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Easy One Pt Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe
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5 from 1 vote

Easy One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet Recipe

This easy One Pot Spanish Chicken and Rice uses the cold pan method for ultra crispy skin, with flavorful marinated chicken thighs, and tasty, tender rice, all done in one skillet.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time1 hour
Marinade time4 hours
Course: Dinner
Servings: 6

Equipment

  • 12" cast iron skillet or oven safe pan

Ingredients

Marinade:

  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika 
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • the juice of 1 lemon
  • 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 

Chicken and Rice: 

  • 6 bone in, skin on chicken thighs 
  • 1 medium onion, diced 
  • 1 ½ cup long grain white rice
  • 2 ¾ cups low sodium chicken stock 
  • 1 14.75 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes 
  • coarse kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper  for seasoning dried chicken

Spice blend:

  • 2 teaspoon smoked paprika 
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin 
  • 1 teaspoon ground turmeric 
  • ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt 
  • ¼ teaspoon fresh ground black pepper 
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander 
  • ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes 

Instructions

  • Combine marinade ingredients in a small bowl.
    2. Add chicken to a gallon sized resealable bag, and pour marinade over. Make sure all chicken is well coated in marinade. Transfer to the refrigerator, and marinate chicken for a minimum of 4 hours, and up to overnight.
    3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees f.
    4. When ready to cook, remove chicken from marinade and dry well with paper towels. Be sure to get them as dry as possible, as excess moisture will keep them from browning.
    5. Season skin side of the chicken thighs with coarse kosher salt and black pepper.
    6. Arrange chicken thighs skin-side down in a dry, unheated cast iron skillet. Set the skillet over medium heat and cook, undisturbed, until the chicken skin releases easily from the skillet and is a light golden color, 12-14 minutes.
    7. Once the chicken is easily released from the pan and lightly golden, move the chicken thighs around a bit with tongs to make sure they brown evenly, moving the chicken around as needed to make sure all the skin has good heat contact( some areas of the pan may be hotter than others, so moving it is key). Continue to cook the thighs until the skin is crispy and a deep golden brown, about 5-6 minutes.
    8. Transfer the thighs to a plate with tongs, skin-side up (chicken will not yet be cooked through).
    9. Add onion to the pan with the rendered chicken fat, and sauté 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    10. Add the dried spices and stir well.
    11. Add the diced tomatoes and chicken stock a bit at a time, deglazing the pan as you go to release the brown bits.
    12. Add the rice and stir well.
    13. Reduce heat to medium low, and cook rice for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    14. Add chicken and juices back to the skillet, crispy skin facing up,
    15. Transfer the skillet to the oven for 15-20 minutes, until rice is cooked though (time may vary depending on rice) and chicken is cooked through and the thickest part of the thigh registers 165 degrees f.
    16. Optional: place skillet under your oven’s broiler for 2-3 minutes for extra crispy skin.
    17. Serve with lemon wedges and fresh chopped parsley.