This delicious grilled paella is a smoky, crowd-pleasing meal that’s surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for a weekend feast, it’s loaded with tender seafood, juicy chicken, and flavorful chorizo. You can customize it with fresh, everyday ingredients, and the crispy rice at the bottom is the ultimate treat everyone will love.
Recipe Ingredients:
- One 3-pound chicken, cut into 8 pieces
- 1/4 cup canola oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 large pinch saffron
- 2 pounds clams, scr믭
- 2 pounds mussels, de-bearded and scr믭
- 18 colossal shrimp, tails on, peeled and deveined
- Two 2-pound lobsters, par-cooked in salted boiling water for about 12 minutes, drained well and halved lengthwise
- 15 sea scallops, patted dry
- 4 lemons, halved
- 1 large Spanish onion, finely chopped
- 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 4 cups short grain paella rice
- 1 pound Spanish chorizo (a cross between hard and soft), thinly sliced
- 1 cup frozen peas, thawed
- 1 jar piquillo peppers, chopped or thinly sliced (6 or 8 peppers)
- 1 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
How To Make Paella On The Grill Recipe?
- Prepare the grill: Light charcoal in chimney starters until briquettes are covered in gray ash. Spread in the center of the grill, place the grate on top, and preheat for 30 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: Brush chicken pieces with oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill on the cooler outer rim. Cover the grill and cook until golden and nearly done—about 12 minutes for breasts and 15 minutes for thighs/wings. Remove and cut breasts into smaller pieces.
- Simmer the stock and shellfish: Combine chicken stock and saffron in a saucepan and simmer over direct heat. Add clams, cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes until they open. Remove clams and repeat with mussels, cooking for 5 minutes. Discard unopened shellfish.
- Grill the seafood and lemons: Brush shrimp, lobster, scallops, and halved lemons with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill shrimp (1 minute per side), lobster (5 minutes, cut-side down), scallops (1 minute per side), and lemons (45 seconds, cut-side down). Remove and set aside.
- Cook the base for the paella: Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large paella pan over direct heat. Sauté the onions until soft, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chorizo and cook for 5 minutes until browned and crisp.
- Cook the rice: Stir the rice into the pan and toast for a few minutes. Gradually add stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously until the rice is al dente (approximately 25 minutes).
- Assemble the paella: Arrange chicken, clams, mussels, shrimp, lobster, scallops, peas, and piquillo peppers on the rice. Squeeze the juice of 4 lemon halves over the dish and nestle the remaining halves into the rice.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle parsley over the top, stir gently to bring some rice to the surface, and serve hot.
Recipe Tips:
- Use the Right Rice: Always use short-grain rice, like Bomba or Arborio, as it absorbs the flavors better and gives the perfect texture for paella.
- Don’t Skip the Saffron: Saffron adds the signature golden color and unique flavor. Crush it slightly before adding to the stock to maximize its aroma.
- Keep the Heat Even: Maintain an even and steady heat under the paella pan to cook the rice evenly and prevent burning.
- Don’t Stir the Rice Too Much: Stirring breaks the rice and makes it sticky. After the initial mixing, let it cook undisturbed to develop the crispy layer (socarrat) at the bottom.
- Prepare Ingredients in Advance: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before starting to cook, as paella requires close attention once the process begins.
How To Store & Reheat Leftovers?
- Refrigerate: Let the leftover paella cool to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Freeze: Paella can be frozen for up to 2 months. Once cooled, place it in a freezer-safe container. To thaw, move it to the refrigerator overnight before reheating
- Reheat: In The Microwave: Place a portion of paella in a microwave-safe dish, cover it with a microwave-safe lid or damp paper towel, and heat on medium power for 2–3 minutes, stirring halfway through.
Nutrition Facts
- Calories: 379
- Total Fat: 12.4g
- Saturated Fat: 2.4g
- Cholesterol: 56mg
- Sodium: 742mg
- Potassium: 220mg
- Total Carbohydrate: 38g
- Dietary Fiber: 2g
- Sugars: 2g
- Protein: 20g
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Paella On The Grill
Description
This delicious grilled paella is a smoky, crowd-pleasing meal that’s surprisingly easy to make. Perfect for a weekend feast, it’s loaded with tender seafood, juicy chicken, and flavorful chorizo. You can customize it with fresh, everyday ingredients, and the crispy rice at the bottom is the ultimate treat everyone will love.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Prepare the grill: Light charcoal in chimney starters until briquettes are covered in gray ash. Spread in the center of the grill, place the grate on top, and preheat for 30 minutes.
- Cook the chicken: Brush chicken pieces with oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill on the cooler outer rim. Cover the grill and cook until golden and nearly done—about 12 minutes for breasts and 15 minutes for thighs/wings. Remove and cut breasts into smaller pieces.
- Simmer the stock and shellfish: Combine chicken stock and saffron in a saucepan and simmer over direct heat. Add clams, cover, and cook for 8–10 minutes until they open. Remove clams and repeat with mussels, cooking for 5 minutes. Discard unopened shellfish.
- Grill the seafood and lemons: Brush shrimp, lobster, scallops, and halved lemons with oil. Season with salt and pepper. Grill shrimp (1 minute per side), lobster (5 minutes, cut-side down), scallops (1 minute per side), and lemons (45 seconds, cut-side down). Remove and set aside.
- Cook the base for the paella: Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a large paella pan over direct heat. Sauté the onions until soft, add garlic and cook for 1 minute. Stir in the chorizo and cook for 5 minutes until browned and crisp.
- Cook the rice: Stir the rice into the pan and toast for a few minutes. Gradually add stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring continuously until the rice is al dente (approximately 25 minutes).
- Assemble the paella: Arrange chicken, clams, mussels, shrimp, lobster, scallops, peas, and piquillo peppers on the rice. Squeeze the juice of 4 lemon halves over the dish and nestle the remaining halves into the rice.
- Garnish and serve: Sprinkle parsley over the top, stir gently to bring some rice to the surface, and serve hot.
Notes
- Use the Right Rice: Always use short-grain rice, like Bomba or Arborio, as it absorbs the flavors better and gives the perfect texture for paella.
- Don’t Skip the Saffron: Saffron adds the signature golden color and unique flavor. Crush it slightly before adding to the stock to maximize its aroma.
- Keep the Heat Even: Maintain an even and steady heat under the paella pan to cook the rice evenly and prevent burning.
- Don’t Stir the Rice Too Much: Stirring breaks the rice and makes it sticky. After the initial mixing, let it cook undisturbed to develop the crispy layer (socarrat) at the bottom.
- Prepare Ingredients in Advance: Have all your ingredients prepped and ready before starting to cook, as paella requires close attention once the process begins.
Paella On The Grill