A Chicken Paella Recipe from a Real Spanish Family – Easy and Budget-Friendly

(Paella de Pollo)


By Edu Valor / Author - Spanish Chef

Here's a simple but authentic chicken paella recipe, one of my favorites. I love the rich flavor of chicken paired with rice. It's one of the most affordable paellas, and probably the one made most often.

In our family, we usually had it either on a Wednesday or a Sunday. A Spanish family has this attachment to the international rice dish.

My mother sometimes added her own little twist by including shrimp and/or calamari, whichever she had in the freezer.

Sounds like a paella mixta, right? It was amazing! However, I think a true paella mixta should have a wider variety of proteins.

I’d make sure to include pork and maybe clams. A recipe like that would also ask for some acidity, making it a different dish. This one is chicken flavor only.

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Spanish chicken paella on a plate.An easy family chicken paella.
Spanish chicken paella on a plate.An easy family chicken paella.


Anyone can make chicken paella, and I love easy recipes that are also delicious. Whenever it was on the menu, we couldn’t wait for lunchtime!

Some of you might be worried about the type of rice to use. Don’t be! I made this at home with long-grain rice, and it’s still delicious.

Just keep an eye on the cooking time. Some round-grain rice can get mushy if cooked too long.

I’ve never been too concerned about using long-grain, non-sticky rice. It works, and everyone loves it!

Let's Make a Real Chicken Paella Recipe!

Ingredients for 4 Servings


Preparation: 15 minutes
Cooking: 18 minutes for the Bomba rice, approx. 45 minutes to 1 hour total.

*Measurements in metric and USA Imperial system. For British/Canadian measurements please use the metric conversion calculator.

Using a different rice may change the cooking time. The info is usually on the packaging.

  • 1 chicken, cut and seasoned
  • 350g / 12.5 oz bomba rice (or another rice type)
  • 1L / 34 fl oz chicken broth (or plain water)
  • 200g / 7 oz tomato cubes or puree
  • 1 regular onion, diced
  • ½ red bell pepper, short strips
  • ½ green bell pepper, short strips (optional)
  • 150g / 5 oz green peas
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 75ml / 5 tbsp olive oil
  • salt and pepper
  • 1 tbsp paprika scant
  • 1 pinch of saffron (or ½ tsp yellow food dye)

Instructions

  1. Pour oil into the pan and sprinkle some salt over it.
  2. Brown the meat well over medium-high heat until it's crispy and golden brown.
  3. Lower the heat to medium-low. Push the meat to the sides of the pan and add the onion and garlic. Sauté until glazy.
  4. Add the tomato, stir, and sauté until the juice evaporates. This step is crucial for flavor! Some chefs even brown the tomato mixture.
  5. Add the pepper strips (green optional), stirring everything for a few minutes.
  6. Pour in the broth (or water), stir to combine, taste, and season if needed. Bring it to a boil, then add the rice, spreading it evenly with a spatula. Lower the heat to medium-high.
  7. Immediately add the saffron.
  8. After 10 minutes of cooking, add the peas and lower the heat to medium-low and cook for another 8 minutes.
  9. If you want the socarrat (crispy rice at the bottom), use a narrow spatula to check if the rice is browned underneath. If not, increase the heat to high and cook for another 90 seconds to 2 minutes.
  10. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with aluminum foil or a clean kitchen towel. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

With chicken and rice as extremely common ingredients around the world, I would call the chicken paella recipe even more international than the authentic paella from Valencia.

Tips for the Best Chicken Paella

  • Sauté the tomatoes, onions, and garlic well. It'll enhance the taste.
  • Adding the salt in the beginning will limit browning of the pan as well as oil splattering.
  • Another rice other than Bomba may have a different cooking time and water/broth amount.
  • Taste the broth before adding the rice.
  • Use meat with bone, it adds taste.
  • You’ll know the socarrat is forming when the sizzling sound grows louder and sharper.

Chicken pieces frying in a pan to make chicken paella.Brown the chicken parts before adding the condiments.
Chicken pieces frying in a pan to make chicken paella.Brown the chicken parts before adding the condiments.


What You Will Need

  1. A paella pan for 4 servings*
  2. A paella burner*
  3. Spatula
  4. Meat knife
  5. Paring knife
  6. Cutting board
  7. Measuring beaker
  8. Scale

*The paella pan with burner can be replaced with an electric paella pan for indoor (or outdoor) cooking. Never use a gas burner indoors unless it has a safety sensor!!


A Cheap and Easy Family Dish


Families often have to keep an eye on their budget each month. Affordable ingredients can really help, as daily meals make up a large part of our expenses.

Dishes like this Spanish chicken paella recipe are nutritious, tasty, and budget-friendly. It’s a win all around!

I’d describe my family as modest. We weren’t wealthy in the '70s and '80s (and we still aren’t), but we managed thanks partly to stews, pasta, and rice dishes. A lot of them didn’t need much attention while cooking.

Low-cost ingredients were easy to find, even back then. They helped my parents stick to their monthly budget plan.

Why this Chicken Paella is a Favorite


The dish works well for the above reason. It’s tasty, nutritious, and budget-friendly! But it doesn’t stop there. Rice has a comforting quality that’s hard to beat.

Even though it’s a simple ingredient, it leaves you feeling full and satisfied.

It’s no surprise people call rice “the world’s feeder.” Just add some meat and/or vegetables, and you’ve got a complete meal.

Have a glass of wine, sit back, relax, and enjoy knowing you just had a great meal.



*****


Edu's Authentic Spanish Paella Recipes