Chicken and Prawn Paella

The sociable Spanish paella: saffron rice, chicken, prawns and vegetables, cooked together in a single pan. Colourful, fragrant and complete, it is a celebration dish made for sharing.

Prep time: 20 min  |  Cooking time: 35 min  |  Servings: 6  |  Difficulty: Medium

Calculated per portion from the Anses Ciqual 2025 values for each ingredient, using the quantities in the list. Household measures (spoonfuls, pieces) use average weights. 349 kcal · 39 g protein · 21 g carbohydrate · 12 g fat

Ingredients

• 300 g short-grain rice
• 4 chicken thighs
• 300 g prawns
• 1 pepper
• 150 g peas
• 1 pinch of saffron
• 1 litre stock

Method

1. Brown the chicken and set aside. Fry the onion and pepper.
2. Add the rice, saffron and stock.
3. Return the chicken and cook for 18 minutes without stirring.
4. Add the prawns and peas towards the end of cooking.

Nutritional benefits

The chicken and prawns provide lean protein, the rice carbohydrate, and the vegetables fibre and vitamins. A complete and sociable one-pot meal, paella is balanced as long as you keep the rice portion sensible. Naturally gluten-free and lactose-free.

Variations and substitutions

• With seafood (mussels, squid).
• Vegetarian: just vegetables and chickpeas.
• With chorizo (richer).
• With wholegrain rice for more fibre.

Storage and making ahead

Keeps for 2 days and reheats well. The rice can also be eaten cold in a salad.

💡 Good to know

Do not stir the rice while it cooks: this is how the socarrat forms, the golden crust at the bottom that is the hallmark of a paella.

Related reading

Discover more high-protein recipes · healthy & balanced recipes · gluten-free recipes · lactose-free recipes.

Foods in this recipe: short-grain rice · chicken thighs · prawns · pepper · peas.

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