Authentic Paella Valenciana

Recipe By Jason Nelson
Rating
Published Jun 8th
Prep 30m Cook 1h 30m Additional - Ready In 2h
Servings 8 servings Calories 783.4

I lived in Spain for two years where I was taught the art of making the Paella which originated in Valencia. I haven’t found anything on here which is even close to authentic, so I thought I would add this recipe for those who would like to try a taste of Spain. First and foremost you will need a special paella pan called a paellera or just a paella. Trust me after you taste this you’ll be glad you bought the special pan.

Recipe Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ (4 pound) whole chicken, cut into 6 pieces
  • ½ (2 pound) rabbit, cleaned and cut into pieces
  • 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
  • 1 tomato, finely chopped
  • 1 (15.5 ounce) can butter beans
  • ½ (10 ounce) package frozen green peas
  • ½ (10 ounce) package frozen green beans
  • salt to taste
  • 1 teaspoon mild paprika, or to taste
  • 1 pinch saffron threads
  • 1 pinch dried thyme to taste
  • 1 pinch dried rosemary to taste
  • 4 cups short-grain white rice, such as bomba, Valencia or arborio

Cooking Directions

  1. 1 Heat a paella pan over medium-high heat, and coat with olive oil. Add the chicken, rabbit and garlic; cook and stir until nicely browned. Move the browned meat to the sides of the pan, and add the tomato, butter beans, peas, and green beans. Season with paprika, and mix well.
  2. 2 Fill the paella pan almost to the top with water, measuring the water as you put it in. This is to help you to determine how much rice to add, as paella pans come in different sizes. Bring to a boil. Simmer for about 1 hour to make a nice broth.
  3. 3 Season with a generous amount of salt, and just enough saffron to make a nice yellow color. Season with thyme and rosemary if desired. The goal is to make a rich-tasting broth that will soak into the rice to make it delicious. Stir in half as much rice as the amount of water in the pan. Cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer until all of the liquid has been absorbed, about 20 minutes.

Nutrition Facts

  • Calories 783.4
  • Carbohydrate 87.3 g
  • Cholesterol 82.1 mg
  • Fat 31.3 g
  • Fiber 4.5 g
  • Protein 34.2 g
  • Saturated Fat 8.6 g
  • Sodium 327.8 mg
  • Sugar 2.1 g

Chef's Notes

Rabbit can be very hard to find so you can just use a whole chicken instead. It also may be easier to use boneless chicken but then you don't get any fun extras, like hearts and livers. If you do use the hearts and livers don't put them in until later as they cook very fast. They will however add a nice flavor to the rest of the dish.

Reviews

  1. Bo Stenberg Jul 12, 2010 05:05 PM
    Pretty close. In Spain they would use Calasparra rice--or Bomba for top drawer. "White rice" per se doesn't work for me. I wouldn't attempt it without the good stuff from Murcia. And these short grains will probably affect the absorption e.g. Bomba absorbs more than Calasparra. Not easy to find and not cheap. But not - Read more ...
  2. KTHNXBY Sep 14, 2009 11:22 PM
    Used to live in barcelona and the ingredients and measurements ALONE, indicate this is one of the more dead on recipes available online, so I tried it. I've made this over and over and over again. BIG paella fan and this is as good as I remember in Barcelona and if you're from Southern California, - Read more ...
  3. Maria Aug 6, 2009 03:28 PM
    Hi!! My name is Maria, and I'm from Valencia, also, I'm a cook, so I love paella and know really well how to make one, I'm 25 years old and almost every Sunday of my life I ate paella. The real Paella Valenciana doesn't have green peas, but you can add, when its the season, - Read more ...
  4. jenko Aug 23, 2008 05:13 PM
    I have lived in Spain for the past 8 years and have to agree that this recipe is very authentic. I would also like to point out to a previous reviewer that in NO part of Spain do they serve paella with olives in it.
  5. Jason Nelson Jun 13, 2008 10:07 PM
    This is my recipe and I just wanted to add a couple things. 1. You don't really eat the whole head of garlic you just let it infuse its flavor into the broth, I don't even peel it. 2. Continally test the broth until it's perfect before adding the rice, as a trick; once it's - Read more ...
  6. María Lourdes Rausell May 5, 2008 02:54 AM
    My family is from Valencia and preparing the paella is a tradition to us. This paella is pretty close to the original recipe we have been using for years and years.
  7. bryannae Feb 7, 2007 04:04 PM
    very tasty... even without a paella pan.
  8. Madrid 2016 Nov 11, 2006 03:44 PM
    Às a Spaniard married with a "Valenciana" I can certify this is the authentic paella Valenciana. I love this dish but I prefer not to use the extras you mentioned in the recipe. For the one who reviewed this recipe and said shrimps and olives where missing, I'd like to say that shrimps aren't used - Read more ...
  9. CHERYLIN1 Sep 7, 2004 02:32 AM
    This is truly authentic- If you can, use fresh peas and a good quality saffron, and this excellent recipe will be over the top!
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