The Spanish Paella Valenciana is one of the best one-pot rice and meat recipes to make! This is one of Spain’s most popular recipes that you can make at home. This is an amazing dish to make even on a busy weeknight. Perfect for a date night meal and even better for serving a hungry crowd at a party or during the holidays.
The Spanish Paella Valenciana is a dish that is made with fresh, simple ingredients. But the trick to making these ingredients taste amazing is in the way you cook them.
The first time I had paella was in 2019 in Valencia, Spain, so I think what I had was the best authentic version. Let me tell you that it did not disappoint!
Trust me that as a Puerto Rican who eats rice almost every day, paella is one of the best comple rice meals I’ve ever had. It was flavorful, with fluffy loose grains and super creamy beans. Plus, it was served with a refreshing Spanish sangria.
The paella is a complete meal, just like my Puerto Rican rice and ribs, where you need no sides with it.
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Why This Recipe Works
- You can make one of the best rice dishes in the world right at home!
- You will be able to find all the ingredients in a big supermarket or online.
- It is a popular summer recipe that you can make all year.
Recipe Ingredients
- Oil- The best oil to use will always be olive oil. In my case, I used vegetable oil because that’s all I had, and the rice was still delicious. But the olive oil will add a very distinct flavor to the paella. So if you have it, use it.
- Meat- I use chicken thighs with the bone in and skin on. If you have rabbit meat, use half rabbit and half chicken.
- Seasonings- You only need salt and parika to make this flavorful recipe. The paprika adds flavor but also color.
- Judias verdes or runner beans- Judias verdes are runner beans. You might have a hard time finding these, so anything similar will work. I used snow peas, but you can also use green beans.
- Tomato- I used roma tomatoes. Any fresh tomatoes will do. Even though it is not traditional, you can substitute fresh tomatoes for tomato paste.
- Rice- I used bomba rice. This will be the best rice to use when making a paella. You can get away using other short grain rice like arborio (risotto rice), but it won’t have the exact consistency paella has.
- Garrofon or Butter beans- Garrofon is a special type of Spanish butter bean. Since I am not in Spain, I used regular canned butter beans. Not common, but if all you have are green beans, then use that.
How to Make Spanish Paella Valenciana
- Photo 1: Do all your prepping at first. First, cut the judias verdes, snow peas, or whichever green beans you were able to find. If they’re not too long like snow peas, cut them in half. If yours are longer, cut them into 3 pieces. Add some water to the saffron to infuse the water.
- Photo 2: Grate the tomato. I used a box grater and used the biggest side so I could have chunky tomato pieces. But you can also use a food processor; just try not to break down the tomatoes too much.
- Photo 3: Now this is a preference, but I like to first remove the skin from my chicken thighs, but if you like the skin, leave it on. Then cut each thigh into 4 pieces. You don’t want to cut the chicken so small that it burns. Also, don’t cut it too big because it will take longer to cook.
- Photo 4: In a paella pan or a big pan, add the oil over medium-high heat. Wait for the oil to get hot so you can get a good sear, then add the chicken and cook for 15 minutes. Sprinkle some salt around the pan and some on top of the chicken. The salt will help with the hot oil jumping out of the pan.
- Photo 5: Now set your chicken to the border of the pan to make space, and add the paprika and the tomatoes to saute. Cook this to reduce the liquid from the tomato. Stir while cooking so nothing sticks to the bottom.
- Photo 6: Add the judias or green beans and half of the water. The line where the water ends is important because you’ll add your rice when the water evaporates up to this line. Add the rest of the water, salt, and cook for 20 minutes.
- Photo 7: Add the rice and beans and spread them around with a spoon. Place the rosemary at the center and cook the paela for 12 minutes. Most of the water should be evaporated; if not, cook until there’s no more water left.
- Photo 8: Remove the rosemary, then set your heat to medium. Finish cooking the paella for 10 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- For some people, paella is almost sacred! So as long as you don’t mix seafood with other meats, or put chorizo in it, you’re good!
- If you never made paella because you didn’t have the paella pan, don’t worry! You can make a paella without the paella pan.
- If you use a paella pan on a regular stove burner, make sure to rotate your pan while it cooks. This will ensure an even cooking surface because the paella pan is usually way bigger than the stove’s burners.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make paella without a paella pan?
You can always make paella in any pan, but there are a few that are best for it. The best will always be the paella pan. Second best is anything like cast iron. This is because this type of pan will help make the paella socorrat(crispy bottom rice).
What type of rice is best used to make paella?
The best rice to make paella is any bomba rice. Other short grain rice is good, but it changes the texture a little bit. But never use long grain.
More Rice Recipes
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Spanish Paella Valenciana
The Spanish Paella Valenciana is one of the most filling meals to make. The perfect rice dish that doesn't need a side!
Ingredients
- 1 pinch saffron
- 2 tablespoons oil (30g)
- 1 ½ pounds chicken thighs (657g) bone in
- 2 teaspoons salt (14g)
- 1 teaspoon paprika (3g)
- 1 large roma tomato (120g) 4 ounces
- 2 ounces judias verdes (or snow peas)
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup bomba rice (224g)
- ½ cup garrafon (butter beans)
- 2 twigs rosemary
Instructions
- Prep work. Cut your judias or snow peas into halves. Grate your tomato by using the biggest part of a box grater or use a food processor. Take the saffron, put it in a small dish, and add a little bit of water so it can get infused with the saffron. Set everything aside for later.
- Take your chicken and remove the skin (if you like the skin, you can leave it on). Cut each chicken thigh into 4 pieces. If you have big chicken thighs, cut them into 6 pieces about the same size.
- Saute ingredients. Place your paella over medium-high heat and add the oil. Once the pan is hot, add your chicken. Sprinkle about half of the salt around the pan and on top of the chicken. Sear the chicken for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken a few times to ensure that it browns equally on both sides.
- Move the chicken to the borders of your pan, and in the middle, add the paprika and the tomato. Saute for 2 minutes or until most of the liquid from the tomato has reduced. Stir while cooking to make sure nothing burns.
- Add the snow peas and 3 cups of water. Look where the water line is for future reference, because this is where the water has to be when you add the rice. Add the rest of the water. Add the rest of the salt and adjust the seasoning if needed.
- Cook paella. Raise the heat to high and cook for 20 minutes or until you reach the first water line mark.
- Add the saffron water and stir. Add the rice, and spread it around with a spoon. Make sure to remove any rice that falls on top of the meat. Add the butter beans all around and the rosemary.
- Cook for 12 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove the rosemary and lower the heat to medium, and finish cooking for 10 minutes.
- Serve hot, buen provecho!
Recipe Notes
- Meat. In Spain, the paella will always have chicken if it is not a seafood type. Most of the time, it is a combination of chicken and rabbit. Sometimes, just like this recipe, it is made only with chicken.
- Rice. The rice used is always bomba rice. But if you still want to make it without it, just use a short-grain rice like arborio. But it will have a slightly stickier texture.
- Pan. The paella is the pan traditionally used, but you can still make paella without it. You can use a cast-iron pan, or stainless steel will work as well.
- Serving size. This recipe is suggested for 2 people, but I always make it for 4 people. So the yield will depend on how much you serve.
- Paring. One of the best pairings with a good paella is a cold traditional Spanish sangria.
Nutrition
Calories: 652kcal | Carbohydrates: 47g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 36g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 167mg | Sodium: 1314mg | Potassium: 588mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 678IU | Vitamin C: 11mg | Calcium: 46mg | Iron: 4mg
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