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My version of paella is an easy dish that's a sure crowd pleaser. It's filled with deliciously fragrant saffron & dry white wine and stuffed full of shrimp, chicken, green peas and bell peppers. Perfect for a dinner party and just as delicious reheated the next day. Making it for a crowd? No worries! This recipe works wonderfully when multiplied.

And for the optimal paella experience - serve with an easy homemade lime aioli.

close up top down photo of paella with lemon wedges

What is paella?

Paella is a Spanish - or, to be entirely accurate, Valencian - dish. The name actually comes from the name of the pan, which is called "la paella" - probably from the Latin word "patella" which means "pan".

A beautifully yellow rice dish, Paella is traditionally made with Spanish Bomba rice and seasoned with saffron, garlic and onion. Add to this some vegetables (often green beans) and some protein (often chicken and/or seafood and/or chorizo) and you might begin to understand why this dish is so popular.

Now while Bomba rice is the traditional choice, it's not the easiest to find outside Spain and so often substituted for Arborio (risotto) rice. I however find a delicious paella can be made without any of the fancy stuff, and so I go for the good old long grain rice.

Why I love this recipe

Using long grain rice increases the chance you can actually make it using just what you have at home already
Dry white wine brings out all the flavor of saffron, shrimp & chicken
Saffron gives the dish its beautiful yellow color & loads of flavor
Red bell pepper added just at the end adds a bit of crunch
Green peas add a tough of earthiness
Red bell peppers and green peas both add a nice pop of color

Expert tips for making paella

Before cooking - infuse your saffron in white wine to bring out all the flavor
And speaking of wine - choose a dry variety you absolutely love. I'm not one for using cooking wine, instead I always think you should go for one you would love to drink! And why not drink it alongside your paella as well?
Check how much liquid to use for your specific rice type on the package and adjust the amount of chicken stock accordingly. The amount of white wine + chicken stock should sum up to the amount of water recommended for your rice.
Fry your onion & garlic well to bring out maximum flavor
Make sure to de-glaze the pan with the wine - meaning, loosening up and incorporating all those delicious browned bits at the bottom of the pan - for maximum flavor

Making paella for a crowd

This chicken & shrimp paella is one of my favorite dishes to make for a dinner party. Just choose the number of persons you want to make it for in the recipe card below (0.75 dl of rice per person is usually a good amount if you're more into freestyling your recipes).

Sometimes when making it for a dinner party I end up with too big a batch to make it in my regular pan. But then I either just split it into several pans, or make it in a big pot. It works just as well!

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How to make paella with chicken & shrimp

To start with - don't be worried if you don't have a classic paella pan (the one that's actually called paella) (although I would love to have one!!). I use my regular frying pan, a wok, or a large pot - and it works just as well.

Start by doing your prep. Most important piece of prep? Making sure you get the most taste out of your saffron. You do this by pouring some of your dry white wine in a small glass, and adding the saffron. If it is not ground already make sure to crush it using a mortar and pestle or something similar first.

Then for the rest of the prep: peel your shrimp, chop your onion and garlic finely, dice the red bell peppers, cut the chicken in bite size pieces and season it with salt and pepper, pour your frozen green peas onto a plate to thaw and make your chicken stock.

process shot showing step 1-4 of making paella: frying chicken, removing it from the pan & adding oil and butter

Once the prep is done, start by frying your chicken in half the butter for about 5 minutes, on medium-high heat. Then remove and set aside for now, and add the rest of the butter to the pan together with the olive oil.

process shot showing step 5-8 of making paella: frying garlic and onion

When the butter has melted, add in the chopped garlic and onion, and fry for a few minutes.

process shot showing step 9-12 of making paella: finishing frying garlic and mixing in rice

Allow the onion and garlic to get really nice and brown, without burning. Then add in the rice, mix, and fry for a minute or so until it's starting to look a bit dry - ie the oil & butter have been absorbed.

process shot showing step 13-16 of making paella: adding saffron and white wine

Now add in the saffron! Pour in the white wine with the saffron in it, and then add some more wine to the glass and pour it all out again - I mean come on, saffron is expensive as well as yummy so we want to make sure we really get all of it. Then pour in the rest of the wine. Now when the wine heats up make sure to use it to help loosen all those yummy bits stuck in the bottom of the pan! They're gonna add so much taste to your paella.

process shot showing step 17-20 of making paella: frying until white is absorbed and adding chicken stock

Mix, lower the heat to medium, and let simmer until the wine has been absorbed. Then add in half of your chicken stock, mix, bring to a simmer and then lower the heat to medium-low.

Let simmer until the stock has been absorbed, then add in half of what's left. Mix, and leave to simmer until stock has been absorbed yet again.

process shot showing step 25-28 of making paella: mixing and adding more chicken stock

When the stock has been absorbed, go ahead and add in the rest of the chicken stock. Then mix again, and leave to simmer.

process shot showing step 29-32 of making paella: adding peas and red bell pepper

After all the chicken stock has been absorbed, add in the green peas and red bell pepper.

process shot showing step 33-36 of making paella: mixing and adding chicken and shrimp

Mix well, then add in the chicken and shrimp. Mix well, turn the heat off and let sit for a minute. And now you're ready to serve - to maximize the dish, serve it with a homemade lime aioli and lemon wedges.

side view of paella with lemon wedges with lime aioli and a bottle of wine in the background

Have you had paella before? Have you made it yourself? What's your favorite version? Let me know in the comments below! And while you're at it? Please leave a review as well!

Recipe

Emmeline Kemperyd

February 28, 2021 at 6:47 pm