Millie Bobby Brown is a famous actor and business owner, but did you know she’s also a dedicated home chef? For Vogue’s “Now Serving” series, the actor cooked her favorite paella recipe, and admitted that she and her husband, Jake Bongiovi, have been loving the “trendy trad couple” lifestyle—complete with raising chickens and preparing home-cooked dinners.  

“I have five hens, they are all great—they’re named after the Spice Girls,” Brown said in the video. In fact, her chickens get to enjoy parts of her paella, too—such as the inside of the bell pepper she always saves for them rather than tossing.

While her commitment to limiting food waste is commendable, our Test Kitchen (along with other paella purists on the internet) has some thoughts on the recipe.

“Where to start?” says Emily Nienhaus, Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen brand manager. “Before I tell you how it’s not authentic, I do have to say that I’m a firm believer that you can cook however you like while still being food-safe, especially in your own home.”

Millie Bobby Brown’s Paella Recipe

Brown’s paella incorporates ingredients like chorizo, chicken, and bell peppers, along with other flavorful pantry staples like onion, garlic, saffron, paprika, and chicken stock. As this recipe was passed down to her from her father, she’s got an arsenal of advice for cooking it to perfection. After sautéing her veggies and adding her chorizo, tomatoes, and rice to the pan, she adds a little bit of chicken stock at a time to help the rice absorb the liquid slowly, ensuring it cooks evenly all the way through. 

“I hate, hate, hate, cooking meat,” she shares while reluctantly prepping her chorizo, adding that she usually has her husband take care of that step. However, she achieves a graceful chop on her sausage—and pulls off some perfectly-cooked chicken, even though she herself doesn’t usually eat it. “It’s for the enjoyment of my other guests,” she says.

Try to leave the paella alone with the lid on while it cooks, per Brown, to give it a chance to form a crust. This is her favorite part of eating paella—and for good reason, because who doesn’t love crispy rice? (More on that later.) She also makes sure to taste it along the way.

Once plated, she finishes off the dish with a dash of freshly chopped parsley and pairs it alongside her favorite drink, a Shirley Temple. Though Brown admits she doesn’t always know what she’s doing in the kitchen, she makes whipping up her paella look easy—and, dressed in archival Dolce & Gabbana, so very elegant.

Why People Are Talking About This Paella

So, what has fans a little on edge about the Stranger Things star’s dish? According to the comments, it’s mainly the fact that she used chorizo, which isn’t traditional in Valencian paella. She also doesn’t include any seafood, causing it to further stray from the classic Spanish recipe.

Brown’s version seems to give it an Italian spin (perhaps a nod to her husband’s family), which often does feature ingredients like cured sausage. Plus, she never claimed her paella recipe was 100% authentic.

Nienhaus explains that to make a “true” paella, you cook everything in one pan—so Brown’s technique of making the chicken separately isn’t the standard. Also, usually chicken thighs are used, not breasts. While bomba and Calasparra rice are considered traditional, they’re not always easy to find, and Nienhaus points out that her choice of arborio makes a good substitute. These swaps aren’t the most scandalous part of Brown’s recipe, though.

“Canned tomatoes are sacrilege according to most Spaniards,” Nienhaus says. “But in my opinion, the most heartbreaking moment is when she stirred her mixture. You want to leave the rice alone so the best part of the paella forms, which is the socarrat or the crispy bits on the bottom.”

Whether you want to officially call it paella or not, Brown’s recipe is her own—and what most people care about is simply if it tastes good, so don’t be afraid to serve this at your next dinner party. Hopefully Brown will return for another tutorial soon, or maybe even venture into the celebrity chef world herself. Now that’s a cooking show we’d tune into.