Paella Valenciana
Valencia would like a word about the timings, and they would be right: a true paella is a slow, wide, wood-fired business. This is the honest weeknight edition, a small pan of saffron rice with chicken and beans that still gives you a crust worth fighting over.
- Total time
- 19 min
- Serves
- 2
- Effort
- Medium
What you need
Written for 2 — nudge the counter and the numbers follow.
0 of 10 in the basket.
How you make it
Crumble the saffron into the hot stock and leave it to steep. Heat the oil in a 26cm shallow pan over high heat.
Season the chicken and fry it for 4 minutes, turning, until browned all over, then push it to the edges of the pan.
Add the garlic, grated tomato and paprika to the centre and cook 2 minutes over medium heat until the tomato darkens and no longer smells raw.
Stir in the rice for 1 minute to coat every grain, then add the beans, rosemary and all the saffron stock. Season, spread everything into an even layer and do not stir again.
Boil hard for 5 minutes, then lower to a steady simmer for 7 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is just tender. Check the chicken has reached 75C with no pink at the centre.
Raise the heat for a final 45 seconds to toast the base, listening for a faint crackle, then rest off the heat for 2 minutes before serving from the pan.
Read all that and thought “absolutely not”?
Completely fair. Paella Valenciana is sitting in the Spanish kitchen right now, it costs nothing, and it will never arrive.
Order it insteadMore from the Spanish kitchen
Small plates, long evenings, olive oil everywhere.