Pro Tips
**Chef's Tips & Troubleshooting:**
- Let meats rest after cooking so the juices redistribute for a more tender result.
- If a recipe calls for fresh produce, it matters — canned or frozen substitutes change the texture and brightness of the dish.
- Sauté aromatics (garlic, onion) until fragrant before adding liquids — it builds a deeper flavor base.
Cooking Tips
Use a wide, shallow pan for paella — this maximizes the surface area for the coveted crispy bottom crust (socarrat). Do not stir the rice once it's in the pan. Let the paella rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the rice to finish absorbing liquid and the socarrat to release from the pan.
Ingredient Substitutions
Short on time? A pressure cooker (Instant Pot) can reduce cooking time by roughly half for most braised and stewed Filipino dishes. Reduce liquid slightly since less evaporates.
Storage & Reheating
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days. The flavors often deepen overnight, making leftovers even more delicious. Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
Paella
Paella made with saffron-infused rice, chicken, sausage, and seafood is hearty, delicious, and a guaranteed holiday favorite. This Spanish-style rice dish is easy to make in one pan and cooks in one pan!
Instructions
- Mix chicken, sweet paprika, and salt and pepper to taste. Rub onto the chicken and marinate in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- In a paella pan or wide skillet on medium heat, heat olive oil. Add chorizo de bilbao and cook for about 2 to 3 minutes or until golden at the edges. Remove from pan.
- In the pan, add chicken pieces and cook, turning as needed, until it gets lightly browned. Take them out of the pan.
- Add more olive to the pan, if needed. Add onions and garlic and cook, stirring now and then, for about 2 to 3 minutes or until softened.
- Add tomato sauce and Cook it until slightly reduced.
- Add rice and stir quickly to fully coat with sauce.
- Mix in water and Get it boiling.
- Add chicken, chorizo de Bilbao, and saffron.
- Drop in shrimps and mussels, tucking into the rice.
- Cover pan, lower heat and simmer, without stirring, for about 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is fluffy and cooked through.
- Increase heat to high and cook for an additional 1 to 2 minutes or until a toasted rice crust (socarrat) forms at the bottom.
- Take the rice off the heat and allow it to rest, covered, for about 10 minutes before serving. Serve while hot.
- Paella is traditionally cooked in a paellera. If you don't have one, use a pan that's wide but not too deep to allow moisture to evaporate quickly. Make sure it's large enough to allow space for the rice to expand.
- Other than a quick stir to coat the rice with the sauce, refrain from stirring and leave the paella covered and undisturbed as it cooks. If it is cooking more on one side than the other, just rotate the pan.
- After you take the rice off the heat, allow it to rest, covered, for about 10 minutes before serving to absorb excess moisture.
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Pro Tips & Troubleshooting
- Let meats rest after cooking so the juices redistribute for a more tender result.
- If a recipe calls for fresh produce, it matters — canned or frozen substitutes change the texture and brightness of the dish.
- Sauté aromatics (garlic, onion) until fragrant before adding liquids — it builds a deeper flavor base.
Cooking Tips
Let the paella rest off the heat for 5 minutes before serving. This allows the rice to finish absorbing liquid and the socarrat to release from the pan.
Substitutions
Storage & Reheating
Reheat on the stovetop over medium-low heat, adding a splash of water or broth if the sauce has thickened during storage. Microwave in 30-second bursts, stirring between each.
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