You can make a delicious, authentic Paella–the most popular dish of Spain–in your own kitchen with simple ingredients like rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood. If you love cooking International food, you will fall in love with this comforting dish! 

If you love Spanish food, don’t miss my other popular recipes like Torijas and Tortilla de Patatas.

A large skillet full of chicken and seafood Paella.

My goal with this paella recipe was to use the tutelage I received while living in Madrid to create a traditional Spanish paella that anyone can make (and without special equipment, like a paella pan). After lots of trial and error, I am so excited to share everything I know and have learned about making Paella, as authentically and practically for the home cook, as possible.

What I LOVE about this recipe:

  1. I learned to make it in Spain, from the woman I lived with for several months while attending school in Madrid. She was an incredible cook and I wrote down her basic instructions for paella, in my notebook. I have since tested the recipe many times on my own to perfect the exact ingredient amounts and method for making it in my U.S. kitchen.
  2. No paella pan needed:  You can use a regular large skillet for this recipe.  See tips below.
  3. One-pot meal: All in one pan meals mean quicker cooking and clean-up!
  4. Adaptable: There are many ways of adapting this traditional paella recipe. Read on.

A Madrileña holding a pan of paella, next to a notebook with the a paella recipe written in Spanish.

What is Paella?

Paella (pai·ei·uh) is a classic Spanish rice dish made with rice, saffron, vegetables, chicken, and seafood cooked and served in one pan. Although paella originates from Valencia, it’s recognized as the national food of Spain and there are several different varieties. The most common types of paella are chicken paella, seafood paella, or mixed paella (a combination of seafood, meats, and vegetables).

Ingredients:

The main ingredients in every paella dish are rice, saffron, chicken, and vegetables.  From there, ingredients vary depending on the type of paella or region where it’s made.  The ingredients in this easy paella recipe include:

  • Produce: onion, bell pepper, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, frozen peas.
  • Spices: bay leaf, paprika, saffron, salt and pepper.
  • Saffron: this may be the most important ingredient, so it’s best to buy high quality. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, try an International food market, or Amazon. If necessary, substitute 1 teaspoon saffron powder.
  • Seafood: jumbo shrimp, mussels, calamari.
  • Chicken thighs: I prefer thighs to breasts in the recipe since they don’t dry out as easily during longer cook times.
  • Olive Oil: Spanish olive oil , or any good quality olive oil.
  • White wine.
  • Spanish Rice: See my notes below about the rice, and possible substitutions.
  • Chicken Broth: Authentic paella would include making your own fish stock from the discarded shells of seafood. I usually substitute chicken broth, for convenience.

How to Make Spanish Paella:

1. Sauté:  Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add onion, bell peppers and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron, salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes.

2. Add white wine.  Cook for 10 minutes.

3. Add chicken & rice.  Add chopped parsley and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add broth.  Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!). Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth once or twice during cooking.

A skillet with sautéing vegetables, chicken and rice, then broth added to make paella.5. Cook uncovered: Cook paella uncovered for 15-18 minutes, then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still uncooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).

Paella rice cooking in a pan, then mussels, shrimp and calamari added.6. Cover and let rest.  Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.

7. Serve. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.

Close up of cooked chicken and seafood paella in pan, ready to eat.

Rice for Paella:

Spanish rice (also called “bomba” rice, calaspara rice, arroz redonda) is traditional in Paella, and it’s what I recommend using. It’s a short grain rice that absorbs more water than regular rice, without turning mushy. You can buy Spanish rice on Amazon, World Market or an international food market.

  • Substitution for Spanish rice: If necessary you can substitute medium grain rice, like Calrose rice which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores. Reduce the chicken stock in the recipe to a total of 3 ¾ cups. (I don’t recommend using Arborio rice or long-grain rice for Paella).
  • Don’t wash the rice before cooking because we want to keep the outer layer of starch.
  • Don’t stir the rice while cooking! Traditional paella cooks a crusty, flavorful rice layer at the bottom of the pan called the socarrat. The socarrat is a key component of authentic paella. Also, stirring the rice will make it mushy.

Seafood for Paella (What to know):

If you don’t like seafood, leave it out and substitute more chicken and vegetables. You can use any combination of your favorite seafood including clams, scallops and chopped pieces of fish. Frozen seafood is a great accessible option if you don’t live near the ocean. (Costco sells a great mixed seafood bag in their freezer section with shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, and calamari.) Be sure to thaw frozen seafood in the fridge overnight before using.

When buying fresh seafood make sure to smell it to make sure it’s fresh. It should not have a strong fishy odor. Most of the seafood used here will smell like nothing, or just like the ocean (slightly salty). Be sure to clean it properly (remove “beards” from mussels, if necessary).

Seafood for paella, including shrimp, mussels and squid, on a plate.

Do I need a paella pan?

No, you can us a regular large skillet to make Paella (I use a 12×2 inch skillet and this recipe fills it to the brim). Traditional paella is cooked in a large paella pan because it allow the rice to be spread out into a thin layer and cook more evenly.

Adaptations:

  • Use different rice: if needed, you can substitute a medium grain rice, like Calrose rice which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores. Reduce the chicken stock in the recipe to a total of 3 ¾ cups. (Long grain rice or arborio rice are not good substitutes for paella.)
  • Substitute pork: Substitute boneless pork loin, cut into ½ inch cubes. Brown the pork pieces in hot oil as step one in the recipe.  Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables.  Add the pork back to the pan in step 3 before boiling.
  • Substitute Turkey or rabbit: Brown the meat in hot oil as step one in the recipe.  Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables.  Add the meat back to the pan in step 3 of the recipe, before boiling.
  • Substitute chorizo:  Add 1 chorizo sausage cut into ½ inch discs.  Brown the sausage in hot oil as step one in the recipe.  Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables.  Add chorizo back to the pan in step 3 of the recipe, before boiling.
  • Vegetarian Paella: Omit the meat and seafood and add extra vegetables, like artichoke, green beans, mushroom, olives and asparagus.  Add vegetables in step one of the recipe along with the bell peppers.
  • Valenciana Paella: this version of paella is often made with rabbit, chicken, artichokes and green beans.

A serving of paella mixta on a plate, with sliced lemons on the side.

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Recipe

A large skillet full of chicken and seafood Paella.
Prep 20 minutes
Cook 40 minutes
Total 1 hour
Save Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive Oil (Spanish EVOO if you have it)
  • 1 Onion , diced
  • 1 bell pepper , diced (I like to use ½ red and ½ green)
  • 4 cloves Garlic
  • 3 roma tomatoes , very finely diced (or 8 oz. tomato sauce)
  • Bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon paprika , sweet or smoked
  • 1 pinch saffron threads*
  • Salt and pepper
  • ¼ cup white wine
  • 4 boneless , skinless chicken thighs , cut into pieces*
  • ¼ cup fresh chopped parsley chopped, divided
  • 2 cups Spanish Rice*
  • 5 cups Chicken Broth*
  • 1/2 cup frozen peas
  • ½ lb Jumbo Shrimp or prawns , about 12 – peeled, tail on
  • 1/2 lb Mussels (about 10-12), cleaned properly (beards off)
  • 8 oz calamari rings
  • Lemons , for garnish

Instructions
 

  • *Please note, this is my version of Paella Mixta I learned to make while living in Madrid, Spain. I've simplified the recipe as best I could for anyone to be able to make without a special pan or equipment. There are MANY variations to Paella so please be respectful that my authentic recipe may be different from yours!
  • Add olive oil to a skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, bell peppers and garlic and cook until onion is translucent. Add chopped tomato, bay leaf, paprika, saffron salt and pepper. Stir and cook for 5 minutes. Add white wine and cook for 10 minutes. Taste and add salt if needed.
  • Add chicken pieces, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and rice to the pot. Cook for 1 minute.
  • Pour the broth slowly all around the pan and jiggle the pan to get the rice into an even layer. (Do not stir the mixture going forward!).
  • Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low. Give the pan a gentle shake back and forth just once or twice during cooking. (We don't ever stir the rice, so that a crispy crust forms at the bottom, called a socarrat).
  • Cook for about 15-18 minutes (uncovered), then nestle the shrimp, mussels and calamari into the mixture, sprinkle peas on top and continue to cook (without stirring) for about 5 more minutes. Watch for most of the liquid to be absorbed and the rice at the top nearly tender. (If for some reason your rice is still not cooked, add ¼ cup more water or broth and continue cooking).
  • Remove pan from heat and cover pan with a lid or tinfoil. Place a kitchen towel over the lid and allow to rest for 10 minutes.
  • Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices. Serve.

Notes

*Rice: Spanish rice (also called “bomba” rice, calaspara rice, arroz redonda) is traditional in Paella, and it’s what I recommend using. (If your grocery store doesn't carry it, try Amazon, World Market, or an International food market). If necessary you can substitute medium grain rice, like Calrose rice which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores, and reduce the broth to 3 ¾ cups. (I don’t recommend using Arborio rice or long-grain rice for Paella).
*Meat: you could also use pork, turkey, rabbit, chorizo or a combination.
*Broth: Authentic paella would include making your own fish stock from the discard shells of seafood. I usually substitute chicken broth for convenience.
*Seafood: If you don’t like seafood, leave it out and substitute more chicken or vegetables. You can use any combination of your favorite seafood including clams, scallops and chopped pieces of fish. Frozen seafood is a great accessible option if you don’t live near the ocean. (Costco sells a great mixed seafood bag in their freezer section with shrimp, mussels, clams, scallops, and calamari.) Be sure to thaw frozen seafood in the fridge overnight before using.
If buying fresh seafood, smell it to make sure it’s fresh. It should not have a strong fishy odor. Most of the seafood used here will smell like nothing, or just like the ocean (slightly salty). Be sure to clean it properly (remove “beards” from mussels, if necessary).
*Saffron: this may be the most important ingredient, so it’s best to buy high quality. If your grocery store doesn’t carry it, try an International food market, or Amazon. If necessary, substitute 1 teaspoon saffron powder.
Adaptations:
  • Use different rice: if needed, you can substitute a medium grain rice, like Calrose rice which can be found at Walmart or most grocery stores. Reduce the chicken stock in the recipe to a total of 3 ¾ cups.
  • Substitute pork: Substitute boneless pork loin, cut into ½ inch cubes. Brown the pork pieces in hot oil as step one in the recipe.  Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables.  Add the pork back to the pan in step 3 before boiling.
  • Substitute Turkey or rabbit: Brown the meat in hot oil as step one in the recipe.  Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables.  Add the meat back to the pan in step 3 of the recipe, before boiling.
  • Substitute chorizo:  Add 1 chorizo sausage cut into ½ inch discs.  Brown the sausage in hot oil as step one in the recipe.  Then set it aside as you sauté the vegetables.  Add chorizo back to the pan in step 3 of the recipe, before boiling.
  • Vegetarian Paella: Omit the meat and seafood and add extra vegetables, like artichoke, green beans, mushroom, olives and asparagus.  Add vegetables in step one of the recipe along with the bell peppers.
  • Valenciana Paella: this version of paella is often made with rabbit, chicken, artichokes and green beans.

Nutrition

Calories: 535kcalCarbohydrates: 59gProtein: 37gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 260mgSodium: 1159mgPotassium: 805mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1408IUVitamin C: 58mgCalcium: 125mgIron: 4mg

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Lauren Allen

Welcome! I’m Lauren, a mom of four and lover of good food. Here you’ll find easy recipes and weeknight meal ideas made with real ingredients, with step-by-step photos and videos.

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Comments

  1. 5 stars
    My fiancé and I use this recipe whenever we make paella. It’s our favorite meal. I must say, it takes much longer than 1 hour to make this though.

  2. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight for family and everyone absolutely loved it!! We recently took a trip to Barcelona and this recipe is even better than then paella we had on La Rambla. Thank you Lauren

    1. Absolutely, substituting garlic with shallots, chives, and garlic-infused olive oil is a great idea to maintain flavor without the actual garlic. Each brings a unique taste that can complement the paella beautifully. Your guest will appreciate the thoughtfulness, and you’ll still end up with a delicious dish.

  3. 5 stars
    This is my third time making this recipe, one of my go to meals when I have company for supper. It is easy to follow ad taste great when finished. I follow the recipe almost exactly, don’t really measure seasonings or how much shrimp or chicken to put in and I don’t eat calamari so I leave that out. I always get great reviews with this meal, thanks for posting it!

  4. Served this to dinner guests last Saturday night.
    They scraped the paella pan clean!!
    It was a resounding success. I used shrimp, mussels, scallops and squid.

  5. I’m sure this recipe is absolutely wonderful, but mine sadly turned into mush ☹️ the liquid just never fully absorbed. I followed the right measurements and ingredients but I failed. I’m going to try again in the future, the bag of rice for this costs me $13 so I’m going to wait a bit before trying again. Maybe watch some videos to see where I went wrong!

  6. 5 stars
    We have had paella in Spain in several regions.
    I love that the substitutions are explained, which reflects that.
    There is a lot of prep work, but so worth the labor.
    My go to is shrimp…Argentinian, ( frozen) as it has a lot of flavor, with loose Chorizo sausage. Here in Arizona, not a lot of fresh fish. I also use more tomatoes …canned San Marzano are delicious. Thank you for this!

  7. Made this for Valentine’s Day dinner– 10/10! Huge hit with my sweetheart <3 I made it with seafood (scallops, clams, mussels) and chorizo, cause that's my favorite when I've had it at restaurants. I also got socarrat on the bottom! Seriously fantastic. Since this is such a solid base recipe for paella, next time I want to experiment with a more saffron heavy flavor. I plan on cutting back a bit on the amount of bell pepper and tomato to balance the amount of sofrito accordingly, to make that saffron flavor really POP. But for sure I will be making it exactly as written again as well. 🙂

  8. I made this for the first time and followed every step. It came out delicious! I did boil frozen seafood and used some of that stock in the rice with a little less chicken stock. I even got socarrat on the bottom! Love this recipe!

    1. Delicious! This is my go to recipe. The cooking time is off though. At medium low, it takes another 15-20 mins. for the rice to cook & produce socarrat.

      1. 1 star
        I’m sorry, but I’m from Spain, specifically from Valencia (where valencian paella is from) and I have to say this is not how a paella is done. More than half of the ingredients are wrong. This is not intended to offend but just understand how sad it is when a dish that you love and is part of your culture, its recipe is spread so wrong. That is something very common when we prepare dishes from other countries, and for sure I make these mistakes too when I try to cook recipes that are unfamiliar to me. But as the fun part of cooking is to evolve and improve, I just wanted to share my point of view

        1. Hi Clara, You’re welcome to your opinion, but this is the Spanish Paella that my native Spaniard host makes, in Madrid. There are many, many different variations of Paella, and this is based on hers.

  9. 2 stars
    I have made plenty of paellas and this is the first time I followed this recipe. The quantity of broth required(5 cups) is too much. The rice is supposed to be dry and this was a wet rice. Terrible! The flavor was okay but not as good as the other ones I’ve made.

  10. 5 stars
    I followed the directions with no substitution and it came out delicious !!! Thank you for sharing the recipe

  11. My grandparents were born and raised in the Canary Islands. When my grandmother made paella she used Arborio rice and rabbit in her paella.

  12. 5 stars
    This is a great versatile recipe and I use it as base to be creative with how you want to tweak your paella according to different “paella aficionados”. I’ve made this numerous times for many of my Spanish (and Latin American) friends. Friends from Madrid said it’s a keeper and I agree. In my opinion there is no one true way of making paella (although there are many no-no’s no paella recipes). This one does do the job in terms of flavor and enjoyment of a meal with family and friends. My paella always needed additional liquid (which the recipe does mention) but I think it’s because of my particular stove. i love the flavors from the shrimp shells so what i do is I warm up my broth in a different pan, de-shell the shrimps and cook the shells with the brother. I only do these for folks who don’t like peeling off shells with their hands when eating.

  13. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe. It works! Yummy caramelization of the rice and you can really taste the saffron. The smell as we took of the foil was heavenly!
    I have been making paella for years by another method but will always follow this method from now on.

  14. 1 star
    Would not recommend this recipe! Do not use Calrose rice as a substitute like I did. It did not turn out great. The recommended 3 3/4 cups of stock was definitely not enough. Cooking time was more than doubled and even though I added more stock, the rice was still uncooked.

  15. 5 stars
    Simple but very tasty. Guests loved the flavor and texture of the paella. Instead of chicken I used frozen seafood mix plus mussels and tiger shrimp. Instead of parsley I used coriander to add freshness. Great recipe!

  16. To Juan, a spanish name does not make you Spanish and the Spaniards DO mix meat and fish. I have eaten many valencian paellas in Spain and the Canary islands in real authentic restaurants and they DO include fish and meat. The meat is usually rabbit but some use chicken to meet the taste of us English tourists. Think about this before you make your unwanted idiotic comments im future..

    1. I’m from Valencia, and I can tell you that my grandmothers have NEVER made valencian paella with fish. Obviously there are also paellas traditionally made with fish, but we don’t usually mix meat and fish. I’m sure you have tried this type of mixed paellas, but it’s because the restaurants invent recepies for the tourists, which have nothing to do with our traditional recipes.

    1. I put chicken, chorizo, and shrimp in the paella. Rice was surprisingly cooked well. Just a delicious meal.

  17. 5 stars
    I made the recipe for Christmas yesterday, it was fantastic. I was a little nervous about a potential lack of flavor because of how simple it seems, but it was delicious. I’m new to cooking (started during covid) and found this recipe easy to follow. I did make the adjustment to only 4.5 cups of broth based on comments. At the end of the 18 minutes were was still some liquid, which made me nervous, but as soon as I covered it up for the 10 minutes it was perfect. I also had regular chicken broth vs low sodium like mentioned in the video, but I don’t think it impacted the taste. Thanks for sharing. This is definitely in the rotation now.

  18. Thank you for an easy to prepare recipe that made my Christmas eve dinner a family favorite to remember. Awesome job. Thank you!!

  19. 5 stars
    Had tried this recipe for Christmas Eve dinner. My family really love it. I had used basmati rice and prawn stock instead.Basmati rice took longer time to cook at least 40mins. 2 cup of rice need 4.5 cups of stock. Make use of prawns shells to make stock.Had opt out chicken thigh. It turns out good. Thank you for the recipe.

  20. 5 stars
    After coming home from a trip to Spain and having home made Paella I searched for a recipe and found yours. It turned out fantastic! Loved it and easy to make. Thank you!

    1. 3 stars
      Arboro rice is the preferred rice for paella
      The proportion of your broth to rice is way off. Don’t forget you have seafoods and meats that emits moist liquid.also need to specify the chorizo to use. There are many kinds of chorizo and each one differ in taste.also Calrose is a sticky rice used by Japanese in making sushi rice. Not appropriate for this dish.
      In Spain paella is cooked by the man of the house usually on Sundays when the wife goes to church.it is usually cooked outside in the grill. You are right no need to use paella pan. A skillet should be adequate

  21. The traditional way to cook a paella is outside on a grill made for paella cooking, so yes you can cook it on the grill, i don’t have a grill so I cook it in the oven I start off stove top using two burners and then I cover it and put it in the oven until done.

  22. 5 stars
    This was an amazing recipe! My wife I loved it! I didn’t get the signature crust on the bottom of the rice because I was afraid of burning it. I will be making this later this month for Christmas! I will learn from my mistakes and cook it longer. I wish I could post a picture because it looked amazing like it was a cooking magazine cover, and it tasted amazing. I just need to get the crust on the bottom. Thank you for the recipe.

  23. 5 stars
    I made this and it turned out excellent. I used the exact ammt of broth suggested. If you leave the lid off the pan it reduces fine. Loved it!

  24. The Chicken broth 5 cups vs 2 cups bombs rice ratio is way way off. Turned out mushy like risotto. It was edible but not even close to paella. Maybe 3 cups would have worked Waste of a lot of good ingredients.

  25. I just made this and was very good. However I followed the recipe exactly and did not get the wanted crust at the bottom. I used a 16 in paella pan which I now realize it was too big for my burner. Can I put in the oven or the barbecue grill for more even cooking?

  26. Hello about to try this but I have people who don’t eat seafood but some do. Do you have any suggestions? Like perhaps can I remove some Paella with chicken before adding the seafood? Or better to make two different versions?

    1. The seafood is added at the very end, so I would just add it to only one half of the pan (like if you were splitting pizza toppings half and half).

  27. Thanks for the recipe. Looks delicious . Going to buy a Paella pan then make it.

    To the lady with all the complaints and
    her version the recipe.
    If you can’t say anything nice then say nothing at all. I learned this as a young girl.
    Start your own site don’t bad mouth others!!

    1. I’m making your dish for Christmas this year and I want to add lobster. Can I put the lobster in when I put the clams, shrimp and calamari in the pot?

  28. 5 stars
    I made this last year and it had the crusty rice bottom ‘socarrat’. I am preparing it tonight. Wonderful dish. Paella is actually the name of the pan, and has been adapted to the dish. So many variations out there. The original recipe way back had rabbit! I’ll stick to this one. Thanks for sharing it with us.

  29. I just made Paella a few days ago, from a recipe in a Mediterranean cookbook. It turned out okay, but I will definitely use your recipe next time (except mussels – yucky). Thanks for sharing it!!

  30. 1 star
    Please stop using the name of paella for a dish that only Dr. Frankenstein could create. If you really want to cook paella (as it’s done in Valencia) it has specific ingredients. Otherwise and other variations can be done but 1st golden rule, DONT mix meat and fish!!!
    Here how the recipe should be for this one (very simple and easy to do):
    Ingredients:
    Rice (if possible bomba rice, otherwise risotto can do the job. If you put basmati or any other you should go to jail).
    Then for the base you need the “sofrito” which is basically putting in a pan (NOT A POT) (if you have a paella better).
    How to do sofrito? Quite simple, add in a pan with olive oil some onion and pepper (when the oil is hot), if you want to give more flavour, use some garlic. Once you see they are slowly cooking either add fresh tomato without seeds (if you also remove the skin better) otherwise you can use pasatta.
    When you have the sofrito done, add some squid and rice so it can be cooked. After a couple of minutes add the broth little by little (check that the rice is being cooked and stop when started to be soft so when the rice is ready there’s no broth left). Btw, in this case should be FISH broth (if you don’t have use vegetable broth but for love of god DO NOT PUT meat broth including chicken!!!)
    Now a recommendation, once the broth is over if you want you can let the rice be burnt a bit on the base (brown not black please) it’s called socarrat and it’s amazing.
    And voila! That would be pretty much the dish!! A normal paella worth the name.
    Btw I haven’t forgotten about the mussels and prawns. If these are fresh you can cook them im the pan at the beginning before starting the sofrito (this will give more flavour) then once they are ready remove them and add them at the end. If you’re using frozen ones just add them with the broth and they will cook in the process.
    You can use also salt and pepper (watch out how salty is your broth!! before adding any) you can put them in the sofrito before adding the squid and rice (or while the broth is boiling if you see it needs some).
    I think this comment is a big long but if you manage to read till here congrats, that’s how a fish paella should be done

    1. 5 stars
      There’s always that one Karen…how about instead of giving a one star to someone who has made a beautiful recipe and spent a lot of time explaining their version…you make your own recipe??!! It’s always easier to tear someone else down than build your own empire. Bugger off troll of paellas!

      1. 5 stars
        FYI – Sofrito (Spanish, pronounced [soˈfɾito]), sofregit (Catalan, pronounced [sufɾə’ʒit]),[1] soffritto (Italian, pronounced [sofˈfritto]), or refogado (Portuguese, pronounced [ʁɨfuˈɣaðu]) is a basic preparation in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking.

        However …. I agree we should get it right if we are going to criticize anyone.

      1. Sofrito (Spanish, pronounced [soˈfɾito]), sofregit (Catalan, pronounced [sufɾə’ʒit]),[1] soffritto (Italian, pronounced [sofˈfritto]), or refogado (Portuguese, pronounced [ʁɨfuˈɣaðu]) is a basic preparation in Mediterranean, Latin American, Spanish, Italian and Portuguese cooking.

    2. 1 star
      Hi ‘Juan’, i have just made your recipe and it can honestly say it is the worst paella recipe i have made. so thanks for nothing.

  31. 5 stars
    I have been wanting to make this for quite sometime. I made it today for my family…big hit! Everyone liked it. Thank you for sharing this recipe!

  32. 5 stars
    Loved the results of this recipe. I used medium grain rice as I couldn’t find short. Did spicy sausage, shrimp and bay scallops. I was happy with the crust that developed

  33. 5 stars
    I modified your terrific recipe somewhat to use as a campfire dinner….and it was great! Thanks so much for the basics. I used shrimp, salmon, smoked sausage and chicken…this was what I had…along with everything else on your recipe. We didn’t have a crispy bottom initially, but put it back on moderate flame with good results and not overdone. Thanks again.

  34. 5 stars
    Help! I live in Panama and haven’t been able to find any of the prices you recommend, not even medium grain. All I have found are long grain and Vigo yellow rice. How can I adjust the liquid amount for long grain rice? Thanks for your help!

  35. Great recipe, the paella turned out de-li-cious! 👌🏻😋
    Easy to make, clear instructions, thank you for posting it! ❤️

  36. 5 stars
    FINALLY! A recipe that actually tastes pretty close to the paellas I love! Thank you for explaining how to get the lovely crunchy base (although mine was a bit further towards burnt as I’m still getting used to my gas burner). Certainly will be making again!

  37. 5 stars
    Great recipe! First time making Paella, will definitely be making it again, everyone loved it. The only seafood I used was shrimp, because that’s what I already had at home. Cooked it in a large cast iron skillet, even after a 30 minute drive was still very hot when I brought it to a friend’s house. Will cut the recipe in half when I make it for just my husband and I. Thank you!

  38. This was a delicious recipe! I had a bad wine club paella night experience and decided to make my own; this recipe dominated the slop they served! Thank you! I did everything according to recipe.

  39. 5 stars
    Such a great recipe. I have made it several times with a view changes. I used hot smoked sweet paprika to give it some gentle heat. Always delicious. Thanks you!

  40. 5 stars
    Made this tonight and it turned out great! I used half chicken bone broth / half better than bouillon veg stock. I made it using California rice. Thank you!

  41. 5 stars
    I made this recipe yesterday and I love it ! Everyone enjoyed it ! It was straightforward and delicious and just as good as a paella I had at the weekend in a local Spanish restaurant! I will definitely make it again . As Paella is one of my favourite foods !

  42. Looking forward to trying this! Have never used saffron, just ordered some threads. So when you say a “pinch” could you be a little more specific? Thanks

    1. That’s fantastic to hear you’re going to try the paella recipe, and I’m excited for you to experience cooking with saffron! A “pinch” of saffron, is about 15-20 threads. This might seem like a small amount, but saffron is known for its strong flavor and a little goes a long way. Please come back and let us know what you think of the paella!

  43. 5 stars
    Making my first paella today.
    Great video tutorial hope mine comes out so well
    James in 🇬🇧

    (When chopping vegetables pop a damp cloth under your board will stop it moving when cutting 👍)

  44. I would love to try the vegetarian version but I’d like to omit the wine. Is there a version that doesn’t use alcohol? Thank you

  45. 5 stars
    Excellent authentic flavor! Helpful commentary from start to finish. I especially like how it was organized by “types” of ingredients with substitutions/explanations in addition to the regular recipe. It’s definitely a keeper! 👍

  46. 5 stars
    The Paella recipe was absolutely amazing!! Packed with aroma and flavoure! I’ve made a lot of Paella before and this one is worth making again! I’ve added fresh cilantro, basil and mint on top and drizzle with lime and lemon. Cannot wait to try your other recipes too!

  47. This recipe makes a perfect paella! I followed it closely and the result was exactly as predicted. I used a deep 14″ pan (almost wok size) and the contents just fit.

  48. Wow, this paella article is the real deal! As a self-proclaimed foodie, I’ve been on the hunt for a killer paella recipe, and this one hits the mark. The author’s passion for authentic flavors shines through in every step. From the rich saffron to the perfectly cooked rice, this dish is a flavor explosion waiting to happen.

    I appreciate the detailed instructions and helpful tips along the way. The inclusion of different protein options like chicken, shrimp, and sausage allows for personalization to suit everyone’s taste buds. And let’s not forget the stunning presentation! The colorful combination of ingredients creates a feast for the eyes.

    I can’t wait to gather my friends and family for a paella extravaganza. With this recipe, I know I’ll be serving up a taste of Spain that’ll leave everyone begging for seconds. Cheers to the ultimate paella experience!

    1. I’m glad that you can enjoy this recipe and that you share it with your friends and family. But please, as someone from Valencia (Spain), don’t say this is a good demonstration of paella, because it’s not. Just be fair about the origin of a recipe.

  49. I need to make this for about 100 servings so I would like to keep the cost down. Could I substitute annato colored oil for the saffron? This will also be vegan.

    1. 5 stars
      I was an exchange student for a year in Spain and my Spanish host mom never used Saffron because it was expensive, she always used yellow food coloring and I thought it was great. I’m sure saffron adds a nice added flavor but perfectly fine without 😁

  50. 5 stars
    Thanks for sharing! As someone who has never made paella before, I found your recipe well thought out and easy to follow. The results were spectacular. Since my wife is allergic to mussels, I substituted 8 oz. of thinly sliced chorizo which provided a nice kick. I’m glad I didn’t go with more as I could see it taking over the dish. I love your other suggestions for protein substitutions as well and will be trying them in my next batches. This one is definitely a keeper!

  51. 5 stars
    We just made this for our first paella (got a kit for Father’s Day). Besides learning about the regulators on our paella burner — there are three regulators, including two before the burner control, use the first one to modulate gas flow –, we learned: Let people add their own salt; when it’s close to being done, it’s very close to being done — don’t add a cup of liquid when a quarter cup will do; you can brown the chorizo slightly and that’s enough; will use mushroom broth instead of chicken broth next time.

    Everyone liked it, and we will try this again later this week, as we are now paella veterans /snark.

  52. 5 stars
    Very good, authentic, and easy recipe. I have been to and tried Paella in Spain and this is spot on, Chicken thighs is the right call for sure. The socarrat turned out perfectly and covering it after cooking for 10 mins with a towel opened all mussels and steamed it perfectly. I used a 16 once can of large Italian white beans called Fagioli di Spagna since I could not find the large Spanish white beans which turned out great too. Finally I substituted green beans for peas and added one can of Artichoke Bottoms for some extra Veggie

  53. 5 stars
    Absolutely delicious…will make this again. Even my daughter enjoyed it and she is a very fussy eater
    Thank you

  54. 3 stars
    We made this dish and our rice burned and stuck to the bottom of the pan. Other than that everything was great. Are the chicken thighs supposed to be cut into pieces?

  55. 5 stars
    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, this recipe! I have craved Paella since going to Barcelona and could never find one that brought me back to Spain…this one does it! I had tried making it before with another recipe, even buying a paella pan (which I threw out after a huge fail ), but the rice was totally burned. I was so happy when I saw that the rice was perfect:). I followed the directions, but added less broth after reading several reviews that they had too much broth ( I put in 4 cups of broth, but near the end, I added another 2/3 cup of broth and it was perfect. Some suggestions: I used low sodium broth per the video, I made a chicken, shrimp and Spanish chorizo paella. Chorizo is where a LOT of flavor comes from and is traditional in most paella),and I also put the saffron threads (about 1 teaspoon crushed) in an ounce of warm water to let the flavor :bloom: before adding it to the paella.

    Notes: I couldn’t find Boma rice, or any of the other Spanish rices she suggested. After Googling alternatives, I discovered that Sur la Table carries a Paella Rice from the Valencia region. It was just like Boma, but I believe just from another region. MAKE THIS DISH!!!

  56. 4 stars
    I was extremely impress with this recipe by the test & beautiful explained.
    However, in my view there is no need to add any salt at all – Between a selection of fresh & good quality seafood + this unique paëlla paprika, the fragrance and test should stand up.

  57. Made it and it burned. So much emphasis in the recipe about not stirring it, but no word about mitigating burning. It still had a lot of liquid after the specified cooking time, so I kept cooking for a few min longer and it burned while still being soggy on top. So there you go. Also, whoever has a 14” skillet lying around?! My largest one was definitely smaller and I scaled the proportions (which obviously didn’t help). I guess the author expects us to go get one of the cooking pans listed in the links… really disappointing

    1. Loved your recipe. I was impatient the first time and didn’t get the crust I wanted. Modifying it try a vegan version. Thank you for this!

  58. Delicious! My husband and son scarfed this down lickety split. I didn’t use the chicken or peas. I did add more seafood: 1 lb each shrimp, clams, mussels, and some calamari. I used clam juice in place of 1 c of broth. Next time I’ll use 2 cups, and I might use vermouth in place of wine. I needed an extra 1/2 c of broth to finish the rice. I used two skillets to make sure I got that nice crust on bottom.

  59. 5 stars
    First time making paella and it turned out perfect!
    I would recommend reading the recipe a few times to make sure you understand the process.
    Watch the video to see exactly how much a pinch of saffron is. It’s more than you think.
    Also helps to prep the ingredients before you start like chopping all the ingredients. Will be a big help in staying organized and not make mistakes.

  60. 5 stars
    I’ve tried this recipe, but I had to use only chicken. My husband isn’t too big on seafood but it tasted absolutely delicious. I will make this again, but I will be adding the seafood for my kids and myself. So yummy.

  61. Wrong is so many ways

    Cook protein first (except for seafood)

    Paella is a flavor layering process

    EVO in a paella pan…yes paella pan. Saute rice till white corners, add in onion peppers and seasoning. Add tomatoes fresh or canned (diced). Season this mixture. Smoked paprika if you want it to taste aunthetic. Make sure you place saffron in a ounce of warm water then add it and stir.

    Now slowly add broth….yes stir.

    When the rice is al dante. Yes test it. All ride cooks differently.

    Add in last 2 cups of broth. Place protein and seafood. Add baby peas or garnish with another cook vegetable Bake in a 375 oven for about 20 minutes

    Eat from the outside in. Never from the middle

    If you learn to do it this way with success, you can then make fidua (Catalonian style)

    Bamm

  62. 5 stars
    This was my first and now go to paella recipe. The substitutions as well as the backstory help me to create yummy dishes each time (in fact I find it no more daunting than making a risotto now). The instructions are easy to follow and took the mysticism out of the dish!!!

  63. 5 stars
    Thankyou so much for sharing!!! Have done twice, used chicken, mussels, prawns & calamari rings…. Followed the exact timings and omg!! The intensity of flavours are awesome, reminding me very closely to my paella in Mogan, Gran Canaria…. I love the fact that whilst moist not over wet like some. A definite winner

  64. 5 stars
    Lauren — ¡MUCHAS GRACIAS! This Paella recipe is clear, simple, and came out Madrid Taberna perfect. We did chicken, chorizo and Shrimp and it was elegant, tasty, and the recipe for six left four people full and happy.

    Brava!! Will make again and again!

  65. 5 stars
    Hi Lauren!

    This is about my 4th time coming back to you’re amazing recipe. I lived in Madrid for about 4 months and making paella is so special to me! My family loves it every time. Thank you so much for sharing 🙂

  66. I made this tonight and the flavors were perfect. I think I would have had the consistency better with a higher temp on my stove top. (I used the Spanish short grain rice and good saffron, so not an issue of the wrong rice) To me medium low is a 3-4 on my stove’s 1 to 10. If I had started and stayed at a 6, I think it would have all been at the right timing and not over cooked. (I waited until most of the moisture evaporated)

  67. 5 stars
    Very nice recipe. I followed for the most part but added a fish stock cube and used drumsticks marinated in olive oil smoked paprika and seared each side for around 3 mins then left to stand in the skillet. Then used the oil n flavorings fir the onions etc Also added few flakes if hot pepper. Didn’t use sausage but had lots of giant shrimp.
    Thanks for the great recipe which we’ll use a lot

  68. Hi this recipe is fabulous. I just got back from a vacation in Spain. It was pretty close to tasting what I ate in Spain. The only thing I would suggest you do is soak the saffron threads in a small amount of water to get that beautiful yellow color in the rice. Try this recipe, you will love it.

  69. 3 stars
    Too much liquid to rice ratio. So it cooked too long with the seafood and burned on the bottom while I had to cook it down. Not happy. I should have used my cooking instincts and added 4 cups of broth to 2 cups of rice.

  70. 5 stars
    This was an amazing dish and is now a staple in our family. I make Moroccan lemon preserves and added them in. Thanks so much for sharing

  71. 5 stars
    I followed the recipe directions step by step, minute by minute. As for ingredients, I used calrose rice and reduced the broth to 3 3/4 cups as directed. I used seafood stock, not chicken. I used fresh shrimp and mussels, and frozen calimari steaks, which I thawed and sliced lengthwise before cooking. It was amazing! My wife loved it! Nice, easy recipe for us amateur cooks. Thank you.

  72. 5 stars
    Loved this!! I have tried many paella recipe and this was the first that I successfully made! Great instructions. I added Spanish chorizo and served it at my Christmas party. Everyone loved it! Is this recipe in your cook book?

  73. NOO THIS IS NOT PAELLA NEVER USE CHORIZO IN A PAELLA YOU ARE CRAZY FOR THAT SPANISH PEOPLE ARE COMING AFTER YOU FOR USING CHORIZO NEVER NEVER NEVER USE IT IN A PAELLA

  74. Great recipe, thank you! My husband loved it. I veganized it by using Better Than Bouillon “No Chicken” stock, Beyond Meat Hot Italian Sausage cut in coins while frozen and sautéed in EVO and paprika, and white mushrooms thickly sliced and sautéed in EVO and crushed nori to give a seafood flavor. This is added at the end as in recipe. I used an authentic large Paella pan that I brought home from Spain in my suitcase. It’s so big I have to put it across two burners and rotate often. : ). I may try my good stainless steel pan next time and make a smaller amount. I used 3 cups of rice (2.5 cups of stock per cup) and I have tons of leftovers. I used 1/4 cup of 50/50 apple cider vinegar and water to emulate the white wine. Some tips for some other commenters: The reason you put the foil over the pan at the end is to steam the rice on top that didn’t get cooked enough. You need foil big enough for your pan and winter gloves to secure the edges without getting burned. If there are any holes, it won’t steam. If you don’t get the nice browned bits on the bottom and you have a really good pan, you can turn up the flame to med/high at the very end and brown the bottom, but be careful you don’t burn it. Give it a good scape every 3-4 minutes. If you don’t use a good pan it will just stick to the pan and burn.

  75. Hi…i tried your recipe and it turned out beautiful and delicious! It is so easy to follow and of course i just tweak a bit! But the end result was fabulously delicious. Thanks Lauren😘❤️🤗

  76. 5 stars
    This is an amazing adaptation of Paella. I disagree with the other commenter; the wine adds SO MUCH to the recipe. Authentic or not, it is an easy and spectacular dish that’s SO DELICIOUS! It’s a very worthy “company meal” that will astonish your guests!

  77. Very good recipe with helpful comments. I doubled the recipe as was serving 10 adults and wanted to make sure plenty and leftovers. 4 cups of rice was way too much!! I would make this again but please adjust to only 3 cups. I could have served 20 people!

  78. Update: not burned on the bottom as it smelled like at first, but rice on top never cooked even though I added more liquid and cooked longer. Afraid to cook it any longer than I did because the shrimp would get chewy. Able to dig through and get some properly cooked stuff from the bottom. Very dominant taste of chicken broth throughout which is fine but not the nuanced dish I was hoping for.

  79. I have never ever had an uncovered rice dish not burn on the bottom and have raw rice on the top. I took a leap of faith and followed the instructions to a T. Even added more liquid at the end when the rice was clearly still raw on top. Cooked it for another 5 minutes and had to take it off because the smell of burning is strong. Still uncooked on top. Covering it for 10 minutes now, but not optimistic.

  80. 5 stars
    I love your recipe! Very easy to follow and a great tasting paella. I put a bit less stock and a bit more wine, but it is purely due to personal taste. Thank you for sharing your recipe

      1. 5 stars
        Awesome dish. Straight to the point. Followed instructions, got tons of compliments. And o boy, it smells so good, hard to resist.
        Thank you Stacy

  81. This recipe is so good my picky eater husband loves it. This is goin to be in our staple food for good. Thank you so much for sharing. I’d be tryin more of your recipes from now on. Much love from Dubai, UAE

    1. Hi Karen,
      My grandma is from Spain speak Latin which I don’t understand since I don’t grow up there.
      I lived in California…so seafood is accessible here and I like your recipe and pretty much just follow the instruction, VOILA!

  82. 5 stars
    Kudos! This recipe is perfect. My husband is French, his father Basque. He loves paella, and he’s a chef of 45 years. Live in a coastal area, so seafood is easy, and the other ingredients are things I keep on hand. Whipping this up for his birthday was so much fun. Results stupendous. Made his day.

    Highly encourage anyone to make this recipe. The key is to have your ingredients assembled and prepared, and then follow the instructions precisely. Don’t cover the pot and don’t stir the rice (as much as you may think you should).

    Thank you for creating an accessible recipe and sharing, Lauren.

  83. Wow. What an educational description and recipe. Thank you very much. I Made with chicken thighs, linguica and shrimp. Would not change anything. Leftovers tasted delicious two days later.

  84. 5 stars
    I made it just as your recipe with the acception of replacing the calamari rings with bay scallops. It was enough for six hungry Green Bay Packer fans.

  85. 5 stars
    Easy to make, good instructions, great flavor. I substituted chorizo for the chicken and added sun dried tomatoes. Lovely flavour.

  86. 5 stars
    Just made this! It’s honestly restaurant quality. We used chorizo, scallops, and shrimp for our protein. We cooked the chorizo and the scallops (a couple minutes less than fully cooked) beforehand. The shrimp cooked fully in the paella. Just make sure to season the protein before cooking! We forgot and that was the only negative in the dish.

  87. 5 stars
    This was the bomb! Supply chain being what it is…no mussels so I subbed chorizo. Thanks for posting. This will definitely be a staple in our home.

  88. My first attempt at Paella and I followed recipe 1. Not until half-way through the instructions, whilst doing the cooking, did I realize that there were no instructions on adding the rice (Duh!). Consequently it weren’t ‘authentic’ and took much much longer to cook than planned. Obviously a managing editor is needed.

    1. I was an English professor for 15 years and I’d use recipe exercises for reading comprehension and for writing process essays. #3 in the instructions clearly states to add the rice. As far as verb conjugations and editing, I would suggest you proof-read your work before posting.

  89. I followed the recipe exactly, with two exceptions – did not include mussels but upped amount of shrimp and calamari. I also substitutted Calrose rice for Bomba because I was not able to find Bomba. I adjusted the amount of chicken stock accordingly. All of the ingredients cooked perfectly, though the rice was quite sticky. My main feedback is that the rice did not take on a yellow hue (probably need to add more saffron – but the I used the “pinch” as recommended in the recipe) and I found that the overall taste of the entire dish was actually pretty bland – it was screaming for more flavor/seasoning. Has anyone else experienced this? Any suggestions on how to bring out more flavour?

  90. 5 stars
    I’ve made this 3 times now and each one turned out great. I cook it outside in a skillet on my gas grill. It works great. I’ve passed the recipe on to my friends.
    Thanks.

  91. Lauren,

    I’ve wanted to make Paellas for years. Frankly, I was a little intimidated getting the crust just right, the flavors, etc. This recipe is spot on, just the way I remember having my first one! Thanks for sharing its perfect.

    Cheers!

  92. Excellent! I use Fire Roasted Tomatoes, shrimp, scallops, calamari, mussels, little neck clams, jalapeno (no seeds & no ribs), and smoked paprika. Super good!!!!

  93. 1 star
    To much liquid. We did follow every step and it ended up being more like a soggy risotto than a crusty paella.

  94. 5 stars
    As you mentionned the Saffron the most important part of a great paella
    We ll be glad to send a sample of our organic and labelled Saffron for someone who can do a paella
    MONAFRANCE

  95. Delicious and simple recipe! I tried this paella recipe because it had great reviews and was one of the less intimidating ones I saw, and was not disappointed. I’ve made it multiple times now and the best version so far was omitting the seafood (nuts, I know, but less intimidating if you’re already nervous about making this dish), adding a bit more chicken, and adding asparagus. YUM! Thank you for sharing this recipe, it was a lovely and accessible intro to making paella at home.

  96. Lauren,
    Your Paella recipe is exactly what I was looking to make, but I have a question that I hope you can answer. I just bought a 24 inch Paella Pan. Yes, it was made in Spain. It was a really great price, $29. I hope that was a good deal. Can you tell me what the new measurements for the ingredients would be making it in the 24 inch pan. For give me but after buying the pan and seeing your recipe, I am very excited about making this for friends and family on a large scale. Thank you for the recipe and your help.

    1. How fun! If the pan has at least 2inch deep sides, you should be able to double this recipe. Just double all the ingredients, and the cooking times will be the same (you just have a larger surface area to work with).

  97. Hi!
    I have an 18 in paella pan…this recipe be ok or should I double the recipe?
    Thanks Michelle

    1. Yes, this recipe would work–it would make a thinner layer, and may cook slightly faster. But doubling it would work too! Enjoy.

  98. Used calrose rice since that was what we only could find, and the was rice mushy 😞, flavor was great, suggest?

  99. 5 stars
    Such a great recipe. I was pretty concerned at some points (how much stock?)’ but it really worked. I was messing up paella by trying to make it like risotto. Tried out my new pan with this recipe and it was amazing. My wife said she doesn’t generally like the paella that I make, but she really liked this one. Thank you so much for sharing the recipe!

  100. 5 stars
    This recipe is great, simple, I’ve made it a few times already and gotten rave reviews .

    I’ve actually marinated the chicken in garlic, lemon and cilantro for an hour prior to putting into the pan.

    Also I replaced the tomatoes with a 500ml can of diced tomatoes

    lastly, I added a tube of spicy chorizo, cooked it prior to adding it to the pan.

    So good!!!

  101. 4 stars
    I made a vegan version of this using canned mock duck (seitan), hearts of palm, green beans, asparagus, mushrooms, peas, and chickpeas using a vegetable broth. First time making paella since I left my ex in 2008 (he got custody of the paella pan!). Very good!

  102. I am currently cooking this and am at the step to add the shrimp. The rice is not even near ready. I have had paella in Spain in restaurants, in a mountain village, cooked in a gigantic paella pan, in a little house by men during a fiesta. I’ve had it in a mountain side restaurant made especially for a group of us. I bought packaged paella spice in Spain. I haven’t made it for years & usually just “wing” it but today, I decided to follow a recipe. I added mushrooms and as it’s Asparagus season, I cut the stalks at a slant thinking it would replace the lovely, big, flat beans that are in the Spanish paella. We’ll see how it goes. I have reverted to the usual method of cooking rice, on low & covered, because this was just not getting cooked & I could not imagine it being done after sitting off the heat for 5 minutes. After cooking on low for another 45 minutes, I was still left with a pan of soggy rice. Way too much liquid. If I make it again, I will definitely adjust the amount of liquid for the amount of rice.

  103. Side note, your patience with some of these comments is very impressive! Jeez. I read a comment once read on Marcella Hazan’s bolognese recipe in NYT Cooking that I think said it best: there are probably as many “authentic” bolognese recipes as there are kitchens in Bologne.

    Everybody needs to take a deep breath!

  104. Hi Lauren! Thank you for sharing, looking forward to making this 🙂 I have a couple questions for ya:

    – I noticed you listed this as 6 servings, but I can’t tell if that means nutritional servings or if the recipe serves 6. Would you recommend 1.5 or 2x-ing the recipe for 4 – 6 guests?
    – Thinking I might throw in some lobster tails along with the rest of the seafood at the end, would you recommend any modifications to cook time etc.?

    Thanks again!

  105. Made it today. It is nice but really needs an acid. I’d say the lemon should not be optional.

  106. Made this recipe a couple of times, and I love it. This time round, I followed to the letter the thing about leaving the rice undisturbed to cook, and it’s given a lovely brown crustiness. Really nice. Of course I was reading it on my phone, and didn’t scroll down all the way to see the actual quantities, but what I did was pretty much correct. I love that it’s quite a slow process, so the flavours really infuse. I have a proper paella pan which is quite wide, and I use a barbecue to cook it – it’s one of those ones where you can raise and lower the bed of coals, so you have a very good control of temperature. It works perfectly.

  107. 5 stars
    Good recipe I liked it a lot and my husband loved it… However I posted it on a forum with an image and got so much hate …. No idea why 😣

    1. Sorry you got hate Ash, I’m sure your dish was lovely! Some people are very fanatic about authentic recipes and forget that everyone should mostly do whatever they want (to eat) in the privacy of their home. Never mind the haters!

  108. 5 stars
    I made this for my mom’s 81 st birthday and it turned out amazing 🤩. I didn’t have a paella pan so I used my large cast iron skillet and it worked perfectly but was full right to the brim. Some of the rice in the bottom outer edge’s didn’t cook properly so At the end I did have to do a bit of stirring and cook a bit longer 😉. I would also up the smoked paprika.

  109. 5 stars
    Just got back from Spain and we were craving another paella☺️This hit the mark perfectly. No seafood but everything else as the recipe. T’was delicious, even got a bit of caramelised scrapy bit on the bottom😁

  110. 5 stars
    This recipe was so good! I used acorn squash instead of mussels and clams and canned diced tomatoes without the juice for the chopped tomatoes.
    I also added two packets of Spanish paella seasoning from the local Spanish market in addition to the other spices.
    I will make this again!

    1. Store in the fridge. I usually just reheat leftovers in the microwave. For the stove, sprinkle the top with a tiny bit of water, apply the lid and steam on medium heat until warmed through.

  111. 5 stars
    Perfect! Sorry, I have to confess that I was skeptical. I made some adjustment due to not having certain ingredients (chicken, stock…), and the results were amazing. A perfect flavorful moist paella. Thank you so much. This recipe will be in rotation in our home.

  112. 5 stars
    I lived in Italy for several years at the end of the 70s into the early 80s, and spent as much time as possible in Spain (particularly Barcelona). I l-o-v-e-d the cuisine of Italy and Spain, and THIS recipe is brilliant and authentic tasting. It is now my one and only recipe for paella. Well done and THANKS! All best wishes.

  113. 5 stars
    I heard from a seafood chef and cookbook author I know of that he uses Aneto Seafood Broth if he doesn’t have time to make his homemade broth. To make the dish keto, you can use cauliflower rice in place of real rice.

  114. 4 stars
    Made a veggie version of this in an iron pan last night, turned out quite well. Halving the recipe, I used Calrose rice – no soccarat developed even though I didn’t stir – and canned diced tomatoes. Because I make risotto a lot, I know to start with a less liquid and add more as needed to achieve the right consistency.

    1. 5 stars
      I don’t think the soccarat is easy to achieve; I’ve recipes for paella from many cooks who acknowledge that. I’m sure there is a science to it, around having the rice cooked well but not overcooked, and the bottom crispy and tasty but not burned. I’ll bet it depends on the type of pan used, the level of heat, and maybe even the type of heat. Paella cooked over an open fire has to yield a different result than cooked in the oven or on the stove. It’s one of life’s mysteries!

  115. Honestly your recipe is the best ! I absolutely loved it. I had to use black rice for health reasons but it was still so so good !!! Thank you for sharing your recipe ! V

  116. 5 stars
    I’ve made this three times and it is delicious!!! I use only vegetables to make it vegetarian. I sauté’ the vegetables at the point in recipe where it says to cook the chicken, etc. So far it has turned out well! We have been to Spain twice (just recently in the fall so I was very excited to make this recipe!)

  117. 5 stars
    I spent time in Spain as well. Thank you for this recipe , I seldom leave comments but had to leave one here. The only adjustment I plan to make is to use 4 cups of broth instead of 5 as the rice was perfectly cooked but significant reducing was required after the 10 minute sit period. Thank You!!!!

  118. 5 stars
    Excellent! Thank you so much! I’ve never added white wine to my paella and this was the secret ingredient mine was missing. I used Arroz Dasca Rice from Valencia that I purchased at the Basque Market. Lots of chorizo, chicken thighs, shrimp, and clams. Just perfect! Smoked paprika from Trader Joe’s, more than a few pinches of saffron, tripled the garlic. Just personal preferences.

  119. 5 stars
    We’ve made this recipe twice and it’s fantastic. I’ve always loved paella but have struggled with pans/burners/etc. I used a pan similar to that described in the recipe and it works out well. Rice is crispy on the bottom and the flavors are fantastic.

  120. 5 stars
    We made this recipe for a 50th birthday family dinner. Everyone really enjoyed the paella. Excellent recipe, we used our homemade chorizo, chicken thighs, lots of jumbo shrimp, scallops and mussels. We steamed some crab legs to go with the paella. This recipe is definitely a keeper, thanks for sharing

  121. 4 stars
    I used 4 split 3oz rock lobster tails, 4 colossal fresh water shrimp, a 2 lb bag of mussels, and about 8oz of bay scallops in this. I pre cooked the bay scallops(seared),+ mussels,shucked the shellfish and used all the shells for a stock (got about 7cups of reduced stock. Would recommend using med-med high heat on electric ranges for a deeper crust. If using smoked paprika use 1/2tsp smoked 1/2tsp sweet. White vermouth or vodka can also be used to deglaze.

    1. 5 stars
      Thank you so much for the recipe. I followed it exactly and it turned out just like the picture and was delicious. Perfect for my Spanish theme dinner party!

  122. Made this dish for Valentines day dinner. Used cherryneck clams, shrimp, and chorizo instead of the chicken. Delicious!

  123. 5 stars
    Delicious recipe. Amazing how much flavor you can achieve in such a short cook time.
    My wife was skeptical that our young boys would like it but as it turns out, it was the most amazing dish they’ve had. So 5 stars from them!
    The only variation to the recipe was that I flash sautéed the calamari first and set aside until the final step.

  124. Can you recommend a pan? I have a paella pan, but it’s too large on the stove top. I want to make this next week.

    1. There’s a link to a pan in the post but you can use any large pan! Please come let us know what you think of it!

    2. 4 stars
      A large well seasoned cast iron pan will do. I use cast iron for everything. Am a non believer in non stick. Oil and pan temp are key.

  125. 5 stars
    This is super. First time making paella and very happy with the result. Everyone loves it. Thank you for sharing. Much appreciated.

  126. 5 stars
    I have made this twice, and both were very good. The first time I couldn’t find Bomba rice so used brown Calrose, which takes much longer to cook, which in turn threw everything off schedule for me. Still tasty, but hard to get the rice right. This time I had white Bomba, and it worked perfectly. Delicious dish. Thank you!

  127. This recipe is absolutely delicious , so much-so i am shopping for ingredients now to make it again this week I left out calamari we not big fans of it I added thin carrot battens it worked really well. thank you for sharing this recipe Lauren X

  128. 5 stars
    This recipe was pretty legit. I changed a couple things but followed the changes recommended. My family loved it.

  129. 5 stars
    Great recipe! I added spanish chorizo. Used chicken stock but thought I’d share a great quick substitute for seafood stock is clam juice if you want more of a seafood flavor. I’m trying that next time.

  130. Do you have suggestions as to how to modify if we wanted to make the recipes using the seafood stock instead of using chicken stock?

  131. 5 stars
    Thanks for the recipe. It is really worth the 5* rating (this is he way i’ve chosen it). I used a few pieces chorizo in step 2, frozen precooked seafood, but for me it is still your authentic recipe. Nice disclaimer btw, oops step 1. 😉 Cheers

  132. 5 stars
    This was delicious!! I feel like I can make this as a special recipe for company, and I plan to make it on Christmas Eve (planning ahead!) Thank you for a wonderful, step by step, recipe. The only thing I needed to do was add more broth/water for the rice. I used the medium grain, but still needed almost all 5 cups. Thank you again for making me feel like a chef!

  133. 5 stars
    I found the rice measurement a little confusing…we want two cups cooked rice by the end, or we want two cups uncooked rice going in?…I assume it is the latter as I had a lot of liquid after the 15-18 min. We ended up having more of a paella soup…and it was incredibly delicious!

  134. 5 stars
    I have never cooked seafood before, I know nothing about Spanish rice or saffron. I barely know what I’m doing in the kitchen… but this recipe was easy to follow, and easy to put together and I was ecstatic when it came out perfectly! It was THE BEST meal I ever made- and I can make a few dishes well. I will make this again and again! Thank you!

  135. 5 stars
    First time making paella. Directions were easy and simple to follow. Used some substitutions; came out tasting great. Pickey eaters had seconds! Will make this again and again.

  136. 5 stars
    Fast, easy, delicious. Added carrots, celery, sweet Italian sausage and some chicken breast. Used vigo yellow paella rice mix.

  137. Hi! I bought all of the ingredients and was just about to start making this but I realized there are no instructions for cooking the seafood. I bought fresh mussels and shrimp and I don’t understand when to add them to the dish or how to cook them. Any help would be much appreciated!

  138. 4 stars
    Thank you for posting this recipe! I left out the chorizo for the non-meat eaters so I bet this tastes even better at your house than at mine, LOL. Even stripped down it was loved by all. Will definitely make again.

  139. 4 stars
    I made this recipe with my grown kids last night, having never made paella before. It was delicious! & beautiful- wish we’d taken pictured! I looked at a lot of recipes & chose this one as a guide. Good guidance! It was fun to get precise numbers of mussels (6, but one was a dud,) clams (9,) & shrimp (16 for the 5 of us) & arrange it all with chunks of rockfish & cod on top of the rice mix. I finally used the huge Staub paella pan, that I’ve used for everything BUT paella, for its intended purpose. I added a bunch of Spanish chorizo, which was great for flavor. Will add a couple more cloves of garlic next time. Thank you for a great recipe! Oh…& my socarrrat was ALMOST good. I need to master the crustiness, but it was an acceptable first attempt!

  140. 5 stars
    I made this last year for Christmas and it was a huge hit! Even my children loved it! It is now an easy and savory go to Christmas dish that I will be making with Bruschetta.

  141. 5 stars
    Looks delicious! Will attempt tomorrow. Would you say I can use this recipe for an 18” paella pan or should I double the ingredients? Thank you

  142. This was a great hit at our Thanksgiving gathering! Next time I’ll try seafood broth. Thanks for a wonderful recipe!

  143. 5 stars
    I have the same question as Karina von Byern
    What is your recommendation as to be able to make the Paella a few hours before, say in the morning and serving it at a dinner night?
    I have this doubt.
    What are the rules in the manual of Paella experts.
    Thank you kindly
    Biserka

    1. Katrina
      I found out this to yours and mine question regarding the possibility to prepare the Paella ahead of of time.
      Paella will last for 3-4 days in the fridge or 3 months in the freezer. Never leave your paella sitting at room temperature for more than two hours. The rice and the seafood are magnets for harmful bacteria. I always aim to store my paella as soon as possible, but definitely within one hour.Aug 10, 2021

  144. My first try, Sooooooo good, I used sazon in place of the saffron everything else as written. Loved it, I will be doing this again.

  145. 5 stars
    Fantastic! We used Pork, shrimp and mussels and it was fabulous. Having been to Spain a few times, this is truly on point. I do like to use the Aneto Fish Broth- yum- very savory.

    1. What makes it not authentic?? I thought it was very accurate based on my travels to Spain.

  146. 5 stars
    Great recipe. We used Andouille & Gulf Shrimp. Thanks for sharing, we are enjoying as I type. So delicious. We made it in a Le Cruset and used Better Than Bouilliin Roasted Chicken Base & Jasmin Rice (all I had in the house). North Country SmokeHouse Brand for the Andouille. Wow is all I can say. And we kicked it up with a bit of hot red pepper from our garden. But the Andouille was hot enough.

  147. Thanks so much for the recipe! I made it with san marzano tomatoes, scallops instead of calamari, and vegetable/seafood broth. It was fantastic. It was my first attempt at paella and it was for my in-laws, so I was a little nervous. But it was a very huge hit!

  148. Lauren, what a fantastic recipe. I added the meat from a couple of lobster tails that I had in my freezer just for the heck of it and I chilled some sangria to serve with it. What a great dish. Thank you for putting in the time to share your fabulous recipe with so many others. My wife also thanks you.

  149. Thank you for this recipe. It looks delicious! I don’t want to include white wine. Do I just leave it out or is there something else I should substitute for it?

      1. Does it change the flavor drastically to leave out the wine? I’d like to omit it as well but am concerned about end result.

  150. Thank you Lauren for the recipe, very easy to make and it came out delicious. First time making paella.
    I used chorizo instead of chicken, and doubled up on spices because of our preferences. Everything else the same. Thanks again,

  151. 5 stars
    I stayed in Madrid for three months a few years ago and this is the closest Paella recipe I have found to the real deal! Absolutely delicious!

  152. 5 stars
    My husband and I cooked this together and it was fun and delicious! Kids enjoyed it too. This was better than what we had in Barcelona. Question: does the calorie count refer to the entire recipe or 1/6th? Thank you.

  153. I had tried many different paella recipes, including ‘authentic’ Spanish ones in Spanish too, but this is the only one that came out consistently perfect. Thank you so much!!!

  154. 4 stars
    We make it exactly to your recipe in a paella pan on the gas grill. It took probably 4x as long to cook. It was more like an hour on medium low than 15-18 minutes. we also had to add about 1-2 cups more water and leaving it uncovered made it a lot longer. Not sure what we did wrong, but maybe it depends on the grill and how far away the burner is from the pan. Tasted pretty good except the chicken was dry. So I would definitely watch so that you add it after the rice has been cooking away. Thoughts?

    1. 5 stars
      When cooking rice, leaving it uncovered always slows things down. Instead of cooking with steam, the steam just leaves the pan, instead of cooking the rice. Covering makes a big difference.

  155. I could not find how many it serves. I have made paella before but it has been years. It’s always important to include serving size. Thanks

  156. 5 stars
    This was my first time making this dish and it was outstanding. Thanks for the excellent step by step directions.

  157. Oh MY gosh … was looking to cooking something different for friends who we haven’t seen since lockdown 🙁 wanted a dish we could enjoy as a group .. can I tell you 6 adults and nothing.. and I mean nothing was left ..
    We did it on the grill , we had a paella pan , seafood chicken and chorizo… Valencia rice … we killed it .. it could not have come out any better .. if they didn’t watch me make it .. they would swear I bought it from a restaurant..
    glad I found your recipe

  158. 5 stars
    I rarely follow recipes exactly, but I did with this (including chorizo) and it was perfect! I ended up using short grain California rice (sushi rice) which I wasn’t sure would work, but it was great! Thanks for a fabulous recipe!!

  159. 5 stars
    Followed this recipe to a ‘T’ and it turned out fabulous. We used prawns, bay scallops and mussels for the seafood and it was delicious!

  160. Amazing recipe, so full of interesting flavors. I used calrose rice, large white shrimp (Thailand), chicken thighs & queso & pepper jack cheese sausages & followed the recipe exactly otherwise. Will send it to all of my friends & family – so memorable. My mouth is watering for repeat servings tonight.

  161. This is very similar to the way I make paella but with Spanish chorizo. It gives it flavor and color. I always use Arborio rice since it’s readily available. I didn’t know World Market carriers it. I’ll look for it next year. We make it every year over an open fire when we go camping. It just doesn’t taste the same when I make it in the oven. The fire gets so hot and creates the socarrat , the crispy bottom layer.

  162. 5 stars
    Excellent…we found this recipe because we needed to make a dish for an assignment for my son’s Spanish class. I figured we’d make it, take pics, eat it and be done. We were blown away – wouldn’t change a thing…will make this again for my friends who are from Nicaragua. LOVE.

  163. 5 stars
    Nailed it! Great recipe adjusted to a US kitchen. I loved how you gave us an excellent explanation of ingredients and options… like our family that eats seafood but not chicken or other meats. I bet it tastes even better tomorrow. I would make this again but search out some real Spanish rice. I’m glad you said to cut the liquids for Calrose rice. Not only did it taste good but it looked super impressive so this will be a keeper.

  164. 5 stars
    I don’t usually leave reviews or ratings or any kind of feedback, but I had to comment my thoughts on this recipe as applause to the writer and a thank you for sharing the information. As a college student, I’ve had to start cooking for myself much more and I love challenging myself to make some of my favorite restaurant foods at a fraction of the cost. Paella is a dish I love but always found intimidating to make. This recipe worked wonderfully and I loved that the author included the separate meat, spices, and vegetable parts and made it easily customizable to the ingredients I usually buy and have on hand and which parts are crucial to any paella (like the type of rice, the saffron seasoning, etc). It was also great to see so many suggestions for different variants to suit different palettes. This was a HUGE hit and I will definitely be making more in the future. Thank you for sharing your experience with making paella.

  165. 5 stars
    It was so simple to make, I did not have some of the ingredients so I replaced chicken with Cajun sausage, smoked paprika to ancho chile, parsley to cilantro and Roma tomatoes to on the vine tomatoes. I followed the recipe for everything else. It came out delicious. Great recipe. You can alternate to your taste. When using the basic ingredients to build the paella you do have endless possibilities. Thank you. I cannot wait to make this for a family gathering once Covid is over.

  166. Any similarities with the authentic paella is pure coincidence. This dish is simply rice with things. If you go to Valencia one day you’ll see this is not paella at all in any of its variants.
    At least you didn’t used chorizo. We can be happy for that. 😀

    1. I think the author stated that this recipe was based on what she learned from her host in Madrid, and is not claiming this is your authentic Valencian paella. Similarly we can appreciate that many people have their own interpretation of world cuisines. For instance, Asian cuisine in US, Canadian, UK, Argentinian and French restaurants taste nothing like the real deal in Asia. That doesn’t mean we can’t enjoy it. If you have some constructive suggestions on how to make a more authentic paella, please post. I think we would all like to learn.

    2. 5 stars
      Paella is made differently in different regions. This is a delicious recipe. I served it to my family, who are quick to let me know when a recipe is not up to par. They devoured it and asked me to keep it in my repertoire of their favorites. I will most certainly do that.

  167. 1 star
    This was too much rice compared to ingredients. One cup would have been sufficient. Two cups made it like glue and took 3 x as long.

  168. This seems to be the best recipe I can find, but not practical for me (or most of the World outside USA) owing to so many units (varying mass, volume) being in CUPS!!!’???

  169. 5 stars
    Delicious! I cooked my chicken thighs separate prior to adding them, so they were seared prior, and then added my chicken broth to the chicken thighs, and then pour both into the rice mixture, that way I got more flavor from my chicken throughout. All the measurements worked out perfect! I used the calrose rice with less water as you recommended. This is as close to the best paella I have made that is authentic. Thank you for sharing all your secrets to making a flavorful paella! Highly recommend!

  170. 5 stars
    Made this tonight on a Weber kettle and it came out well. I did, however, double the paprika and start with chorizo. I didn’t cut up the chicken thighs but I did give them a good sear as the first step. The family loved your recipe so thank you very much for it!

  171. 5 stars
    Delish! I 1/2ed the recipe so that it would fit in my cast iron skillet. I used jarred pimentos, frozen peas and capers as vegetables. I got a pretty good crust! Splashed liberally with lemon at the end. One of the best things I’ve made this year!!!

  172. 5 stars
    I made this for my mom for Mother’s Day and she loved it! Since I had to use medium-grain rice, I only used a little over 2 c of chicken broth and it work perfectly! I was a little nervous about the chicken cooking all the way but it definitely did. If you are worried about it, I would recommend using small cut up pieces and pushing them down all the way into the rice. The socarrat was delicious as well. When I make this again, I will do all the prep beforehand. Trying to debone and cut up chicken thighs took me longer than I thought and I had to briefly put the rest of it on low because it ended up being a twenty minute process that was supposed to fit in my ten minute window after adding white wine. Fortunately, the rest of the mixture ended up none the worse for its simmer. As a bonus, my mom took leftovers for her lunch today and said that it’s very good cold. Thanks so much for a great recipe!

  173. 5 stars
    This was my first attempt at paella and I was really nervous that I could end up ordering pizza for my guests if it didn’t turn out! Everyone was really happy with it! Not stirring the rice did pose to be a little bit of an issue as the rice on the outter rim wasn’t done. That was the only obstacle. The seafood was perfectly done and the flavor was spot-on. I will definitely keep this recipe!

  174. 1 star
    I have a massive cast iron (13 in). I had most ingredients in and about 2 cups of broth and it was filled to the brim. Followed the cool time and added a little bit of broth throughout just to keep to the 5 cups. The rice is complete mush at the end. Don’t bother with this recipe it will waste your time and money and ingredients. Complete shame.

  175. There is not many versions of paella, but many dishes done in a paellera ( Paella pan), so I am sorry to say that it’s nothing authentic, specially when you skip the more important steps of paella, the broth is always maid from fish (paella is a dish invent in a fisher village to make the most of the fish using heads and bones. As you said paella is done with a special rice “Arroz bomba” you never put onion because the rice will overcook. The meat will be a mix of chicken and pork, fried with garlic first thing and set aside to seal the meat and leave taste to oil. Paella has only to spices sweet paprika (de la Vera) and saffron, no bay leaves or anything else. Sure you can modify some ingredients like seafood what it is not obligatory and the recipe you post I am sure it is wonderful, however if you don’t respect the above I am sorry to tell you but it is just a dish of rice and not “Paella”

  176. 5 stars
    I lived near jerez de la frontera 3 years and there is one key ingredient you left out! Fine spanish dry sherry! Dont add it to the dish… add it to your glass! LOL. Tio Pepe is best brand and anyone from Andalusia would tell you it is a must, served cold. I love your dish, and for my taste I add clam broth and make my one chicken broth from chicken backs and feet from the farmers market. Thanks so much.. Salud!

  177. 5 stars
    Absolutely loved this recipe! I have been to Spain a few times & always wanted to try my hand at making this at home. WOW. Relatively easy to make and a one pot meal!! What more could you ask for. 🙂 Thank you so much for this amazing recipe!!

  178. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe! Excited I have extra seafood so I can make it again next week! Took more like an hour and 45 minutes to make the first time. Next time I’m sure I will be quicker but give yourself extra time. I omitted the chicken, added much extra wine than shown in the video, and we added some Louisiana hot sauce once plated. Highly recommend this recipe!

  179. 5 stars
    My 10 year old son chose to make a traditional Spanish dish for his Spanish project. He found this recipe and made it last night. The instructions were easy enough that he was able to follow them and make this dish with very little help from me. This was amazing! Even my husband, who doesn’t like seafood unless it is fried loved this. What was just going to be a one time meal will now be a regular dinner in our house. Thank you so much for this recipe!

  180. 5 stars
    Only been to Spain once but this most closely resembles the paella I recall. Mine had a bit of a crust on the bottom of the cast iron pan. Next time I may pop it in the oven for a few minutes at the end of cook time to see if I can produce even more of that crispy goodness.

  181. Hi Lauren,

    Not having a paella (the dish is named after the pan it is cooked in) should never be an excuse for not making this amazing dish, so kudos to you for pointing that out and explaining people how to do it without!

    In theory the chicken in your recipe can be cooked all the way through even without sautéing it, but it would depend on how small you cut the pieces. In Spain you will be hard pressed to find a cook that doesn’t start her paella without sautéing, not only for health reasons, but also because it gives a ton of flavout to the chicken and the broth for the paella.

    So for health and yum reasons I would suggest to start with heating your olive oil, sauté the chicken until golden, take it out of the pan and keep warm, and then start your sofrito and all the remaining steps. Once you have the rice and broth in and everything is spread out evenly, you can then place the chicken pieces on top.

    Keep up the good work!

  182. 5 stars
    Love it!!!
    I just made it for dinner tonight. Its absolutely yum! I didnt have the proper rice though… its not available where I am but the flavour is just amazing!
    I am definitely save this recipe for next time.
    Thank you for this recipe.

  183. 1 star
    Yeah, no. I lived Spain AND have made Paella myself. This is NOT a good recipe. I should’ve known better . A good Paella is labor intensive if you want to get the flavors ,the rice, and the seafood to cook just right. It must be covered so the rice can cook properly. I was very disappointed with this recipe. It lacked the flavors of a good Paella. No shortcuts here!!

  184. Please, don’t lie. That is not the authentic paella. It’s like “I’m going to cook a classic american burger, and I’ll use cod and tuna, some seaweed and mexdican tortillas”. Just don’t call it “Authetic Paella”. Call it “rice with seafood” and that’s fine.

  185. 5 stars
    Amazing recipe! I made the spanish rice from a separate box and I think the seasoning from that added a lot of extra flavor as well. I used canned diced tomatoes instead of tomato sauce. I used a whole box of chicken broth and a whole box mix, but even with the proportions slightly off, this recipe was amazing. Loved what the smokiness of the paprika did combined with the wine and saffron. Smelled amazing!

  186. 5 stars
    Great recipe. Works with a cast iron deep skillet. I will say, however, I had leftover cooked chicken so I sauteed chorizo and shrimp separately and added cooked chicken pieces, preseared chorizo, and preseared shrimp at the very end (before 10 minute rest). The chorizo bits add just the right additional kick this recipe needs! The chicken broth has all the salt you need. I have made this with Bomba and with Calrose. It’s best with Bomba. We have this weekly, the day after a roast chicken dinner (using leftover bits of chicken and steamed asparagus from that meal). Thanks for the simple, yet impressive, meal!

  187. 1 star
    The recipe is garbage, as was the meal. Followed the directions and ended up with hard, inedible rice and raw seafood after the 23 minute cook time. What a waste of $50.

    1. Ah yes clearly it’s the recipe that is wrong. I guess eeeeeeveryone else got a great outcome by just….not following the recipe? Maybe you should reflect on your own cooking skills instead of blaming the recipe?

    2. 1 star
      Maybe you have little or no experience cooking rice or seafood. Perhaps you used a rice that requires 45 minutes to cook; if so, obviously it won’t. Seafood should cook adequately in 23 minutes.

      I’m sorry this didn’t work for you, but it might well be you, and not the recipe

  188. 5 stars
    I made this for my son’s 40th birthday dinner. He is a week younger than your brother and your mom and I both named our first boys the same, but we were not aware. Bet you didn’t know that!!
    Anyway, the Paella was phenomenal! It was beautiful to look at AND it was delicious! I would post a picture of how it turned out just to show you, but I don’t think I can.

  189. That is true:
    1. About what you have to use as a rice. BOMBA
    2. That it is very important to rest paella.
    3. Not stirring rice

    Wrong:
    1. Add raw chicken. NEVER. Should at least precook it. Check USDA guidelines. Can’t put a raw chicken on a rice and do not touch it.
    2. If you think your rice is undercooked – think again. It will be overcooked after resting under a foil for 10 minutes.
    3. You will never get socarrat with this recipe. Evaporate all liquids, make sure your rice is 80% cooked. Turn your stove to high for 3 minutes , do not touch. You will hear a “popcorn”sound. That is when you take it off the heat and cover with a foil. Less liquid > crust.

    I have never lived in Madrid.
    But….
    I have a culinary diploma. 🙂
    Refer to CIA (not intelligence agency) cooking book or a website.
    And that is not about a varieties of paella.
    Food safety should be first.

    1. Sit down, Mr CIA. I dare to tell any Spanish grandma not to add raw or seared chicken to uncooked rice to finish cooking it. Also, did they not teach you about how pasteurization works, or how cooking boneless chicken thighs with rice for 25 minutes will safely cook it?

      Or did they not teach you how to read a recipe properly? The chicken is mixed in with the rice, not “put raw chicken on rice”.

      1. 5 stars
        2nd ‘Not CIA.’ What is this BS about raw chicken not touching rice. It makes absolutely no sense.

  190. Apologies if someone else asked already but would you have any advice on adjusting the instructions to make in an instant pot? We just moved and it’s only reliable cookware we really have at the moment and this recipe looks more promising than any instant pot specific ones I can find.

    1. For the instant pot you would want a 1:1 ratio of water and rice and cook for 8 minutes high pressure, with a 10 minute natural release. I don’t recommend cooking the seafood for that long, only chicken. I would cook seafood separately.

  191. 4 stars
    Next time I will double the salt, add a touch more saffron, and add 1 more clove of garlic. Just a bit bland, but otherwise beautiful!

  192. 5 stars
    Made it last night, SO delicious. Made it exactly per your recipe, just left out some of the seafood and added in chorizo. Highly recommend this recipe!

  193. 2 stars
    Ended up mushy. I will however say flavors were great but followed recipe to a T and was mushy and mussels and scallops I ended up using were not cooked fully. I even let rest for 3 min longer. I know what I could do next time to make right but with what I spent on this dish and the excitement I shared with the wife and daughter while making it. We all were disappointed.

  194. hi Lauren,
    Im making this paella for my family tonight and the left overs will to my son. How long can the paella last in fridge? Can I divide it into sections and freeze? Excited to make what sounds like a delicious meal.
    thank you Bessa

  195. 5 stars
    First time making paella and I used this recipe. Came out amazing! I like that everything is in one pan and that the rice is done toward the end so it absorbs all the flavors in the dish. Thank You!

  196. I am making this dish this weekend for family and I have a 18 “ paella pan. Will I need to adjust the rice and broth ratio?

    1. Fun! No, but it may cook quicker, since everything has more room to spread out. OR you could make more (like 1.5x the recipe, for that bigger pan).

  197. 2 stars
    I followed the recipe to a T using a 12 inch pan. The dish turned out overcooked and bland. I take blame for the blandness (obviously needed more seasoning), but the paella should be cooked in a paella pan in order for it to be evenly cooked. It took well over 35 minutes for the rice to absorb the five cups of broth, by which point it was too mushy. The paella pan is much wider and has a more even heat area distribution. I was disappointed with my first attempt at making paella as it looked delicious but tasted awful. I look forward to trying this again using an authentic paella pan.

    1. Hi Andrew, did you use the right type of rice? And you’re right, next time feel free to adjust the seasonings to your liking.

  198. 5 stars
    This was amazing!! My family loved it! I added some chorizo sausage to this recipe along with the chicken thighs, mussels and shrimp. Outstanding!

  199. 5 stars
    My wife and I made this together for a valentines day stay-date and it was DELICIOUS! We made it with shrimp and chicken thighs. Ours looked a little creamier than your video did – we thought it almost had a risotto-like quality to it. Would lessening the amount of stock help with this? Also, the recipe calls for 1 onion, but on your video it looked like significantly less. did you use a smaller onion?

    We’re thinking of using this as a base recipe and experimenting with some other flavors. We thought it would be good with an additional spicy kick, so I think we’re going to add chorizo. Do you have any thoughts on what other spices we could use to punch it up a bit?

    Thank you for posting this! We had fun making it together, and enjoyed our “date” immensely!

    1. Hi! Usually, to avoid risotto consistency, you should not stir it when it’s simmering. Stirring releases the starch making it creamy which is like a characteristic of risotto. I usually add less broth and when it dries I add more if needed. Enjoy!

  200. Hi Sameuel and Lauren, I made this last night for Valentine’s weekend. I used arborio rice, as that is what I had on hand. BUT I will take your advice and look for BOMBA rice for next time. It turned out fantastic, with just the right amount of liquid. I let it rest for the full 10 minutes afterwards and I feel that some of the liquid was absorbed at that time. We have made many paella recipes but this is a good one, because of the only one pot. My husband said it was delicious and we have eaten paella many, many times in France, Spain and in Montreal restaurants. I regret not venturing out in -30 C weather to buy some fresh mussels, as that is what I felt was missing. Thank you for sharing. Also, I did not know that the Spaniards like the bottom of rice in the pan to get crusty. The Korean’s like to do this with rice as well.

  201. 5 stars
    Hello! I’m about to make Paella for some friends this weekend and wanted to check on the rice to broth ratio. Is it really 5 cups of broth for 2 cups of rice (more than 2x)? Additionally, I was afraid 2 cups of rice would not be enough for 6 guests. I’m just a bit concerned because when I have cooked paella in the past, it always turned out too watery (like a gumbo). Would love some advice in that regard!

    1. Hi Samuel–the rice to water ratio will depend on the type of rice. If you’re using traditional Spanish bomba rice, you will need that much liquid! Check the package of your rice and adjust the liquid accordingly, if needed.

  202. 5 stars
    Hello, I’ve made this recipe twice now and it’s better than some of the paella I’ve had in Spain. It’s incredible. Thanks for sharing!

  203. 5 stars
    Delicious recipe and spot on! I made this for 8 (so I increased ingredients where necessary) and got rave reviews. Instead of mussels and calamari, I used Spanish chorizo and prosciutto, as I prefer more meat to the shellfish. The consistency using Bomba rice was perfect. I had used Arborio rice before and it was too mushy. Thank you for sharing your recipe!

  204. I wonder why you say that Arborio rice is not a good substitute? I have searched many recipes and it is often named as appropriate. That said I am eager to try your technique because my results are inconsistent – perhaps because of the Arborio!?

    1. I feel arborio rice yields too much of a creamy texture and not the right final consistency you want for paella. I know others disagree with me, but I think there are better alternatives (like calrose rice), then arborio, if you can’t find bomba rice.

  205. 5 stars
    I made this last night and it was unbelievable. I’ve never made paella before, but this came together perfectly and was surprisingly easy to make. I made some substitutions, using veggie sausage, scallops and squid (no chicken, shrimp, muscles) and I used regular white basmati rice. Definitely going to add this to my rotation 🙂

  206. This is like making gumbo without a roux – you can call it gumbo, but it ain’t gumbo without a roux. And paella ain’t paella without sofrito (which, like a good roux, takes around 40-60 minutes to make). And what about the socarrat?!? Sorry, but hard to ignore these two key aspects of AUTHENTIC paella.

  207. 5 stars
    I studied in Madrid for a year and this recipe has authentic flavor and is easily customizable for the American pantry and kitchen. The recipe generously filled my 13″ paellera and this is the first time that the rice has turned out the way it is supposed to. No stirring! Gracias to you and your señora.

  208. 5 stars
    Amazing!!! This is the first time I’ve made Paella, and everyone in the house LOVED it. Thank you so much for the easy to follow recipe! We will definitely be making this again and again

  209. The recipe doesn’t say whether this paella will have that crunch of rice on the bottom. Will it? Or do I have to do something different to achieve that.

    1. It’s called the socarrat, and I talk about it under “rice for paella” within the post. Hope you get to try the recipe.

  210. 5 stars
    My first time creating paella. This recipe is awesome.
    I used chorizo, chicken thighs, shrimp.
    All from Aldi’s.
    It is fantastic.
    I probably did not have the ” proper” rice, but used a Spanish rice.
    Cut back on the chicken stock , to 4 cups.
    Absolutely delicious.
    And we have a Spanish restaurant here in Cocoa Village Florida. This recipe rivals their paella

  211. 5 stars
    this was a hit… i did the seafood version, no chicken and it came out great. i didnt have saffron so i added 1/4 tsp tumeric instead. will be making again.

  212. 5 stars
    Excellent recipe. First time for paella and hit it out of the park. Did chorizo and shrimp with chicken broth. Going to try clam broth next time and maybe some other types of seafood.

  213. Hi
    We cook paella all the time and I do make with real paella pans which I find does help. Often use pheasant and rabbits with no sea food or seafood without meat my friend vincente’ tUght me. He is from Valencia but has lived here 37 years today I am making with seafood. Langustine , muscles and Nantucket bay scoops. Vincente always likes chorizo too. He likes beans and artichokes we generally are more liberal on olive oil as it makes a crustier saphorito

  214. I have made a couple of your recipes and looking forward to tackling this one. Since I found your website I got my love for cooking back and want to thank you.

  215. Looking forward to trying this paella recipe. In the past I have had trouble getting my top layer of rice to be fully cooked… but I’m not a quitter… I will keep trying!!

  216. This is delicious recipe, but one off the most difficult to follow. It took two of us on the same site: one to look at the ingredient measures, and the other to interpret the travel blog disguised as a recipe.

    1. Your comment made me laugh. I’m glad you liked the recipe. This post and recipe development took me over 50 hours of work to recipe develop and write up (I take pride in making sure the post has all of the information anyone needs to make the recipe perfectly –especially for a recipe like this where the ingredients are expensive and it takes time to make). I wont apologize for sharing a photo of my experience living in Spain. It completely legitimizes my authority to share a Paella recipe, being an American. Next time, don’t miss the “jump to recipe” button at the top of the post so you can quickly skip over everything you don’t want to read. 🙂

  217. 5 stars
    I just made this for Christmas Dinner 2020 for 10. It was delicious!!! The whole family loved it!

    Thanks so much

    From Texas

  218. Have you ever put your pan in the oven to finish? I love the crunch achieved in restaurants that I have never been able to accomplish. I am thinking of using my large cast iron skillet. Thank you!

  219. This looks like a great recipe, & I plan to try it for my family’s tradition of a seafood meal on New Year’s Eve, but I live in North Dakota, where seafood can be hard to come by. I found frozen mussels at Walmart & excitedly grabbed them. Only after I got home did I realize that they are already cooked. Do you think they will still work in this recipe?

  220. 5 stars
    I made this recipe tonight with only the shrimp and chicken I had on hand and it was delicious! The only thing is that the rice did not come out as yellow as in the picture or like the restaurant paella so I wonder where I could have gone wrong? I used a good pinch of saffron that I bought at Trader Joe’s. It’s a delicious recipe even though I’m sure I messed something up along the way. What an easy recipe!

  221. This is a great recipe! This was my first time making Paella and I read s lot of recipes before selecting this one. I do not have a Paella pan, but used a 16″ fry pan; it worked beautifully.

    I made this for Christmas Eve Seven Fishes Dinner so I made it with pieces of Salmon, Scallops, Shrimp, Squid and Mussels, for five of my seven fishes; it was delicious! I will definitely be making it again, but exactly as written.

  222. I searched the Internet for an “authentic” paella recipe without any cheating like using oven, etc. While the recipe has time wrong for the way I cooked calrose (I needed more time for both cooking it and resting), it was delicious! I made it 4 times and tonight is the time to use Spanish rice!

    Thank you!

  223. I’ve been making different version of Paella for years.
    My son said this was the best Paella I hade made to date.
    Thats the best compliment I could give you.
    I too enjoyed the fresh and light version.
    Thank you

  224. 5 stars
    I made this last night according to the directions with rabbit, linguica, and prawns. It turned out amazing. Truly the best paella I’ve made. Thank you.

  225. Good flavor, excellent instructions but WAY too much liquid in this recipe. Do 3.5 cups of chicken broth. I ended up cooking off broth for like 20-25 minutes so the rice was over cooked.

  226. 5 stars
    I used chicken thighs and an entire bag of mussels. The taste and appearance was great. Since I have been on a no oil vegan diet for some time, the chicken thighs and olive oil were way too greasy for me. LOL I can’t win. I am freezing the rest in small portions to use as a side dish instead of an entree. Thank you.

  227. 5 stars
    My husband and I made this tonight.. Super easy and absolutely delicious! I couldn’t find bomba rice, so I used calrose and decreased the liquid.. perfectly cooked after allowing it to rest for 10 minutes. I will absolutely make this again!

  228. 5 stars
    Had fabulous paella in Arles during the running of the bulls — wanted to come close. I did triangulate with several recipes, but mostly relied on this one especially for the actual cooking steps. Dropped onions (allergic) and added chorizo sausage using chicken thigh pieces and large shrimp for the rest of the protein. Fried sausage and briefly browned marinated chicken before folding them into the peppers, wine tomatoes, garlich etc. I marinated the chicken for several hours in paprica oregano and olive oil. Used 1.5 cups of rice and 4 cups of broth and put the saffron in the broth and heated it a bit before putting in the rice. The 18 minutes simmer time was way off for me — the rice wasn’t close to done at that point — probably 25 or more minutes before placing the shrimp and peas and then letting sit. But after the 5 minute rest the liquid was finally absorbed, the shrimp were done and it was beautiful. The dish was very tasty and my husband who had second said the second portion was better than the first and recommend letting it rest longer in the future. The taste was very close to what I remember from that night in Arles when I had the best paella I had ever had.

    1. 5 stars
      This was a great recipe! Thanks for sharing! I’m not sure what I did wrong though. Most of the rice was cooked just right, but there were some grains that were undercooked. I’ll have to try it again. It was very flavorful though!!

  229. 5 stars
    I Cooked this dish tonight, and it was unbelievably delicious. I will be making it many more times. I couldn’t find calamari so I substituted scallops. Thank you for sharing this delightful recipe.

  230. 5 stars
    This recipe was great! Even my fairly picky boyfriend loved it. I made it pretty close to recipe except I only used chicken and shrimp and used around 3.5 cups of water instead of 5. I used rice from the grocery store that said “great for paella” on the package so that could have contributed to why I didn’t need so much. Way easier to make then I expected!!

  231. This recipe was so great and I love the modifications you included. My whole family loved it including my teen who doesn’t like mixing foods together and doesn’t like rice!

  232. 5 stars
    So I have spent some time in Spain as well and fell in love with Paella. I once had it made by A friend ,Rosa, in Tarragona and watched the process from start to finish. It was cooked outside on a single burner. The process took some time which allowed for wine drinking. Many years later I was determined to make great Paella. Every recipe I found used the oven or had some variation that was far from the technique I watched in Spain. I looked for Paella recipes and they all ended up with mushy rice and were cooked in the oven. So Lauren, Im making this today but I already know its the recipe to use. Thank you for bring it back from Spain and for sharing it.

  233. Lauren, I made it for the first time for a dinner party last night and everyone loved it including the little kiddies, aged 9, 5 and 3. It was delicious!!!! I have made paella a few times before but found the recipes to be a bit cumbersome especially with the treatment of the saffron. Yours is a breeze in comparison! It’s a keeper! Thank you.
    BTW I served you peach cobbler for dessert!!! Yum!

  234. 5 stars
    This paella was fantastic! And so simple too! Would highly recommend. Tastes just like the paella my señora used to make me in Madrid!

  235. Very helpful! I like how thorough this recipe is.:))
    Very educational from the story of the recipe itself and on how to cook it.
    A great Paella cooking guide!

  236. 5 stars
    Even though I’m an Italian from Southern Louisiana, I grew up eating Paella that my mother made. And although I made it in the past, it had been a whiled so I pulled out Lauren’s Recipe. I will say I have never seen any recipe in my life that was as clearly explained and as visually pleasing as this version. And it turned out great. I live on the coast but didn’t have all the seafood but had everything else including all the spices. This is one of the few times I get to use Saffron.

  237. 5 stars
    Do I really need wine? Nothing against alcohol, I just don’t like wine. Many recipes add more chicken stock instead; that’s what I’ll do, unless you have a better suggestion. Is the garlic chopped, minced, crushed, or smashed with the flat end of the knife and left whole? 1/2”-thick sounds too thick for the chorizo I’m using; I think ~1/3”-thick will work better for me. I want to use my deep 12” cast-iron skillet; will the addition of tomatoes negatively affect the taste? If so, could I just use my coated cast-iron Dutch oven? I used it the other time I made a paella and it came out fine, but I didn’t add seafood that time so I don’t know if the height of the Dutch oven would affect the steaming process. Shouldn’t the saffron threads be dissolved in the broth, and shouldn’t that broth be heated? Finally, should the seafood be fresh or fresh frozen and added to the paella raw?

    1. I used frozen. It took a bit longer to cook before the lid. I actually put the lid on like 5 minutes early to retain heat. And my shrimp were big.

  238. 5 stars
    I made Lauren’s recipe because her directions were explained very well! I felt confident making it for guests for dinner! She gave a lot of options, but I used what she recommended! Thanks!

  239. 5 stars
    This was absolutely amazing. I couldn’t find Bomba rice so I crossed my fingers and made it with regular long grain. Still, everyone loved it and already asked for more. This recipe is definitely a keeper for us. Thank you for posting!

  240. 5 stars
    My mother has been craving for Paella, which is why I’m currently looking for the perfect recipe. Thank you for this; I’ll make sure to make the fish stock from shells of seafood. I’ll also keep in mind to cook the White wine for 10 minutes. Anyways, maybe it would be best to look for a Spanish restaurant first whilst the dish is being perfected.

  241. Hi I made this tonight with Paella Rice and a few substitutions – 1.4 lbs chicken (4 boneless/skinless thighs) and a lb of shrimp instead of all the seafood mentioned.

    After 18 minutes on med low I still had broth puddles in the rice. I let it cook an additional 10 min which reduced the water a tiny bit but it was still in excess and my rice turned mushy/overcooked. It looked more like a creamy risotto than a paella.

    Do you know how to fix this? Should I cook on medium instead of medium low, or should I reduce the broth added?

    (Please remove my duplicate comment with my last name autofilled by mistake)

    1. Hi Sierra, I’m sorry this happened! Are you sure you used Spanish Bomba rice? If you used any other type of rice it wont absorb the same amount of liquid.

    2. When I make this I start out with 4 cups of broth and keep an eye on it sometimes I end up adding the extra sometimes not it depends on how much liquid comes out of your other ingredients.

  242. 5 stars
    OMG, this was SO good! Only my second time making paella (different recipe) and this was so much more flavorful! Served it to our parents and they loved it! Simple and easy to follow recipe. Can’t wait to make it again for a bigger group. Thank you!

  243. 5 stars
    Made this last night for a group of friends and they LOVED it! We had leftover shrimp, mussels, and clams from a seafood boil so I used that and it was perfect. I was so nervous about making paella for the first time but your instructions were very detailed and it turned out great. Thank you so much!

    1. Stephanie, just wondering. Did any of them complain about this not being the original Valencia version.

      I apologize, but recipe nazis burn me up and I am still steamed over that other “review!”

      Thanks for giving me a legitimate view.

  244. I made something similar last week, with shrimp and chicken drumsticks. Very good, but would have been even better with more seafood. I used bomba rice and chicken stock and shrimp shell stock, but probably not enough salt and pepper (I didn’t’ add any.) I suggest using a saute pan to cook the chicken. I used my Spanish paellero, which is a low-sided pan, but the stovetop was covered with spattered oil from cooking the chicken legs. (I also forgot to turn off the burner when the paella was resting after cooking, so the rice in the bottom of the pan was overcooked.) I also added the shrimp too soon, so it was overcooked. Steel paella pans are pretty inexpensive in the smaller sizes. I seasoned mine like a cast iron skillet in the oven with cooking oil, which has done a great job of protecting the steel between uses. Paella cooks really quickly, so be sure to get everything ready before you start cooking.

  245. It looks good but that is not the original paella valenciana. I’m from Valencia and it should be made in a different way. It should be either seafood or meat. If you are interested you are welcome to contact me

    1. Yes, I’m aware. 🙂 This is Paella mixta that I learned to make in Madrid. I give notes for Paella Valencia in the post and notes.

    2. 5 stars
      This is ridiculous!

      Not only did the chef point out that it was not necessarily the same as your honest-to-God original version, she also graciously and subtly pointed out that it may not be the same as the several hundred thousand others who lay claim to having the “authentic” recipe. Please, if you can’t review what is posted as a recipe (i.e., you didn’t even make it), at least set up a blog and post your perfect version there, so one of those other self-proclaimed paella recipe originalists can educate you on your failure to use the exact ORIGINAL salt, or whatever.

      Lauren, thank you for sharing your version. I have tried to prepare a much more involved long version of paella, with somewhat mixed results. I will try this, as it may encourage me to increase my efforts to learn the dish.

  246. Wow! I have not tried paella before but I have just read through all the recipe and notes. Thank you for providing such helpful tips. I was concerned about costs of the dish, but love to know Costco sells a mixed seafood bag. You have really been thorough and I am going to plan a cook-in with some friends as soon as it is safe to do so and try this recipe!