Skillet Paella Recipe-
Deliciousness doesn’t have to be difficult or time-consuming. It should just be deliciousness! And while my quick and easy skillet paella recipe requires a little bit of prep, it will still take less time than you think to have this restaurant-style dish on your table at a fraction of the cost of eating out.

Who wants to sit down to this plateful of deliciousness?
Let’s gather the ingredients (aka mise en place) for our skillet paella recipe. You can prep your ingredients a day or two before to save time. That makes this delicious dinner even easier
I know every night can’t be this special, but serving up this beautiful and delicious dish in the middle of the week is a sure way to keep your family coming back to the dinner table.
And spending time with your family over dinner is something we don’t always get to do. Life is hectic and everyone is going in different directions. Make your family dinner time a special time, whether you make my recipe of one of your own favorites.
Have fun with the recipe and add your own flair, cooking is supposed to be fun!
Here are some other recipes you may like:
Quick and Easy Skillet Paella
Ingredients
- 8 large shrimp 16-20 count – peeled and deveined
- 4 chicken thighs bone in, skin on
- 6 ounces smoked chorizo sliced
- 1 cup baby green peas frozen or fresh
- ½ onion diced diced
- ½ cup red bell peppers diced
- 2 cloves garlic finely diced
- 2 tablespoons cilantro finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons blackening seasoning (cajun seasoning)
- 1 teaspoon saffron or more if desired
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cup short grain rice
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Instructions
- Season skin side of chicken thigh with your favorite blackening seasoning. (make it as spicy as you like)
- In a large skillet over medium high heat, add two tablespoons of olive oil, then place seasoned chicken thighs, seasoning side down into pan.
- Allow chicken to get crusty and blackened before turning over (about 5 minutes)
- Turn over chicken thighs and allow to cook for 3-4 additional minutes, then remove from pan.
- Drain any excess oil, leaving only enough in the pan to lightly sear veggies.
- Add diced peppers (reserve 1 tablespoon of diced peppers for garnish), onions and garlic into pan. Sauté for about 2 minutes.
- Add rice to pan and stir allowing rice to be coated and continue to sauté for a minute or two. (don’t let the rice get brown)
- Add in 2 cups of chicken stock and saffron, mixing well.
- Place chicken thighs on top of rice and cover. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes (or until liquid has been absorbed)
- At this point, remove the chicken thighs and add one more cup of chicken stock to rice, stirring well.
- Add shrimp on top of rice and continue to simmer for 5-7 minutes.
- Remove shrimp from pan, and add in smoked chorizo, peas and 1 tablespoon of cilantro.
- Place chicken and shrimp back on top of mixture and allow to simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed.
- Place on a large serving platter and garnish with reserved diced peppers and chopped cilantro.
Chris says
I made this recipe for my wife and self a couple nights ago. We spent 2 weeks in Spain in October and enjoyed Paella 2 or 3 times. A wonderful dish we had not previously enjoyed.
This recipe is fabulous. If you love seafood and lots of flavor I highly recommend. Chef Dennis’s recipes are superb and this one is no exception. You will not be disappointed!
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks Chris! I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my skillet paella. My wife and I loved Spain and I’m hoping to get back there this summer.