Paella Valenciana

Spain | Prep: 30 min | Cook: 45 min | Total: 1 hr 15 min | Serves: 6

About Paella Valenciana

Paella Valenciana is Spain's most internationally recognised dish, but the version the world thinks it knows — laden with seafood — is a distant relative of the original. The authentic Valencian paella uses chicken, rabbit, flat green beans, white butter beans, saffron, and smoked paprika, cooked in a wide, shallow pan until the rice forms the legendary socarrat — a crispy, caramelised layer on the bottom that is considered the dish's greatest prize.

Ingredients

• 500g short-grain paella rice (Bomba or Calasparra)

• 400g chicken pieces, bone-in (thighs and drumsticks)

• 400g rabbit pieces, bone-in (substitute additional chicken if unavailable)

• 200g flat green beans, trimmed and cut into 4 cm pieces

• 150g cooked white butter beans

• 6 ripe tomatoes, grated, or 1 cup crushed tomatoes

• 4 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 tsp sweet smoked paprika (pimentón dulce)

• Large pinch of saffron threads, soaked in 3 tbsp warm water

• 6 tbsp olive oil

• 1.5 litres hot chicken stock

• Salt to taste, lemon wedges to serve

Directions

1. Heat the Pan: Use a 40–45 cm paella pan. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat.

2. Brown the Meat: Season chicken and rabbit generously with salt. Brown in the oil on all sides, about 8 minutes. Push to the edge of the pan.

3. Cook the Beans and Sofrito: In the centre of the pan, fry the flat green beans for 3 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Add grated tomato and smoked paprika. Fry, stirring, for 5 minutes until the tomato has darkened into a thick sofrito.

4. Add Rice: Spread the rice evenly across the pan. Stir briefly to coat in the sofrito.

5. Add Stock and Saffron: Pour in hot stock and saffron water. Add butter beans. Arrange chicken and rabbit pieces evenly. Shake the pan to level the rice. Do not stir from this point forward.

6. First Cook: Boil vigorously for 10 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for a further 8–10 minutes until all stock is absorbed.

7. Develop the Socarrat: In the final 2 minutes, increase heat to medium-high. You should hear a faint crackling — the socarrat is forming. Remove from heat, cover loosely with foil, and rest for 5 minutes.

8. Serve: Run a spoon around the edge and scrape the bottom — you should find a thin, fragrant, golden-brown crust. Serve directly from the pan with lemon wedges.

Cooking Tips

• The Rice: Only short-grain Spanish paella rice works. Bomba is the gold standard — it absorbs three times its volume in liquid without becoming mushy.

• Never Stir: Once the stock is added, the paella must not be stirred or the socarrat cannot form.

• The Pan: The wide, shallow paella pan is not optional for large batches — it gives the rice the surface area it needs.

Nutrition Facts (per serving, based on 6 servings)

• Calories: ~580 kcal

• Total Fat: 18g

• Saturated Fat: 4g

• Cholesterol: 105mg

• Sodium: 620mg

• Total Carbohydrates: 65g

• Dietary Fiber: 4g

• Sugars: 5g

• Protein: 34g