Paella Valenciana

About This Recipe

True Valencian paella contains no seafood — it is a dish of the inland farmlands, combining free-range chicken, rabbit, fresh rosemary, flat green beans, butter beans, and saffron-stained bomba rice, cooked uncovered in a wide paella pan over an open fire until the iconic socarrat — the crispy, caramelised rice crust — forms on the bottom.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 400 gbomba or Calasparra rice
• 500 gchicken thighs, bone-in, cut into pieces
• 400 grabbit pieces (or additional chicken)
• 200 gflat green beans (bajoqueta), trimmed and cut into 3 cm lengths
• 150 gbutter beans, drained if canned
• 4 mediumripe tomatoes, grated (discard skin)
• 0.5 tspsaffron threads, crumbled and dissolved in 2 tbsp warm water
• 1 tspsweet smoked paprika
• 4 clovesgarlic, minced
• 5 tbspextra-virgin olive oil
• 1.2 Lhot chicken stock
• 2 sprigsfresh rosemary
• 1.5 tspsalt
• 1 wholelemon, cut into wedges, to serve

Instructions

1. 1

   Sear the meat

   Heat olive oil in a 40 cm paella pan or widest oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Season chicken and rabbit with salt. Sear on all sides until deeply golden, about 10 minutes total. Push meat to the edges of the pan.

2. 2

   Make the sofrito

   In the centre of the pan, add green beans and cook for 3 minutes. Add grated tomato, garlic, and paprika. Cook, stirring, for 5 minutes until the tomato reduces to a thick, dark paste.

3. 3

   Add rice

   Add rice to the pan and stir to coat in the sofrito for 2 minutes. Add butter beans, saffron water, and hot stock. Distribute rice and meat evenly. Tuck rosemary sprigs in and do not stir again from this point.

4. 4

   Cook the paella

   Cook over medium-high heat for 10 minutes, then reduce to medium-low for 10 more minutes. Rotate the pan if needed for even cooking. When the liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, increase heat to high for 90 seconds to form the socarrat (crispy bottom). Listen for a light crackling sound.

5. 5

   Rest and serve

   Remove from heat. Cover loosely with newspaper or foil and rest for 5 minutes. Remove rosemary and serve directly from the pan with lemon wedges.

Variations

• •

  Seafood paella: replace meat with prawns, mussels, and squid.

• •

  Paella negra: add squid ink to turn the rice dramatically black.

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

• •

  Spicier: add a finely chopped fresh chile or a teaspoon of crushed Aleppo/Urfa pepper to the aromatics for warm, layered heat instead of a single sharp hit.

Storage

Best eaten immediately. Refrigerate up to 2 days; reheat with a splash of water over low heat.

Frequently Asked Questions