• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The Good Hearted Woman logo
  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers, Small Bites & Snacks
    • Beverages
    • Bread
    • Comfort Food
    • Ingredients & Techniques
    • Condiments
    • German Recipes
    • Main Dishes
    • Salads
    • Seafood Recipes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
    • Sourdough
    • Desserts & Sweets
    • 30-Minute Meals
  • Cozy Living
    • Arts & Crafts
    • For Music Lovers
  • US Travel
    • Rocky Mountains
    • Southwest
    • The South
  • Contact
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipe Index
  • Cozy Living
  • Food Holidays
  • About Us
  • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipe Index
    • Cozy Living
    • Food Holidays
    • About Us
    • Subscribe
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » Recipes » Main Dishes

    Easy Paella

    Published: Oct 22, 2014 · Modified: Jun 17, 2021 · by Renée B. · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe   Print Recipe

    Traditionally, Valencian Paella is cooked over an open fire, fueled by orange and pine branches. This easy paella, made with Aneto's Valencian Paella Base, comes out seasoned with some of that old-world flavor, even when cooked on a modern stovetop.

    Paella with Aneto | The Good Hearted Woman

    The folks from Aneto traveled all the way from Barcelona, Spain to Seattle, Washington to share their product at the International Food Bloggers Conference [IFBC] last month, and each time I had the occasion to speak with them throughout the weekend I became more and more impressed with their dedication to quality and their passion for their product. But "fancy words won't feed the bulldog," as my Dad might have said, so once I got home, I started to experiment. I wanted to find out if their product was as good as they claimed.

    Before I go any farther, I should tell you that I am very sensitive to "processed taste": the intermingled flavor of box or can, preservatives and flavor enhancers - to the point that I avoid nearly all prepared soups, stocks, and broths, as the high water content seems to absorb such processed flavors without fail. So it was with pleasant surprise that I found Aneto's Valencian Paella Base to taste as close to "homemade" as I have experienced from a processed product in very long time.

    This shouldn't be surprising though: the ingredient list - completely devoid of anything chemical-sounding or unpronounceable - reads like a card from your great-grandma's recipe file: Chicken broth made with water, chicken, onion, carrot, cabbage, leek, celery, and sea salt. Sauteed vegetables made with rabbit, duck, tomato, virgin olive oil, ferraura beans, garrofon beans, snails, saffron and rosemary. That's it.

    Traditionally, Valencian Paella is cooked over an open fire, fueled by orange and pine branches. This cooking method produces an aromatic smoke which infuses the paella. I really liked that Aneto's Valencian Paella Base is seasoned such that some of this old-world flavor finds its way into the paella, even when cooked on top of a modern stove.

    Mr. B loved this paella so much that he took it in his lunch every day for a week straight! Which reminds me - Paella is traditionally a party dish, and you can easily feed a small army with one batch!

    Paella with Aneto | The Good Hearted Woman

    A few words about saffron (I'm just wild about Saffron!):

    Did you know that saffron is the single most expensive cooking ingredient on the planet? More expensive per ounce than truffles or good French wine. And totally worth it!

    You can make this recipe without the saffron and substitute in turmeric; but really, there is nothing in the world that tastes like saffron except, well - saffron. Just to keep Karma happy though, when purchasing saffron, please be sure to look for an organic, Fair Trade product.

    Aneto products can be found at Whole Foods and online at Amazon.com 

    Paella with Aneto | The Good Hearted Woman

    Easy Paella {Recipe}

    Print Pin Add to Shopping List Go to Shopping List
    Course: Main Dish
    Cuisine: Italian
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 350kcal
    Author: Renee
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    • 1 10-inch Enameled Cast Iron Dutch Oven or paella pan

    Ingredients

    US Customary - Metric
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
    • 8 ounces Spanish-style chorizo cut into ¼ inch pieces
    • 1 pound skinless boneless chicken thighs, cut into 1" pieces
    • 4 garlic cloves minced
    • 1 medium onion coarsely chopped
    • 1 red or yellow bell pepper coarsely chopped
    • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
    • 1 ¼ cups short-grain white rice I use Arborio rice
    • 2 ½ - 3 cups Aneto Valencian Paella Base I found that I needed more
    • 1 teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
    • 1 pound medium shrimp shelled and deveined, tail attached
    • chopped Italian parsley

    Instructions

    • Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet or paella pan over medium-high heat. (I used a heavy-duty wok, and it worked perfectly.)
      Add chorizo and chicken and stir until chorizo is golden and chicken is cooked through.
      Remove from pan and set aside.
    • Add remaining tablespoon oil, garlic, onion and bell pepper to pan.
      Add paprika and sauté for 5 minutes, or until peppers and onion are golden.
    • Stir in rice, broth and saffron, and bring to a rolling boil, uncovered.
      Reduce heat, cover and simmer until most of the liquid is absorbed, about 8-10 minutes.
      Stir in the shrimp and cook, covered, until shrimp are cooked through, about 4 minutes.
    • Remove from heat and stir in cooked chicken and chorizo.
      Cover with a kitchen towel and let stand about 5 minutes more, or until all of the liquid is absorbed.

    Notes

    Simmering time will vary, depending on what kind of rice you use. Also, you may need to add additional stock or water as I did. Just be careful to not stir too much or you will end up with a very runny risotto instead of paella!

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 350kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 163mg | Sodium: 1106mg | Potassium: 354mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 586IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 56mg | Iron: 2mg
    This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. You are solely responsible for ensuring that any nutritional information provided is accurate, complete, and useful.
    Have you tried this recipe?Mention @TheGoodHeartedWoman or tag #thegoodheartedwoman!

    Disclosure: As an IFBC 2014 attendee, I received free Aneto products and the cool apron pictured above. This post may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we may receive a commission if you click a link and purchase something that we have recommended. While clicking these links won't cost you any extra money, they do help keep this site up and running. As always, all opinions and images are my own. Please check out our disclosure policy for more details. Thank you for your support!

    More Main Dish Recipes

    • Two German Beef Rouladen rolls sliced on plate to show layered pinwheel, with sour cream and spätzle on the side.
      Authentic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)
    • Bowl of cooked spaghetti noodles with a pile of baked meatballs in the center, garnished with chopped parsley.
      Classic Baked Ricotta Meatballs
    • Oven roasted turkey on a platter, encircled with sage and garnished with orange slices and pomegranate arils.
      Simply Perfect Roast Turkey
    • Closeup of pumpkin pasta garnished with parmesan and fresh sage; ready to serve.
      Creamy Pumpkin Pasta with Parmesan & Sage
    • Share
    • Flipboard

    About Renée B.

    Renée is self-taught home chef with a penchant for creating healthy(ish) comfort food recipes, and adapting vintage recipes for the 21st century cook. In her spare time, she writes unfinished novels and songs about cowboys.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

      Leave a Reply Cancel reply

      Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

      Recipe Rating




      This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

    1. Marlynn @UrbanBlissLife says

      October 24, 2014 at 10:11 am

      I'm with you, Renee: my adult tastebuds are now very atune to when something processed is involved in a dish. But I trust you and am looking forward to trying out Aneto's paella base! I LOVE paella, and agree that there really is no suitable, even substitute for saffron -- it's SO GOOD! Your recipe looks absolutely delicious. Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
    2. Catherine says

      October 23, 2014 at 8:37 am

      I'm veggie so don't make paella, but I'm glad you found a product that you like so much!

      Reply
    3. Melinda says

      October 22, 2014 at 10:06 pm

      I'm going to forward this on to a friend who LOVES paella! Thanks for posting this!

      Reply
    4. kelsey says

      October 22, 2014 at 9:55 am

      i need to make this! it looks awesome!
      http://www.ladiesinnavy.com

      Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Hi, I'm Renée!

    Welcome to The Good Hearted Woman — a cozy corner of the internet where comfort food meets modern life. From heirloom recipes and easy weeknight dinners to seasonal dishes, homemade breads, and potluck favorites, we share the kind of food that brings people together.

    When we’re not in the kitchen, you’ll find us hosting guests at Parkside Acoustic Bed & Breakfast, our music-themed B&B in Ashland, Oregon — where good food and warm hospitality go hand in hand.

    More about Me & Mr B →
    • Breakfast casserole muffin on a plate with arugula and chopped avocado.
      Tater Tot Breakfast Casserole Muffins

    • A bowl of pecan granola in a small bowl, setting on an outdoor bistro table.
      Healthy Maple Pecan Granola

    • Two German Beef Rouladen rolls sliced on plate to show layered pinwheel, with sour cream and spätzle on the side.
      Authentic German Beef Rouladen (Rinderrouladen)

    • Small glass jar filled with habanero syrup, with one small habanero pepper sitting to the side.
      Habanero Simple Syrup

    • Two pink cocktails in martini glasses, with five raspberries and a habanero pepper at the base of one glass.
      Sparkling Raspberry Habanero Cosmo

    • 9-panel collage showing images of food and recipes from German Dessert Recipes roundup.
      German Dessert Recipes

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Cookie Statement
    • Terms & Conditions
    • Accessibility Statement

    Follow

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates
    • Facebook
    • Pinterest
    • Instagram
    • Twitter

    Contact

    • Contact
    • Meet Me & Mr B

    Content on this website may contain affiliate links, including Amazon affiliate links, which means we earn from qualifying purchases. Please check out our privacy Policy for more details.

    Copyright © 2025 The Good Hearted Woman. All rights reserved.

    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}
    We Value Your Privacy
    We use cookies to make this website a better place. Cookies help to provide a more personalized experience and relevant advertising for you, and web analytics for us. To learn more about the different cookies we use, check out our Cookie Policy.
    Functional Always active
    The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.
    Preferences
    The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.
    Statistics
    The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.
    Marketing
    The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.
    Manage options Manage services Manage {vendor_count} vendors Read more about these purposes
    View preferences
    {title} {title} {title}