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
So so so easy and quick! Love the shortcut of the salsa! I made a tiny mistake of using spicy salsa and hot andoullie sausage (I love spicy but it was hot!!) I added shredded rotisserie chicken at the end to make it more hearty. Will make again!
It needed 3 cups of water
THIS WAS THE BEST RECIPE EVER!!!!!! I made it with green peppers orange peppers Turkey smoked sausage and shrimp. The salsa/chicken broth hack is why I was drawn to this recipe. I also added smoked paprika and cayenne. The rice was PERFECT! My husband loved it and he’s picky! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
And thank you so much for coming back to let us know!