My Spanish chicken and rice recipe is a simple, flavorful, and satisfying dinner that comes together in under an hour. Chicken thighs are seasoned with a smoky, garlicky spice mix and cooked on a bed of rice in a tangy tomato sauce. I can’t get enough of this one-pan meal, and I love how it uses basic pantry ingredients (any recipe that saves me a trip to the grocery store is a winner in my eyes!).
Whenever I can cook an entire dinner in one pan to save time, I’m all for it. The smoked paprika and garlic chicken thighs infuse the tomato sauce and chicken stock with so much delicious flavor. Then, the rice soaks up all those yummy juices to create a dinner that is simple AND totally delicious! This Spanish chicken and rice recipe isn’t spicy either, so my kids always eat it up, but you can easily add spice if you’d like.
What’s in This Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe?
I took inspiration from traditional Spanish flavors to create this easy recipe. You only need some simple seasonings to flavor the chicken, and everything else is pantry staples like canned tomatoes and rice! Feel free to leave out the garnishes if they’re not your thing.
- Chicken: Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs stay juicy and flavorful throughout the cooking process. Chicken drumsticks, boneless chicken thighs, or even chicken breasts also work well!
- White Rice: Use long grain white rice as the base for this Spanish chicken and rice dish. Make sure to wash the rice before adding it to the pan.
- Tomato Sauce: A tangy tomato sauce packs a punch of flavor. Use your favorite store-bought sauce or make your own from scratch.
- Chicken Broth: Cooks the rice and adds extra flavor. I used my homemade chicken broth, but any low-sodium chicken broth will work. Feel free to use vegetable broth or water if you’d prefer.
- Olive Oil: Helps to brown the chicken and crisp up the skin.
- Seasonings: Smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper are all you need to add some Spanish flavor to the chicken.
- To Serve: I top this recipe with green pitted olives, chopped fresh parsley, and a lemon cut into wedges. They add freshness and additional flavor—a lemon squeezed on top is my favorite way to enjoy this dinner!
Variations To Try
To make this recipe spicy, sprinkle cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes over the chicken with the other seasonings. You can also add some hot sauce to the tomato sauce to make it extra spicy.
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How to Store and Reheat
Any leftovers will stay fresh for up to 3 days in an airtight container in the refrigerator. While the rice reheats just fine in the microwave, the chicken thighs are best when reheated right back in the pan!
Notes and Tips
- If you’re not a fan of fresh parsley, finely chopped cilantro is also a delicious garnish for this Spanish dinner.
- Don’t take the lid off the skillet for 20 minutes while the rice cooks. The trapped steam cooks the rice perfectly; if you remove the lid, all that steam will escape!
- This recipe can easily be doubled for a larger crowd. Just make sure to use a skillet or pot that’s large enough to fit all the ingredients.
Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs about 2 lbs.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
- 1¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup tomato sauce
- ½ cup pitted green olives
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
- 1 lemon cut into wedges
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper
- Pat the chicken thighs dry and sprinkle both sides with the spices.6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add in the chicken, skin side down, and cook until browned, about 5-7 minutes. Flip the chicken and cook until browned on the second side, about 5 minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside.1 tablespoon olive oil
- To the pan, add in the rice and sauté until toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth and tomato sauce. Nestle the chicken back into the pot. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook on medium-low heat for 20-25 minutes until the rice and chicken are cooked through.1 cup uncooked long grain white rice, 1¼ cups low sodium chicken broth, 1 cup tomato sauce
- Uncover, top with green olives, parsley, and lemon wedges to serve.½ cup pitted green olives, 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, 1 lemon
Notes
- In place of chicken broth, you can use water or vegetable broth.
- Feel free to use 4 chicken breasts instead of thighs. Or boneless skinless chicken thighs. Even drumsticks!
How to Make Spanish Chicken and Rice Step by Step
Make the Seasoning: Mix together 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper in a small bowl.
Season the Chicken: Dry 6 skin-on bone-in chicken thighs with a paper towel and sprinkle the seasoning mix over both sides.
Brown the Chicken: Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large skillet and heat over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the chicken skin side down in the skillet and cook for about 5-7 minutes until browned. Flip the chicken over and cook until browned on the other side, about 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Saute the Rice: Add 1 cup of uncooked long-grain white rice to the same skillet and saute for about 2-3 mins until toasted.
Add the Sauce and Chicken: Stir 1 ¼ cups low-sodium chicken broth and 1 cup tomato sauce into the rice. Add the browned chicken thighs back to the skillet. Bring everything to a simmer and cover with a lid. Cook on medium-high heat for 20-25 minutes until everything is cooked through.
Serve: Remove the lid and garnish with ½ cup pitted green olives, 1 tablespoon chopped parsley, and 1 lemon sliced into wedges. Serve hot and enjoy!
At the 20-minute mark, check if the rice is cooked through by taking a little bite! If the rice is still not quite done, replace the lid quickly and let it cook for another 5 minutes. It should be ready to go by then.
How to pin your recipes to Pinterest. Clicking on save for later, does not work.
Thanks you
Ann
I was able to pin it! On the lefthand side of the screen you can see the classic Pinterest “P”, just click on that and it will give you the option to pin!