Julia Child’s American-Style Paella Recipe

My mom’s signature dish, Julia Child’s Paella a l’Americaine, is a spectacular Spanish-style one-pan meal combining rice, chicken, seafood, and chorizo.

This impressive, multi-component dish is an ideal showstopper for entertaining. The combination of saffron rice, chicken, shrimp, mussels, and smoky sausage creates a memorable Seafood Paella with Chicken that delights every guest.

Why You Must Make It

• This classic paella, adapted from Julia Child, is cooked and served in a wide, shallow paella pan for even cooking and dramatic presentation.
• With chicken, shrimp, shellfish, chorizo, saffron-scented rice, peas, and tomatoes, it’s colorful and rich in layers of flavor.
• Serve with crusty bread and a light dessert to finish an elegant, fuss-free meal.

My mom found Julia Child’s Paella a l’Americaine back when television had only a few channels and recipes were requested by mail. She loved the episode and kept the original typed recipe the station sent. She tested adventurous dishes on our family—wontons, moussaka, egg rolls—and paella was reserved for special celebrations. I still make the same seafood paella recipe she treasured, and it remains a favorite for gatherings.

Menu Suggestions

Complement your paella with drinks, starters, and simple sides:

• Wines: a medium-bodied red like California Cabernet or a crisp white such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio. For a festive alternative, serve white or red wine sangria. Offer sparkling water, coffee, tea, and soft drinks for non-alcoholic choices.
• Appetizers: a Spanish-style cheese board with Manchego, a creamy triple-cream cheese, herbed olives, Marcona almonds seasoned with rosemary and smoked paprika, grapes, and crusty bread or crackers.
• Salad: a crisp Caesar or a simple salad with grape tomatoes, marinated artichoke hearts, cucumbers, and homemade croutons complements the paella’s richness.
• Soup: a chilled gazpacho is a light, authentic starter that fits the Spanish theme.
• Dessert: a cream caramel flan or mini vanilla flans make a classic, elegant finish.

Equipment

• Paella pan for best results; its wide surface helps the rice cook evenly and form the prized crust.
• If you don’t have a paella pan, use a wide, straight-sided stainless steel pan with a large surface area. Avoid non-stick and cast iron for authentic texture, since they prevent development of the toasted bottom, or socarrat.

How to Make Paella

• Steam the chorizo until cooked, cool, then slice. Brown the sausage and bacon in oil.
• Sauté the onions, peppers, and garlic to make a fragrant sofrito, then remove the mixture and reserve.
• Brown the chicken in the pan using the rendered fat, then return the reserved vegetables and sausage to the pan.
• Add wine, chicken broth, saffron, and seasonings; simmer about 20 minutes to allow flavors to meld.
• Stir in short-grain rice and boil uncovered for 5–6 minutes without stirring.
• Marinate the shrimp briefly in lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper.
• When the rice swells and rises toward the surface, press the shrimp (tail end down) and mussels (hinge down) into the rice without stirring.
• Simmer uncovered for 8–10 more minutes until rice is tender but slightly al dente. Add peas and tomatoes during the last 4–5 minutes. If the seafood needs extra time, cover briefly to finish cooking.
• Finish by sprinkling minced parsley and serving with lemon quarters.

Chef’s note: Turn up the heat for 1–2 minutes at the end to develop socarrat—the toasted, caramelized rice layer on the bottom that defines a great paella.

Pro tip: Discard mussels that remain closed after cooking. Store live mussels in a colander covered with a damp towel in the refrigerator so they can breathe before cooking.

Ingredient Notes

Key ingredients and sensible substitutions:

• Chorizo: Fresh Spanish or Mexican chorizo is traditional for this version. If unavailable, a flavorful Italian sausage can be used, though it changes the profile.
• Rice: Use short-grain rice like Spanish bomba or Italian arborio for proper absorption and texture.
• Sofrito: A base of onions, garlic, and peppers; sometimes tomatoes are included. This builds the dish’s savory depth.
• Stock: Chicken or seafood stock can be used; chicken broth is a reliable choice.
• Wine: A dry white adds brightness; most of the alcohol cooks away while leaving flavor.
• Saffron: The signature spice that colors and flavors the rice; a small amount goes a long way.
• Proteins: This American adaptation adds chicken, chorizo, bacon, shrimp, and mussels. Traditional Spanish versions may include rabbit, snails, or other seafoods.
• Vegetables and legumes: Peas, tomatoes, and garbanzo beans add color, texture, and balance.
• Seasonings: Bay leaf, dried thyme, oregano, paprika, salt, and pepper round out the flavors.

Frequently Asked Questions

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The Recipe:

Julia Child’s Paella a l’Americaine

Prep Time
20 minutes

Cook Time
45 minutes

Total Time
1 hour 5 minutes

Yield
8 servings

Very slightly adapted from Julia Child’s Paella a l’Americaine.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh chorizo sausage
• 1/2 pound bacon, sliced into small strips
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup diced yellow onion
• 1 cup sliced red bell pepper
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 small bone-in chicken breasts
• 4 chicken drumsticks
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 4 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 teaspoon thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon oregano
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 2 cups imported arborio or short-grain rice

For shrimp marinade:

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/4 teaspoon oregano
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

To finish the paella:

• 1 pound large shrimp, deveined and shelled
• 24 mussels or clams
• 2–3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced, and diced
• 2 cups frozen green peas, defrosted
• 1 cup garbanzo beans (canned), drained and rinsed
• 2 lemons, quartered
• Parsley, minced

Instructions

1. Prick chorizo with a fork and steam in a shallow pan with a little water until cooked through. Cool and slice.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large sauté pan. Brown sausage and bacon, then add onions and peppers.
3. Cover and cook slowly until vegetables are tender. Add garlic and cook one more minute. Remove mixture with a slotted spoon and reserve.
4. Transfer the pan fat to a wide paella pan. Pat chicken dry and brown on all sides in the fat.
5. Add the reserved vegetables and sausages to the chicken, pour in wine and chicken broth, and add saffron and seasonings. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer about 20 minutes (chicken will not be fully cooked at this stage).
6. Sprinkle in the rice, pressing it into the liquid. Boil rapidly, uncovered, for 5–6 minutes without stirring.
7. While the rice boils, toss shrimp with lemon juice, oregano, olive oil, salt, and pepper; set aside.
8. When rice swells and rises to the surface, press shrimp, tail end down, into the rice and add mussels hinge-side down. Do not stir; gently press ingredients into the rice.
9. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 8–10 minutes or until rice is just tender. Add peas, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes during the final 4–5 minutes. Cover briefly if the seafood needs extra time to cook.
10. To serve, sprinkle with minced parsley and offer lemon quarters.

Notes

Adapted from Julia Child’s original Paella a l’Americaine.

Recommended Products

• Paella pan or a wide, straight-sided stainless steel pan
• Quality chef’s knife and cutting board

Nutrition Information (approximate)

Yield: 8
Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving (approx.):
Calories: 1288
Total Fat: 58g
Saturated Fat: 17g
Cholesterol: 452mg
Sodium: 3345mg
Carbohydrates: 50g
Fiber: 4g
Protein: 132g