Grilling Paella over a Charcoal Wood Fire
Recipe by
One of my favorite things in the summer time to cook on the grill is paella. This Spanish dish is a classic from southern Spain that has been repeated, imitated, and replicated a million times over, everywhere in the world. What I love about grilling paella is the benefit of cooking it over a wood-fire charcoal grill. The smell that illuminates from the wood really accentuates the meats, fish, and dish itself. One of the things though I would recommend before trying this at home is to get a large paella pan or iron skillet because the heat from the wood fire could damage your nice kitchen pots and pans and we don’t want that to happen. Along with the paella, it is essential to have a nice jug of Sangria to accompany it. The Spanish had it right when it came to good eats and drinks and one day I plan on traveling over to the Iberian nation to get the real stuff. But for now, I’ll just keep trying to emulate our Spanish brothers/sisters. Below is my recipe for grilled paella, how to prepare it, and what ingredients you will need. ENJOY and Salud!
Grilling paella over a wood fire on a charcoal grill.
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 1 hour
Yield: 10 servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- pinch each salt and pepper
- 1 vidalia onion
- 3 garlic cloves
- 1/3 of a cup flat leaf parsley
- 1/2 teaspoon saffron
- 1 red pepper
- 1 tomato
- 1/3 of a cup green peas
- 2 chicken breasts
- 4 chicken legs
- 3 chorizo
- 14 mussels
- 10 littleneck clams
- 24 small shrimp
- 3 cups Arborio or Arroz a la Valenciana (rice)
- 3/4 cup Marques de Caceres Rioja Blanco (white wine)
- 6 cups Chicken Stock
Cooking Directions
- Prepare grill with hard lump charcoal wood within a fire starter and use 2 pieces of oak and/or hickory.
- Chop garlic, onions, red pepper, parsley, and tomato finely.
- De-vein and skin shrimp and wash all clams prior to cooking.
- If using frozen green peas, be sure to thaw prior to cooking.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and cut chicken breasts both across and sideways to create 4 halves.
- Add saffron to small cup of hot water
- Place large skillet or paella pan over the fire when lump-charcoal wood has turned a nice grey and dumped into the charcoal bottom pan (make sure to have a safe zone on the grill to move meats, seafood, and cooking pan if fire becomes too hot).
- Add olive oil to pan and allow to simmer
- Add garlic, onion, and peppers to pan.
- Add parsley and tomato once the garlic, onions, and peppers begin to carmolize for about 5 minutes.
- On the other side of the grill, begin to cook the chicken and chorizo over high heat, searing the outside for 3-4 minutes on each side. Once ready, remove from grill and cut chorizo into 1/3 inch pieces.
- Begin to add arborio or arroz a la Valenciana for 2 minutes to saute.
- Add Marques de Caceres Rioja Blanco and stir, until dish begins to boil.
- Add saffron and chicken stock, until dish begins to boil (10-12 minutes).
- On other side of grill, begin to cook shrimp, clams, and mussels. Only allow clams and mussels to open slightly before taking off grill.
- Add chicken and chorizo to pan.
- Add all seafood to pan and stir (add more chicken stock or water if dish begins to become dry and/or move pan to a safe zone on your grill) for 3 minutes.
- Add green peas and salt and pepper.
- Ready to serve!
Grilled Paella Recipe stars based on 81 ratings.
Sangria
Viva España! - Mas sangria!
By Paggi Pazzo
Published: August 9, 2011
Cool taste of Sangria with Paella off the grill
Prep time 10 min
Total time 10 min:
Yield: 1 pitcher (12 servings)
Ingredients:
Thinly-sliced lemon: 1
Thinly-sliced lime: 1
Thinly-sliced apple: 1
Thinly-sliced nectarine: 1
Sugar: 1 teaspoon
Brandy: 1 shot
Marques De Caceres Rioja (red wine): 1 bottle
Lemon Soda or Ginger Ale: 1/2 liter
Orange juice: a splash
Directions:
2. Add sugar, brandy, orange juice, and wine. Stir for several minutes.
3. For best results, allow wine, fruit, brandy, and sugar to sit and marinate in refrigerator overnight. However, if time is not available, add lemon soda/ginger ale to pitcher and enjoy!
Click here for full Grilled Paella Recipe or Spanish Sangria Recipe, and all other Paggi Pazzo recipes.
Easy Recipes for the Grill & Cucina - Paggi Pazzo 
I just found you blog a couple of minutes ago! This looks amazing, and I am actually going to make this for Christmas my husband and me for dinner (YES!) in Brooklyn, NY, (Because I am crazy!). By the way your blog is beautiful, the food you make looks incredible, and you have a great since of humor. Keep blogging!
Thank you for your generous comments. I hope you and your husband enjoy the recipe and good for you for grilling in all seasons, whether you’re in Brooklyn, Rome, or Buenos Aires 🙂
Have a great holiday season, Buon Natale e Bon Anno Nuovo!!!
My brother suggested I might like this website. He was entirely right.
This post actually made my day. You can not imagine simply
how much time I had spent for this information! Thanks!
Thank you Valentin, your brother is a smart man! 🙂
Just came across your grilled paella recipe in Google and I have to say – this looks fantastic and the photo actually looks like you made it yourself. I will most certainly give this a try.
This Grilled Paella looks so good, i can’t wait to get home and make it.
Thanks for the response! Hopefully the paella works for you!
Does this really work? Wouldn’t be a lot easier cooking paella in the kitchen?
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for your comment and post! To be honest, I really think it’s just as easy on the grill if you have all the ingredients ready to go outside – and plus, it’s just more fun! Trust me, give it a try and you’ll see what I mean.
Looks good. Remember that Sangria and Paella are refrigerator dishes, in that they only require what you have to make. Aside from the obvious need of such things as rice, wine, etc. But I would raise the sugar/oj content on the Sangria as I have found too little means too many acidic flavors. Also the longer you can steep at Sangria the better.
I’m goin home to make this right now; looks friggin sweet! Maybe I’ll make the Paella tonight, and practice making lots o’ Sangria tomorrow night….
What time so I can stop by??!?!?!
Looks amazing, on my way to the grocer for ingredients now!
Wow, I know what I am having this weekend! Always looking for new sangria recipes and this looks fantastic.
Giant Paella fan. Can’t believe I haven’t thought of grilling it before!
Try it once and you won’t want it any other way 🙂
This sounds amazing, we just got a new grill and I absolutely can’t wait to try it!!
I’ve been trying to expand my grilling recipes from just steak and chicken and this recipe will be a great addition. Can’t wait to try to the Sangria!
This is the best.
I love finding new recipes for grilling!!!!! I’d leave a longer comment but I have to go make that Sangria. Stat.
Looks like a great recipe – can’t wait to try it!
Looks amazing! I definitely am going to try it out sometime soon. Does it work on a gas grill too?
Hey Freddy,
Thanks for the post! You can absolutely grill paella on a gas-grill. All you need is a wood chip box and you can get those at any local or national hardware place and buy wood chips and soak them overnight and then you’re ready to go!
Enjoy!
Love you can cook this on the grill!
That Paella recipe sounds delicious and I’m sure will be a big hit for get togethers over the upcoming Labor Day weekend. Thanks for posting!
This looks like a perfect weekend party idea – Paella on the grill and Sangria for the cook! Can’t wait to try it!
Wow! This sounds amazing. I’m going to try this when I go home tonight. Thanks for the great recipe!
Looks amazing and such a great pairing for a summertime party – although I’m not sure how summer-y feeling it would be inside an apartment?!?! Can’t wait to have the space to host a dinner party with this as the main course! Thanks for sharing.
Is it inadvisable to drink all the sangria before you start cooking the paella? Just kidding …both look delicious. I may need to make the sangria by itself until I get a iron skillet for the grill.
Absolutely – just make sure you’re not too close to the grill 🙂
The recipe looks amazing (and the Sangria looks even better). I have never had paella before but would love to try this! Thanks for posting!
thanks for sharing. This recipe looks fantastic and easy to boot!
Love paella…sounds delicious.
So does the jug of sangria : )
Great post!
Always looking for a new recipe for Sangria, thanks for posting, it sounds like the makings of a flavorful summer evening!
I’ve never had paella before but it sounds amazing. The sangria, however, sounds even better!
I’ve been asking myself…what can I cook on my new grill? I think I found the answer. Nice recipe!
I’m grill-less at the moment but I’ve given Paella a go in the cucina. I cook the chorizo 1st… and then use some of the rendered spicy chorizo oil to sear the chicken, cook the veg, etc. I’ll have to give your way a try when I get back into the grilling game.
I tried it over the weekend on my electric grill and it still worked even though i wasn’t using charcoal! I just had to let it sit on the grill for a little bit longer than expected, but it was still great. Very nice recipe.
Dude …now I’m hungry
Both are unbelievably delicious! It felt like I was dining in Spain. I’m a very lucky girl 🙂
That looks incredible. My wife and I were just talking about trying to make some form of Paella. You make it sound so easy…looks like I’ll be out manning the grill this weekend.
Thanks for sharing this recipe.
This looks incredible. I am going to have Sharon memorize this and prepare it for me this weekend 🙂
Nice recipe- it sounds kind of time consuming but i bet it’s delicious!