Valencian paella: a practical first recipe

Paella began as a Valencian rice dish cooked in the wide, shallow pan which gives it its name. The traditional local version brings together rice, chicken, rabbit, flat green beans and garrofó, a large pale bean. Seafood rice can be excellent, but it is a different branch of the region's cooking rather than an ingredient list to mix into this recipe.

Ingredients for four to six

• 400 g short or medium-grain round rice, ideally a Valencia rice variety
• about 500 g chicken pieces and 400 g rabbit pieces
• 200 g flat green beans, cut into manageable lengths
• 100 to 150 g cooked garrofó or prepared fresh beans
• 2 ripe tomatoes, grated
• extra virgin olive oil, sweet paprika, saffron and salt
• water, measured for the pan, rice and heat source
• a small rosemary sprig, optional

Pan diameter, burner strength and rice variety change the water requirement. Treat any fixed ratio as a starting point. A broad pan should hold a thin layer of rice, not a deep casserole.

Build the flavour in the pan

1. Set the pan level over a controllable flame. Add olive oil and brown the chicken and rabbit thoroughly in batches if necessary.
2. Add the green beans and cook until lightly coloured. Stir in the tomato and cook it down.
3. Move the mixture away from the hottest point, stir in paprika briefly and add water before the spice can burn.
4. Add garrofó, saffron and salt, then simmer so the meat cooks and the liquid becomes a stock. Top up for evaporation before the rice goes in.
5. Distribute the rice evenly across the pan. From this point, do not stir it like risotto.
6. Cook briskly at first, then reduce the heat as the surface liquid disappears. Add rosemary briefly near the end if using it.

Judge the finish

The rice should be cooked through but remain separate, with no pool of stock. A thin toasted base, the socarrat, is prized, but burnt rice is not. Listen for a dry crackle and smell for toast, then remove the pan before it turns acrid. Rest for several minutes before serving.

Food safety and substitutions

Keep raw meat separate from ready-to-eat ingredients and cook it thoroughly. Cool leftovers promptly, refrigerate them and reheat only once until steaming hot. If garrofó is unavailable, use an appropriate prepared large white bean and describe the result honestly. Chorizo, peas and mixed shellfish are not part of this Valencian recipe.

Sources and review

This recipe was reviewed in August 2026 using the official Spanish tourism portal's Valencian paella recipe, Visit València's account of the dish and its regional variations and Spanish food-safety guidance.