Easy Paella Recipe

Easy paella

Name: Easy paella
Total time: 50 min
Yield: Serves 6
Ingredients: 6 skinless chicken thigh fillets cut into large chunks; olive oil; 250g cooking chorizo sliced; 75g cubetti di pancetta; 1 large onion halved and sliced; 2 cloves garlic sliced; 2 red pepper cut into pieces; 150g green beans cut into pieces; 2 tsp smoked paprika; 500g paella rice; 1.25 litres chicken stock; a pinch saffron; 300g raw shell-on prawns; 1kg mussels cleaned (discard any that don’t close when tapped); chopped to serve flat-leaf parsley; lemon wedges to serve

Janine Ratcliffe

Published: November 16, 2021 at 11:50 AM

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Serves 6

Easy

Total time: 50 mins

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A spectacular crowd-pleasing dish, our paella uses chicken, chorizo, pancetta and seafood to pack in tonnes of flavour. Serve from a huge paella pan for extra impact

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Alternatives

Complete the dish

Try our classic paella recipe or check out our quick prawn and chorizo paella, chorizo risotto and vegan paella. Accompany this recipe with horchata, a Spanish plant-based drink originating from Valencia.

Where does paella come from?

Paella originated in Valencia, Spain and traditionally would be made over an open fire with chicken or rabbit, green beans, tomato, rice and saffron (surprisingly seafood did not feature). Modern versions make use of different regional produce so duck, pork and seafood will all feature depending on where you are. Chorizo gives a lovely smoky edge but isn’t strictly traditional either.

Do you need a paella pan?

The dish takes its name from the large flat pan which feeds a big crowd and allows the rice and meat to cook evenly and develop the classic ‘socarrat’ crispy crust on the bottom. At home a deep-ish wide frying pan will do a similar job.

Which rice do you use in paella?

Paella uses short grain rice which soaks up the flavoured cooking stock becoming plump but still keeping its shape. Look for Bomba or Calasparra on packaging. Rice sold simply as paella rice is also fine to use – just avoid using long grain or basmati – it doesn’t have the same absorbing properties so you won’t get the right result.

Paella recipe

Ingredients

Nutrition

6 skinless chicken thigh fillets

cut into large chunks
olive oil
250g cooking chorizo

sliced
75g cubetti di pancetta
1 large onion

halved and sliced
2 cloves garlic

sliced
2 red pepper

cut into pieces
150g green beans

cut into pieces
2 tsp smoked paprika
500g paella rice
1.25 litres chicken stock
a pinch saffron
300g raw shell-on prawns
1kg mussels

cleaned (discard any that don’t close when tapped)
chopped to serve flat-leaf parsley
lemon wedges

to serve

Nutrition: per serving

kcal667
fat20.4g
carbs72.8g
fibre2.5g
protein52.6g
salt4.6g

Method

step 1

Cook the chicken in a little oil a large, wide frying pan or paella pan until browned all over. Scoop out and add the chorizo and pancetta and cook until crisp at the edges. Add the onion, garlic and pepper and cook until softened, then add back the chicken with the green beans. Stir in the paprika and cook for a minute then add the rice and stir to coat. Pour in the chicken stock, put on a tight lid or cover with foil and cook for 15-20 minutes until rice is just tender.
step 2

Sit the prawns and mussels on top and keep cooking for a few more minutes with the lid on until the mussels are open and prawns are cooked through. Stir in the parsley and serve with lemon wedges.

Discover more fragrant paella recipes

A large pot of vegan paella with sun blush tomatoes, olives, peppers and courgettes

Authors

Janine Ratcliffe in a short sleeved long dress sitting on a chair beneath palm trees on a balcony

Janine RatcliffeFood director

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