This Instant Pot chicken paella captures classic paella flavors- saffron rice, smoky sausage, sweet peppers and peas- using weeknight-friendly pressure cooking. No special pan required: just set, cook, and finish with lemon and parsley for a bright, crowd-pleasing dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Instant Pot Chicken Paella
What’s not to love about a flavorful, easy dinner all made in one pot?
- Quick and easy recipe: One-pot, hands-off pressure cook.
- Authentic vibes (saffron, smoked notes) with accessible ingredients.
- Family friendly: 30-minute dinner; family-friendly heat level.
Recipe Essentials
While this isn’t the most authentic paella recipe, I made an ingredient hack to cut down on some time and ingredients! A full list of ingredients with measurements for this recipe is available in the printable recipe card below.
- Chorizo chicken sausage – It’s called chicken paella, but technically it’s chicken sausage that we use. Either chorizo or andouille work well.
- Saffron – Saffron is one ingredient that makes paella, well, paella. It is an expensive spice but it is a “must” for authentic flavor and color.
- Arborio rice – Paella is made with bomba rice, but this can be tricky to find in a regular grocery store so the next best bet is arborio, traditionally used for making risotto. Both are shirt, fat grains that easily soak up liquids (and flavor).
- Olive oil
- Fine sea salt
- Chunky salsa
- Roasted red pepper
- Frozen peas
- Chicken stock
How to Make Instant Pot Chicken Paella (Step-by-Step)
You can have authentic-tasting paella in no time! Just follow these simple steps.
- Sauté: Add oil to the inner pot and brown sliced chicken chorizo. Remove them leaving behind seasoned oil.
- Layer & Cook: Add the rice and saffron, allowing the saffron to bloom flavor in the fats. Stir in the salt, salsa and stock. Stir, seal and cook using quick release.
- Finish: Stir in the peppers, peas and sausage, set to “keep warm” to let these warm up and the flavors to mingle.
- Serve: Fluff the rice and squeeze on the fresh lemon before serving. Garnish with parsley, if desired.
Test Kitchen Tips for Best Texture & Flavor
I’ve tested this Instant Pot recipe for paella to prevent burn notices and get the best flavor.
- Don’t over-stir- fluff the rice with a fork to prevent it from getting gummy.
- Use low-sodium stock (salsa adds enough salt).
- Rest on Keep Warm so peas stay green and rice absorbs flavors, but it doesn’t overcook.
Variations & Swaps
You can change up this recipe to your tastes, or any way you’d like. Here are a few ideas.
- Protein: Swap chicken chorizo for diced chicken thighs, ground beef or seafood. Brown them first and add them back in just like the chicken sausage.
- Heat: Add pinch of smoked paprika or chili flakes for more heat, but if you use a hot salsa, that will also give it good flavor.
- Veg: Stir in artichokes or olives at the end for more Mediterranean.
Make it A Meal
This instant pot chicken paella is quite hearty on its own and could certainly suffice as an entire meal. However, if you are looking to add more vegetables to the table, try serving with a side of broccoli, green beans or even a nice side salad.
The rice is usually enough starch for me, but if you’re craving more try serving with some potatoes. Dinner rolls are always a nice touch too!
Easy Instant Pot Recipes
Using a pressure cooker makes dinner a breeze! Here are some of our favorite Instant Pot recipes.
Instant Pot Paella Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1-1.5 pound(s) chorizo chicken sausage , thinly sliced
- 1 heaping cup arborio rice
- 1 teaspoon saffron threads
- 1 cup thick and chunky salsa
- 1 cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup roasted red peppers , drained and chopped
- 1 cup frozen peas
- lemon wedges , for serving
- parsley , for garnish
Instructions
- Heat the 1 tablespoon olive oil in the inner pot of the Instant Pot on sauté.
- Add the thinly sliced 1-1.5 pound(s) chorizo chicken sausage, cooking until lightly browned, approximately 5 minutes.
- Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken sausage to a plate, leaving the seasoned oil in the inner pot.
- Stir in the 1 heaping cup arborio rice 1 teaspoon saffron threads, allowing them to bloom and brown for 1 minutes. Stir in the 1 cup thick and chunky salsa 1 cup low-sodium chicken stockand 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt to the mixture. Stir and lock the lid in place with vent sealed.
- Set to manual high pressure for 8 minutes.
- Use the quick release function. Fluff in the drained and chopped 1/2 cup roasted red peppers, 1 cup frozen peas and prepared chicken sausage. Replace the lid and continue on "keep warm" function for 4-5 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork again before serving with fresh lemon wedges and parsley.
- If you've tried this recipe, please come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
I needed something that gives me the taste of paella without the work. I bought a paella pan, but what I made did not match what I ate when I was stationed in Spain. I know this recipe is versatile, will give me options, and can be easily modified with turmeric and paprika rather than $affron.
Hi John- nothing beats a real flame and a paella pan… and being in Spain. I once had the opportunity for the famous Spanish Chef Jose Andres to prepare me 4 types of paella on a beach. It was magical. This recipe is really good- it’s solid, but it will never live up to the real deal. And I can honestly say it is one of my top 5 IP recipes and people are always amazed I get such bold flavors. I Hope you enjoy it.
Thank you for this Great Recipe!!
I had to improvise with the ingredients I had and this recipe was a great outline to use! I had Polish Kielbasa. I only had 1 cup of white long grain rice and a lot of Brown Rice, so I used a cup of each. Washed and drained in a strainer. I had a store bought container of watery Salsa. I drained the juice in a measuring cup and just added water for two cups. I added a finely chopped green bell pepper. Added Himalayany. 1/2 t. 1/2 t garlic powder. 1 cup of mixed frozen veggies.
I was worried about needing more time for the brown rice, but nope! It came out absolutely Perfect!!! It tastes amazing!! I will make it again and again! Cannot believe how Fast it is to make this.
Thanks again!!❤🙋
Awesome- and thanks for coming back to let us know! This is honestly one of my favorite quick recipes. We just love it!
I have been CRAVING Spanish food! I’m not a fan of seafood though (yeah, I’m not really sure, Tapas are my jam though!) and we haven’t had the chance to visit our local Spanish restaurant, so I started searching for recipes to make at home. I work in healthcare, so days are long. I am ECSTATIC to find this recipe! I made it tonight, and it is definitely going to curb my craving! I will say, in my IP Duo Plus, my rice was a little crunchy after 8 minutes, so I would recommend 9-10 for this device, as I know they all cook differently. I actually added my meat, peppers, and peas, and added 3 more minutes and it was just a little gummy. I will definitely make this again!
Thanks so much- good to know. All of the different electric pressure cookers vary so much and not just by brand, but by size. I’m sure our readers will appriciate your feedback. This is honestly one of my favorite recipes. So glad you loved it 🙂
The paella looks delicious. In addition to the chicken sausage, I’d like to add chicken breasts, maybe about 3. How would that change the amount of time the rice cooks? I’m assuming it would be added with the rice, sofrito, etc, correct? My family is Cuban and my mom used to make paella and arroz con pollo all the time. This recipe looks similar, but so much easier and faster using the instant Pot. Love the instantpot!!
Marlu
Hi Marlu! This is one of my favorite recipes. So you’d actually cook the chicken on the saute function, like you would the sausage. Then remove it and cook the rice and add the chicken back in after the rice has cooked. It won’t change the cook time at all. You might need to do 3 full breasts and sausage in batches since the pot isn’t that big.
Delicious
The whole family enjoyed it, it was my first time using an IP and the total time was more than listed but other than that experience which may have been more on me the meal was amazing!
Yay! We love to hear that! Was it the prep time that was off or the actual cook time? The cook time/pressure building time can vary based on model and altitude. I just want to make sure I can revise based on your experience.
This was a really yummy and easy to make paella. I used Cajun Style Andouille smoked pork sausage to give it a little spice. I also didn’t have any arborio or short grained rice, so I used Lotus Pink Rice. After I added the additional ingredients (sausage, peas, roasted red peppers) I added about 1 more cup of chicken broth and pressure cooked it for 5 more minutes. It was perfect!!
That sounds fantastic! And thanks for coming back to let us know!
Outstanding! Definitely my favorite Insta pot recipe that I make. I always add whatever I have in the house as far as veggies go and meat go but the combination of the saffron and salsa make everything taste good. “Paella” for the win!
Awesome, Amanda! So glad you loved it. It is honestly my favorite IP recipe too. Then pulled pork, then pot roast.
If I double the recipe, would I use exactly double the rice, salsa, and water? And, would all the cooking times stI’ll remain the same?
Hi Danelle, use the same amount of ingredients, but since VOLUME is higher, I would increase the cooking time by 2 minutes.
I made this last night. It was so freakin’ good. Definitely going to make this every night now!
I know you used chicken chorizo, but I’d like to use separate chicken and sausage. How much would I need of both you think? 1/2lb or 1lb each? I’d also lime to add shrimp to it, would 1/2lb or 1lb be enough? Thanks in advance!
Hi Pelin! Honestly, since the meat (and/or seafood) cooks ahead of time, you can add as much as you want! You’ll just have a much meatier dish. Make sure it is all cooked before you add it back in. With that much (more than a pound) you might want to cook it in batches instead of all together. It will be great with chicken, sausage and shrimp!