How to Cook Paella on Your BBQ

By: Andrea Alden

The original one-pan meal, paella is a fragrant rice dish that contains many layers. The soft and succulent rice with meat and vegetables is scented with saffron and paprika. Then, as you dig deeper you discover chunks of meat and then finally, a crisp layer of deeply caramelized rice called the Socarrat. This prized part of the paella proves perfect preparation.

Paella can be very divisive when it comes to discussion. As I researched the ingredients and methods, one thing became clear. Paella should be cooked traditionally, but no one does. Originally an inland farmer’s meal, paella was often made with whatever could be found on the grounds and in the area. Rabbit, chicken, snails, and rosemary. As the dish gained popularity, it spread to the seaside, and mixtos or marisco was created, containing seafood. Nowadays, you find paella made with seafood and chicken, chorizo (Spanish), and shellfish. It’s up to you what you want to put in your dish as long as you use a good quality olive oil, saffron, and a short grain rice like Bomba. Follow this non-traditional recipe and join me on my journey, learning how to cook paella on the BBQ.

Prep Time

20 min

Cook Time

35 min

Yield

Difficulty

Medium

How to Cook Paella on Your BBQ

Ingredients

Method

Photos

Ingredients

¼ cup (59 ml) olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
4 (332g) chicken thighs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1½ cup (140 g) Spanish chorizo diced
1 Spanish onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup (180 g) green beans, trimmed
1 cup (237 ml) San Marzano tomatoes (sub crushed tomatoes)
1½ tsp. smoked paprika
Pinch saffron threads
2½ cups (500 g) Bomba rice (sub arborio)
1 cup (237 ml) dry white wine
2¾ cups (900 ml) chicken stock
1 lb. (454 g) shrimp, peeled and deveined *(keep shells)
1 lb. (454 g) mussels, rinsed and scrubbed
Lemon and parsley for garnish

Method

For extra bonus tasty points, before you put your stock onto the grill to warm in a saucepan, toast the shrimp shells in oil, then pour over your chicken stock.
Prep the meats, cutting the chicken into bite-sized pieces and seasoning to taste with salt and pepper. Cut the chorizo into a dice, along with the onion and bell pepper. Trim the stem ends of the beans and cut into bite-sized batons. Mince or grate the garlic. Place the tomatoes into a bowl or cup.
Turn on all of the burners on your barbecue, setting one side to medium-low, and the other to high, or similar variation, keeping one side hotter than the other. Place your stock over the low heat to warm and steep the shells.
In a small heat-safe container, place a pinch of saffron and add a ladle of hot broth. Set aside to infuse.
Place the bottom part of the PRO Chicken Infusion Roaster to warm. Add about ¼ cup of oil. Cook the chorizo until it begins to crisp and releases some of its oils. Then add the sofrito – onion and pepper and tomatoes, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Crush the tomatoes and break them up. Once the veggies are starting to soften, add the garlic and green beans, with the paprika and cook until fragrant, you’re looking for the onion, tomatoes, and peppers to be a little dried out and slightly jammy. Toss in the chicken to sear.
While the chicken is cooking, pass the stock through a strainer to remove the shrimp-bits. Keep warm.
Once the chicken has some color, add the rice, toasting it for a few minutes before adding the stock. Deglaze the pan with some of the white wine. Then, add enough stock to just cover the top of the rice. Don’t forget to include the saffron stock too. Allow the paella to simmer for 10 minutes, checking periodically to make sure that there isn’t too much evaporation. DO NOT STIR. After 10 minutes, arrange your seafood over top and add a little more stock, checking periodically. If your paella gets dry before the rice has finished cooking, add more stock, a little at a time.
Test the rice, and once there seems to be no more liquid bubbling or simmering, but the rice is tender, remove the paella from the heat and rest a few minutes before serving. The test of a perfect paella is the slightly crisp and caramelized bottom. You want to cook it just long enough for the rice to crisp but not burn. You will hear the sizzle and smell toastiness.
Drizzle with some good olive oil, and serve, making sure to scrape up that socarrat when serving. Garnish with fresh parsley and lemon wedges.

Now that you know how to cook paella on your BBQ, will you be giving it a try? While this recipe isn’t quite traditional, it is certainly delicious. It keeps well for up to a month, when frozen, making it a good grab-n-go meal. Make this meal less expensive by using cheaper meats and things you have on hand or even frozen seafood. What do you put in your paella? Share your barbecue paella recipes, ideas, and photos on our social pages like Facebook and TikTok, using the hashtags #NapoleonEats and #NapoleonGrill.
Happy Grilling!

Andrea Alden

I used to be the Sultana of Sizzle, but you can call me Andrea. I have always been passionate about food. Even though I was majoring in Art and Graphic Design, I would frequently be found cooking for my friends and family.