Today David shares a delicious recipe for Spanish chicken and rice with chorizo. It's a great weeknight dish that comes together quickly!
What's not to love about one-pan meals?
They're easy to cook, easy to clean, and even easier to eat! And this dish of chicken, chorizo, and rice is no exception, loaded up with flavor but super simple to prepare.
Chicken is one of those meats that everyone has eaten countless times in their life. But just when I thought I had tried every possible version of a simple chicken dinner, I stumbled across this amazing dish.
It's not just that the chicken is cooked to juicy perfection, or that the chorizo and Spanish spice rub give the meal a warm and cozy flavor, it's also the delicious rice! Cooking the rice in the pan along with the chorizo and spices imparts a full, meaty flavor to the rice—it's not a side dish, it's the main event!
I like serving the chicken and rice alongside a leafy salad, like this quick and tasty Spanish ensalada mixta!
Spanish Chicken and Rice with Chorizo
Spanish Chicken and Rice with Chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups medium grain white rice uncooked
- 2 tablespoons of good quality olive oil
- 6 chicken thighs on the bone
- 300 grams of fresh/semi-cured chorizo roughly chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper cored and chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic crushed
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 cup of peas
- 3 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1 lemon cut into wedges, to serve
- ½ cup of torn cilantro leaves to serve.
Spice mix
- 2 teaspoons Spanish paprika/pimentón
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon of salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, cover the rice with water. Soak for 15 minutes and then drain.
- In a small bowl, combine the different ingredients for the spice mix. Pat the chicken try with a paper towel, and then rub the spice mix in. Make sure to get some under the skin!
- In a deep skillet with a lid, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and deeply brown on all sides (roughly 2 minutes per side). Remove the chicken from the pan and put on a plate to one side (it won't be fully cooked at this point).
- In the same pan, add the chorizo. Fry for 8-10 minutes, or until chorizo is golden brown, stirring frequently.
- Add the green pepper and onion, and fry for another 5 minutes before adding the garlic, tomato, tomato paste, peas and bay leaves. Cook for another 2 minutes, until the garlic is aromatic.
- Add the rice to the pan, and then place the chicken on top. Pour in the chicken broth, and bring the pan to the boil.
- Lower the heat to medium, and leave to simmer, covered, for 20-25 minutes or until the liquid is absorbed by the rice and the chicken is cooked through.
- Take the pan off the heat, and leave covered for 10 mins to allow the chicken and rice to rest. Serve hot, garnished with lemon and fresh cilantro.
Nutrition
What's your favorite Spanish rice dish? Tell me in the comments below!
Michelle
Fresh cilantro is used in Spanish cooking? Interesting. I can’t wait to try this.
chelsea Wallis
I am making this now and wasnt sure when to add the chorizo back in. So I just put it in with the chicken. Hope thats right! =)
Lauren Aloise
Yes! Thank you!
Jefferey Lackman
A great recipe. I went off recipe to accommodate what I had on hand but this very much reminds me of good meals in Spain.