella is cooked in one pot, with all the ingredients added together. The dish is left uncovered, and stirring is kept to a minimum while preparing. This allows a crust of starchy rice, known as socarrat, to form at the bottom.
What is paella?
A traditional Spanish dish, paella originates from Valencia. It is cooked in a shallow pan known as a paellera and made from rice, saffron, broth, vegetables, and a source of protein, such as chicken, prawns, or chorizo.
What should you serve with paella?
A simple mixed green salad is a good accompaniment for paella, especially if you've cooked a seafood variety. Bread and butter or patatas bravas (crispy fried Spanish potatoes) are also excellent choices.
What rice is best for paella?
Short or medium-grain rice is traditional for paella. Look for Valencia rice, known as arroz redondo, for the most authentic option. Bomba rice or Calasparra rice are also good choices, but if they are difficult to find, arborio rice is a suitable alternative.
How much paella rice should you use per person?
Calculate the amount of rice you will need for a paella based on somewhere between 75 and 100 grams per person, depending on portion size. If children will be eating the dish, 50 grams is sufficient for younger appetites.
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