Few recipes represent Spanish cuisine better than a good traditional Valencian paella. The secret is not in adding lots of ingredients, but in building a good stock, respecting the proportions and controlling the heat to achieve dry, flavorful rice with that delicious final socarrat.
This version is calculated exactly for 4 people, with precise metric ingredient quantities and defined cooking times so that the result can be reproduced in a home kitchen.
🥄 Key Utensils
- 34–36 cm paella pan — essential so that the rice is spread out in a thin, even layer.
- Gas burner or adjustable paella burner — essential for controlling the different heat levels.
- 2-liter saucepan for preparing the stock.
- Kitchen scale.
- Measuring jug.
- Chef’s knife and cutting board.
- Spatula or wooden spoon.
- Kitchen tongs.
🛒 Ingredients for 4 people
For the paella
- 320 g bomba rice
- 400 g bone-in chicken, cut into 4–5 cm pieces
- 300 g bone-in rabbit, cut into 4–5 cm pieces
- 150 g flat green beans
- 100 g cooked and drained garrofón beans
- 100 g ripe tomato, crushed
- 80 ml extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, 8 g
- 5 g sweet paprika
- 0.5 g saffron threads
- 1.2 liters hot water
- 1 sprig fresh rosemary, 5 g
- 8 g fine salt
For the basic stock
- 1.2 liters water
- 50 g onion
- 40 g carrot
- 40 g leek
- 1 bay leaf, 1 g
- 2 g fine salt
👨🍳 Step-by-step preparation
1. Prepare the ingredients — 15 minutes
Cut the chicken and rabbit into pieces approximately 4–5 cm in size.
Wash and cut the green beans into 3–4 cm pieces.
Crush the 100 g of tomato and finely chop the 2 garlic cloves.
Measure out the 320 g of rice, 80 ml of oil and the remaining ingredients separately.
2. Prepare the stock — 15 minutes
- Place the 1.2 liters of water in a saucepan over high heat for 5 minutes, until it reaches boiling point.
- Add the onion, carrot, leek, bay leaf and 2 g of salt.
- Reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 10 minutes.
- Strain the stock and keep it at 185–194 °F until ready to use.
3. Brown the meat — 12 minutes
- Place the paella pan over the burner and heat over medium-high heat for 2 minutes.
- Add the 80 ml of oil.
- Add the chicken and rabbit.
- Brown over medium-high heat for 8 minutes, turning the pieces every 2 minutes.
- Reduce to medium heat and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
The meat should be nicely browned on the outside before continuing.
4. Cook the vegetables and sofrito — 10 minutes
- Add the 150 g of green beans.
- Cook over medium heat for 4 minutes, stirring every minute.
- Add the 2 chopped garlic cloves and cook for 1 minute over medium-low heat.
- Add the 100 g of crushed tomato.
- Cook for 4 minutes over medium-low heat.
- Move the mixture slightly toward the edges and add the 5 g of paprika to the center.
- Toast it for 30 seconds over low heat and immediately mix it into the sofrito.
5. Add the water and garrofón — 10 minutes
- Add the 1.2 liters of hot water.
- Add the 100 g of garrofón and the 5 g of salt.
- Add the saffron threads, lightly crushed beforehand.
- Increase to high heat and bring to a boil for 3 minutes.
- Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 7 minutes.
At this point, the stock should taste slightly more intense than you want the finished rice to taste.
6. Add the rice — 18 minutes
- Spread the 320 g of rice evenly throughout the paella pan.
- Stir only once to distribute the grains.
- Cook for 5 minutes over high heat.
- Reduce to medium heat and cook for 8 minutes.
- Reduce to medium-low heat and cook for 5 minutes.
Do not stir the rice again during the entire cooking process.
The total cooking time for the rice is 18 minutes.
7. Create the socarrat — 1 minute
When the rice is almost completely dry:
- Increase to high heat for exactly 45–60 seconds.
- Listen for small crackling sounds coming from the bottom.
- Immediately remove the paella pan from the heat.
The bottom should be lightly toasted, but never black or smelling burnt.
8. Rest and finish — 5 minutes
Place the rosemary sprig on top of the rice for 2 minutes, then remove it.
Let the paella rest for 3 minutes, uncovered.
Serve immediately, making sure each plate contains approximately 80 g of the original dry rice, together with a balanced portion of chicken, rabbit, green beans and garrofón.
✨ Chef’s tip: the secret to a great socarrat
The most common mistake is trying to create the socarrat by turning the heat up very high for too long.
The trick is to wait until the rice is almost completely dry before giving it that final burst of heat. During the final 45–60 seconds, the high heat concentrates the sugars and proteins attached to the bottom, creating a thin, crispy layer.
Also, never stir the rice after adding it. By leaving the grains undisturbed, the bottom can toast evenly while the rice maintains its structure.
🍽️ Plating
Bring the paella directly to the table after the 3-minute resting period.
Serve with a wide spoon, making sure to lift the rice from the bottom so that some of the socarrat is included in every serving.
Result: dry, separate grains of rice, beautifully browned chicken and rabbit, tender vegetables and an intensely flavorful base finished with a thin, crispy layer of socarrat.