You can make this easy chicken paella dish in less than an hour. Plus, it’s made in one pan – making chicken paella quick and easy to cook. It’s so good and I make it regularly because it’s such a simple dish to cook.
Table of Contents
What is Paella?
Paella is an old Spanish dish that often is made of rice, saffron, chicken, seafood, and chorizo. Paella can also include onions, bell peppers, garlic, and peas. What goes into paella really depends upon who’s making it and what they want to add or include.
The word paella means “frying pan”. Paella comes from the Latin term patella, which also means “pan”. I’m not sure how paella came to be described as the name of a dish, but somehow that’s what happened.
What is the Best Rice to Use?
Bomba rice is traditionally used for paella, but I prefer to use Arborio. Arborio has a slightly chewy texture and a creamy consistency, which I think works great for paella. When the paella is done cooking, you’ll notice that the Arborio rice has a similar creaminess to risotto and that’s because Arborio is traditionally used to make risotto.
How to Make Chicken Paella Recipe
Start off by sauteing the onion and bell pepper. Cook them over medium heat until softened. Remove them from the pan and set them aside.
How to Prepare and Cook the Chicken Thighs
Start off by pouring boiling water over the chicken thigh skins. This will make the skin extra crispy when it’s sautéed instead of being flimsy and rubbery. Trust me, this works! When you pour boiling water over the skin, you’ll see it contract as it shrinks. Dry the chicken thoroughly. Once dried, season your thighs and place them in the refrigerator, uncovered, for two hours to marinate and further dry.
Next up is to sauté the thighs. Cook them over medium high heat for 6 minutes on each side. Then, remove them and set them aside.
How to Prepare and Cook the Rice
In the same pan, add chicken stock and seasonings. The brown stuck on bits at the bottom of the pan will dissolve and will help to flavor the rice and will make for a great paella.
Add rice and stir to evenly distribute. Place the chicken thighs on top of the rice and cook uncovered for 25 minutes. Cut off the heat. Cover and allow to rest for 10 minutes as the rice absorbs the rest of the liquids.
Now, it’s time to serve!
Here You Can See The Similar Recipes
PrintEasy Chicken Paella Recipe
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 30
- Total Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
For Chicken:
4 bone-in chicken thighs (about 2 lbs)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp cayenne pepper (you can remove this if you don’t like it spicy)
1 tsp smoked paprika
For Rice:
1 cup Arborio rice
2 cups chicken stock
1/4 cup canola oil
1/2 onion – sliced
1 red bell pepper – sliced
1 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp saffron threads
Instructions
- Pour boiling water of chicken thigh skins. Dry thoroughly.
- Add seasoning for chicken, mix well and refrigerate for 2 hours uncovered.
- Place saffron threads into warm chicken stock. Set aside.
- Heat skillet to medium. Add oil.
- Saute onion and bell pepper until softened. Remove from pan.
- Turn heat to medium high. Cook thighs for 6 minutes on each side. Remove from pan.
- Add chicken stock and seasonings for rice.
- Add rice and stir.
- Place chick thighs on top of rice.
- Cook uncovered for 25 minutes.
- Cut off heat. Cover and let rest for 10 minutes.
- Remove cover and serve.
Keywords: chicken paella
