Authentic Paella Valenciana

A traditional paella Valenciana. I lived in Spain for two years where I was taught the art of making paella which originated in Valencia. I haven't found anything on here which is even close to authentic, so I thought I would add this recipe for those who would like to try a taste of Spain. First and foremost you will need a special paella pan called a paellera or just a paella. Trust me after you taste this you'll be glad you bought the special pan.


Recipes · Cuisine · European · Spanish


Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 1 hrs 30 mins
Servings: 8
Total Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients

Ingredients List

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil

  • ½ (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces

  • ½ (2 pound) rabbit, cleaned and cut into pieces

  • 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled

  • 1 medium tomato, finely chopped

  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can butter beans

  • ½ (10 ounce) package frozen green peas

  • ½ (10 ounce) package frozen green beans

  • 1 teaspoon mild paprika, or to taste

  • 6 cups water, or as needed

  • salt to taste

  • 1 pinch saffron threads, or to taste

  • 1 pinch dried thyme, or to taste

  • 1 pinch dried rosemary, or to taste

  • 3 cups short-grain white rice, or as needed


Directions

  1. Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add chicken, rabbit, and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.

  2. Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you add it so you can determine the amount of rice to add later. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.

  3. Season with a generous amount of salt, just enough saffron for a yellow color, thyme, and rosemary. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water added to the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Tips

Rabbit can be very hard to find so you can just use a whole chicken instead. It also may be easier to use boneless chicken but then you don't get any fun extras, like hearts and livers. If you do use the hearts and livers, don't put them in until later as they cook very fast. They will however add a nice flavor to the rest of the dish.

To account for personal preferences, the seasonings are intended to be added to taste. Add just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich-tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Since paella pans come in different sizes, water and rice measurements are left open for modifications as well.

I like to use bomba, Valencia, or arboria rice.


Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Nutrition Facts
783 Calories
31g Fat
87g Carbs
34g Protein


Prev   Next