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My abuela’s classic Spanish paella recipe will be the cornerstone of your stress-free Spanish dinner party. It’s full of bold flavor, surprisingly easy once you prep ahead, and is a true show-stopper without requiring perfection.
Check out these 5 Steps to Host the Best Spanish Paella Dinner Party for more tips including a full schedule for preparing this Spanish paella recipe!
We also use a kids kitchen stool and kids aprons to help them with their junior chef duties.
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Oven-Baked Chicken, Seafood & Chorizo Paella with Pimientos
- Prep Time: 45 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: Spanish
Description
Our classic Spanish paella recipe is a crowd-pleasing, social Spanish dinner party dish you can prep ahead. It’s interactive, easy to make, and absolutely delicious.
Ingredients
- 4 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, or two chicken breasts cubed, or 6 drumsticks
- 4–6 oz Spanish-style chorizo, thinly sliced
- 6–8 mussels, scrubbed and debearded
- 6–8 clams, scrubbed
- 1/3 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined (tails optional)
- 3–6 sea scallops, patted dry
- 2 cups Uncle Ben’s parboiled rice (uncooked)
- 4 cups warm chicken broth (substitute 1-2 cups with seafood stock or clam juice for a richer flavor)
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 1 cup sliced jarred pimientos, drained
- 1/2 tsp paprika (divided)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 10–15 saffron threads bloomed in 3 tbsp hot broth (or 1 pinch turmeric)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp salt (adjust if broth is salted)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas
Instructions
- Complete these steps earlier in the day to make cooking feel effortless:
- Scrub and debeard mussels; scrub clams.
- Peel and devein shrimp.
- Pat scallops dry.
- Slice chorizo.
- Chop onion and peel garlic.
- Drain/slice pimientos if needed.
- Pro Tip: Use stainless steel measuring cups and measuring spoons along with small ceramic spice bowls and an onion chopper to make prep fast and easy.
- Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C).
- Warm broth and bloom saffron: Warm the broth in a pot. Add saffron to small bowl and pour 3 tbsp of warm broth; let steep for 10 minutes. Keep warming the broth in the pot.
- Sear the chicken: Pat chicken thighs dry and season with salt, pepper, and half of the paprika. Heat the olive oil in a wide, shallow oven-safe paella pan, cast iron skillet, or Dutch oven. Sear chicken skin-side down 4–5 minutes, flip, cook 3 minutes more until reads 165°F (74°C). Remove and set aside.
- Pro Tip: We use the ThermoWorks ThermaPen for quick, accurate temperature readings.
- Cook the chorizo: Add chorizo; sauté 2–3 minutes until lightly crisped. Remove and set aside.
- Build the flavor base: Add onion and garlic; cook 3–4 minutes. Stir in pimientos, remaining paprika, and saffron/turmeric.
- Add rice and broth: Add rice and toast for 1–2 minutes. Pour in warm broth and taste for seasoning.
- Nestle chicken and chorizo: Return them to the pan. Cover tightly with foil or a lid.
- Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
- Add seafood: Uncover and arrange mussels, clams, shrimp, and scallops around the chicken. Scatter peas on top.
- Bake uncovered for an additional 15–20 minutes, until:
- Rice is tender
- Seafood is cooked
- Mussels/claims have opened. Throw away any that did not open.
- Make the socarrat (optional): Place the pan over medium heat for 3–4 minutes to create the classic crispy rice bottom.
- Let rest: Remove from the oven and let rest 5–10 minutes.
Notes
- Prep everything early in the day.
- Serve with simple sides like Pan con Tomate (Spanish tomato bread) and a green salad with cherry tomatoes and a lemon olive oil dressing.
- Pair your Spanish paella recipe with a crisp white wine like albariño, Rioja, Spanish rosé, verdejo, or pinot grigio. Citrus sparkling water and white wine sangria also pair beautifully.
Spanish Paella Recipe FAQs
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Hosting a Spanish paella dinner party is ideal for busy modern families and parents because it’s interactive, memorable, and surprisingly easy once you prep ahead, especially with these tips.
Our dinner party hosting post walks you through the exact approach we use in our home to host relaxed but impressive dinners without all the last-minute chaos and stress, including:
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