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Instant Pot Paella Recipe

Instant Pot Paella Recipe

Last Updated on 22nd April 2022 by

Paella is a Spanish dish made with rice. Traditionally, the Spanish served paella with a wooden spoon, so the name means “shallow pan used for frying.” In the past, the Spanish would eat it straight out of the pan. Now, we are going to look at a shallow pan recipe in an instant pot. 

If you visit a Spanish household on a weekend or holiday, you are likely to find this ultimate rice dish. The paella dish is versatile because you can make it with chicken, seafood, sausage, and many other ingredients.

However, there are recipes online that suggest not using saffron in paella. You can definitely omit it from the dish. But traditionally saffron is the key ingredient for authentic paella.

It gives the dish its characteristic yellow hue and floral scent. Paella does resemble risotto in its ingredients, but the cooking preparation is different. 

My electric pressure cooker, which has been named an “instant pot“, I’ve been using for five years and can easily call it a kitchen staple.

Investing in one is highly recommended. Paella sounds very difficult to master because of the number of ingredients that go into its preparation but, believe me when I say paella isn’t hard to make.

It won’t take more than thirty minutes. Caesar Salad, bread, aioli, roasted red peppers make for excellent sides for this delicacy. The leftover Paella can keep well for about a week. 

Instant Pot Paella Recipe
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Instant Pot Paella Recipe

You can wrap up this instant pot pressure cooker paella recipe in merely 30 minutes. It makes for five to six servings. 

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red pepper
  • 1 cup onion
  • 1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
  • ¼ tsp saffron threads
  • ½ tsp garlic powder
  • One tablespoon olive oil
  • One teaspoon paprika
  • ½ tsp onion powder
  • One teaspoon salt
  • 14 ounce  tomatoes
  • Bacon crumbles
  • 2 cups short grain rice
  • Chicken thighs, boneless
  • 1 ½ tbsp lemon juice
  • ¼ cups chicken stock
  • Frozen/ unfrozen peas

Instructions

  • Step 1: In the instant pot, add olive oil, chopped red pepper, chopped onion, saffron threads, garlic, garlic powder, paprika, salt, and onion powder. Adjust the pot and set it to ‘Sauté’ and let the added ingredients cook for five minutes. 
  • Step 2: Dice tomatoes (not too finely) and add them to the electric pot. You can also use the canned version if you prefer. 
  • Step 3: Add bacon crumbles and rice. Stir continuously.
  • Step 4: Add lemon juice and chicken stock, homemade or canned, as desired. In a minute or so, introduce chicken into the mixture. Cover the pot with its lid and cook for ten to twelve minutes. If you are using pre-cooked chicken, reduce the cooking time by three to four minutes. 
  • Step 5: Release the pressure from the cooker. Rice should be mixed with shredded chicken and stirred back in. Add frozen peas and some freshly ground black pepper. They will instantly become warm and soft. Mix a little, and you will be done. So there you have it, your instant pot paella. Serve hot with your favorite cutlery.  

Tips For Making Instant Pot Paella Recipe Great

When making chicken paella, go for chicken thighs because they are tender and juicy. The paella turns out well. If you want the paella to turn out a little dry, reduce the amount of chicken broth you add to it. Some recipes recommend using only fresh peas, but from personal experience, I can assure you the frozen ones work equally well!

Don’t want to use saffron for whatever reason? But want the yellow color? Add a pinch of turmeric or ¼ teaspoon curry powder. 

Paella traditionally uses short-grain rice. You can use normal rice in paella, the medium or long grain ones.. However, nothing beats the taste of Valencia rice. Once you use Valencia rice in your paella, you won’t want any other kinds of rice! 

Chopped parsley leaves, oregano, cilantro, lemons make for an amazing addition to paella. 

In paella, a layer of crunchy rice appears at the bottom after the cooking process. This is typical of the paella dish. You’re going to love your paella. 

Alternative Recipes

Chicken And Sausage Paella Recipe Instant Pot

This chicken and sausage paella instant pot recipe will make you fall in love. First, let’s look at the details. Do not worry if you cannot find classic Spanish chorizo for the dish. Instead, consider alternative spicy sausages or even mild sausages.

You start by heating water and chicken broth in a saucepan. Then, add saffron threads and peas to the dish. Turn the flame down to low. Sauté the veggies, sausage, and chicken in the instant pot. Pour in the broth and the remaining ingredients.

In the instant pot, pressure cook the paella for about ten minutes. The pressure should automatically release. The delicious paella is now ready to be served. Enjoy. 

Shrimp Paella Instant Pot Recipe

There are a few differences between the seafood paella recipe and the one mentionedabove. The Spanish call seafood paella, ‘Paella de Marisco.’ In this dish, you can taste the classic Spanish shrimp within the comfort of your own home.

After step 3 of the recipe above, add shrimp. After cooking for about eight minutes, release the pressure of the instant pot quickly. When cooking frozen seafood, you would need an additional five to six minutes.

When cooking thawed seafood, you can keep it in the pressure cooker for an additional three to four minutes. For shrimp with shells, you may remove the shells before serving them but its not neccessary.

 

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I'm Pauline, a mother of four grown children, my passion for cooking stemmed from the joy i get cooking for my family. I love to try new dishes, especially when dining out but creating and sharing my own recipes is my favourite thing to do!

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