This Classic Spanish Paella rivals any restaurant Paella!
A handed down recipe for a classic seafood Paella, one of the most popular dishes to come out of Spain! Complete with the toasty, crispy, golden crust on the bottom (Soccarat) and amazing traditional flavours, our authentic recipe is versatile so you can easily alter the recipe to suit your own tastes! Feel like a qualified chef when you’re done.
Because WHO doesn’t love a GOOD PAELLA?
Paella
This paella recipe is being handed down for you from my mother, one of the best Paella cooks I know. There are MANY different types and styles of Paella and each region in Spain has their own way of making it. This one is our favourite seafood paella recipe complete with chicken pieces, fire roasted peppers and beautiful flavours infused into the rice while it cooks!
Don’t be afraid to cook Paella at home. You don’t need any fancy equipment or Paella pan to make it! Just use what you have in your kitchen!
Seafood You Need For Our Paella Recipe
- Mussels
- Calamari rings
- Shrimp — with or without shells
Tips To Make Paella At Home
- The seafood suggestions in the recipe are optional. Don’t like Mussels? Don’t add them. Love clams? Add them instead! Don’t like shrimp? Replace with something else. Adapt it to your own taste and preference. It’s an extremely forgiving recipe.
- If you don’t like seafood, you can replace it with 2 large chicken thigh fillets, or more depending on how many people you are serving.
- Most or all of the chicken can be replaced with pork if you prefer.
- Use fresh vine ripened tomatoes for the BEST flavour.
- We make our own fire roasted peppers by placing them on direct flame over a gas cooker or stove top, until they char and the skin begins to crease and peel. If you’re not comfortable doing this, store-bought is fine to use.
What Kind Of Rice Do You Use To Make Paella?
We love using medium grain or jasmine rice. You can also use Spanish rice if you can find it. The short, round grains are perfect for Paella and absorb liquid really well, which makes it the ideal rice for Paella. Do not use Arborio rice. You want the end result to yield separate grains when done, not a creamy texture like risotto.
Love seafood? Try these recipes!
Jambalaya
Steak & Creamy Garlic Shrimp (Surf & Turf)
Creamy Garlic Scallops
Classic Spanish Paella
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 6 large cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 small red bell pepper (capsicum), diced into small pieces
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken thigh fillets cut into bite-sized pieces
- 4 large tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (sauv blanc, pinot gris) -- optional
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 10-12 mussels scraped and cleaned properly
- 8 ounces (250 g) calamari rings
- 3 3/4 cups low sodium chicken broth or stock (or homemade fish stock)
- 2 cups medium grain or jasmine rice
- 1/2 cup frozen peas
- 1 teaspoon saffron powder (or saffron threads)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (sweet or smoked)
- 1/2 teaspoon each garlic and onion powders
- 21 ounces (600 g) shrimp
- 2 tablespoons fresh flat leaf chopped parsley
- Fire roasted bell peppers (capsicum) strips
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large sized non-stick pan or well seasoned skillet (or a paella pan if you have one), over medium heat. Fry onion, garlic and capsicum together; cook until onion is transparent (about 3 minutes).
- Sauté chicken until golden on all sides. Add in the chopped tomatoes, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes until they release liquid and the tomatoes begin to create a sauce.
- Add the wine, mussels and calamari rings. Allow to cook for a further 5 minutes; allow the wine to evaporate to half the quantity, then pour in the stock (or broth), rice, peas and saffron. Mix all ingredients until well combined.
- Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and cover to allow MOST of the liquid to absorb into the rice, while stirring occasionally to prevent rice from sticking and burning to the pan underneath. (Cook until the rice is ALMOST cooked through.)
- Add in the prawns, mixing them through the rice, and cover again to allow the prawns and rice to cook completely.
- Once cooked, sprinkle with the parsley. Place capsicum strips over the top of the paella for enhanced flavour to serve. Drizzle with a small amount of olive oil over the top before serving.
Notes
Chicken: Substitute with pork if desired.
Rice: Medium grain or jasmine rice yield the best results.
Fire roasted peppers: Make your own by placing them on direct flame over a gas cooker or stove top until they char and the skin begins to crease and peel.
MICHELLE H PAULING says
Wow – easy and delicious- just follow the recipe! Used chicken thighs (whole) and large peeled and deveined shrimp. Delicious. Couldn’t tell when to add in the garlic and onion powder and paprike, so just added with the saffron – added the peas with the shrimp so they wouldn’t get dark and overcooked – this was the most delicious paella ever! thanks for the recipe!
Emma Candalija says
I would say it’s a good recipe, the only bit is the moving of the rice. In Spain they let the bottom bit burn. All my family fight for the lovely burnt crispy bit at the bottom
Talia Mendelsohn says
Would this recipe work if i cut it down to serve just one or two people?
Veronica says
I have made this often , tweaked it a bit, but I have to say that this is the best Paella recipe!! All of your recipes are amazingly easy and absolutely delicious. Instead of the raw seafood, I buy a readymade frozen seafood with butter and garlic and oh boy!!!….. so easy and yummy. Why aren’t you famous yet???!!!!
Vdub says
Where’s the paprika, garlic and onion powder used?
Karina says
You will want to add it all together with the saffron and bring to a boil. Hope that helps and you enjoy your meal! XO
Ayi Magpayo says
Not too complicated. Been meanig to cook paella so just jumped in with this recipe. Delicious! Tweaked it a bit. Added chorizo n ar the end. Crucial to put the sautees garlic, onion and capsicum to the sidesnof the paella pan when frying the chicken so as not to burn them. Also, put in the paprika, powdered onion and powdered garlic with the broth and rice. On boil, reduce fire then cover. Check every now and then for toasted rice ar bottom. Whe. You see it, remove from fire then rest a bit before serving.
Mike Kelly says
Karina, I love the recipes you provide. I would say to date I have cooked about 70% of them!! Good job…keep them coming!
Karina says
WHAT!! WOW! That is amazing and awesome all in one! Thank you so much for your support and love! XO
Jija says
Hi
Did u use fresh prawns or frozen?
Karina says
I used fresh but you are welcome to try the frozen prawns too! Enjoy your meal! Thanks so much for following along with me!
Jennifer says
This recipe was DEE-LISH! Pretty well followed it to a T and it was a big hit with my family! Thanks for a great recipe!
Karina says
YAY! That is exciting and great to hear! Thanks so much for sharing!
Timbo says
Connie,
I just copy and paste the text into another document and print from there.
🙂
Lisa Z says
Hi Connie, I also have ALWAYS had a hard time printing off Pinterest
I hit print recipe on their page , ONCE YOU HAVE IT ALL UP IN CONDENSED FORM
I then from there
select it to copy ,drag the grey area from top of recipe to bottom of the recipe and hit share to email and send it to myself
I often leave out the nutritional information pecause I don’t need it
Then print from there
Hope that helps
Rory says
Hi hun ! I really LOVE your recipes! Thank you for sharing ?I don’t cook ! Actually it’s the most difficult thing in the world to me LOL but adding videos help ppl like me with zero experience in cooking to follow the instructions easily along with the written ones. I would love to to see a video of this recipe
Connie says
Love your recipes! But everytime I try to print the recipe it’s blank. Your print link isn’t working correctly.