Y’all I love me some of this Spanish chicken and rice. I pull it together on a busy night but the flavors stay popping. I add some great spices to the chicken, some sausage along with rice and veggies making this an easy one pot meal.
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Video Tutorial
How To Make Spanish Chicken and Rice
- Pat all sides of the chicken dry with a paper towel.
- Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Mix together the cumin, smoked paprika, chipotle chili powder, and adobo seasoning in a bowl. Sprinkle about a third of this mixture on both sides of the chicken. Save the rest for later.
- Cook the chicken in butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat until both sides are golden brown. When browned, remove it and set aside.
- Cook the onion, peppers, and chorizo in the pot until the veggies are tender and the sausage is browned. Then stir in the tomato paste.
- Add the rice along with the chicken stock, lime juice, diced tomatoes, pigeon peas, garlic powder, and the remaining spice mix to the pot. Bring it to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook covered for thirty minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the chicken to the Dutch oven. Place it in the oven and cook for another 40-50 minutes or until the chicken is completely cooked through and the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is nice and soft.
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Spanish Chicken and Rice Recipe
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I’ll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Ingredients
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon adobo seasoning
- 1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
- ¾ teaspoon smoked paprika
- 8 chicken legs or 6 chicken thighs
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ cups diced onion, green and red peppers
- ½ tube of loose chorizo sausage in small pieces
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 cups brown rice
- 3 ½ cups chicken stock
- ½ cup fresh lime juice
- 15 ounces diced tomatoes 1 can
- 15 ounces pigeon peas, rinsed and drained 1 can
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- Chopped cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Start by preheating your oven to 380 degrees.
- Add ground cumin, adobo seasoning, chili powder and paprika to a small bowl and whisk together until combined then set aside.
- Pat chicken dry on all sides with a paper towel then season chicken pieces with salt and pepper to taste on both sides. Sprinkle about a ⅓ of the seasonings on chicken on both sides and set the rest to the side.
- Add butter with canola oil to Dutch oven over medium high heat. Once it’s melted, brown chicken on both sides until a golden brown color develops then remove chicken from Dutch oven and set aside.
- Next add onion, peppers and chorizo to Dutch oven and cook until they are tender and sausage is nice and browned.
- Add tomato paste and mix in well.
- Next stir in rice along with chicken stock, lime juice, diced tomatoes, pigeon peas, garlic powder and remaining spice mix and bring to a boil. Once boiling, bring down to medium low heat and cover lid for 30 minutes.
- Next remove lid and add chicken to the Dutch oven and place in the oven and cook for another 40-50 minutes or until chicken is completely cooked through and the rice has absorbed liquid and is nice and soft. Cool for 10 minutes then top with cilantro and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Recipe Tips
- Use chicken thighs or legs when making this dish. It cooks up perfectly without drying out.
- Let the dish rest before serving. This locks in the chicken juices and allows the rice to finish cooking.
- If you prefer to use white rice, follow the same instructions but you can reduce the oven time.
Recipe Help
No, if you don’t have one you can also use a deep cast-iron or oven-safe skillet. If those aren’t an option, then transfer the partially cooked rice to a baking dish and then add the chicken.
More Delicious Chicken Recipes
If you want more easy chicken dinners like this, definitely try my Lemon Chicken and Rice Casserole, Chicken and Dumplings, Baked Garlic Chicken Skillet, Slow Cooker Rosemary Chicken, Brown Stew Chicken, and Lemon Roast Chicken and Potatoes.
*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!
This post was originally published in September 2017. It has been updated with new images and content.
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The spices give this dish a wonderful flavor and aroma. I love how this can be made in one pot for easier clean-up!
This recipe was super easy and delicious. I found the pigeon peas in my local store named Jewel Osco. Marianos, another local store, also has them. I’m not sure why they were both called dry pigeon peas on the cans. I bought them and they were just delicious. I have a family of 3 – 2 adults one toddler. So I froze some of the rice and beans for a later date. We loved, loved, loved the flavor in this. I’m excited to try many more recipes and my goal for the past year or so is to cook and bake more so that I can pass recipes down to my daughter.
Beautifully elaborated! great flavors, textures.
I make this once a month or so. We love it. It freezes well, so even though there are only three of us, I make the full amount. It delicious, almost creamy, not too spicy. The pigeon peas are worth the search, but black beans would work, too.
Family loved this, two for two now on this site. (The Lemon Layer Cake was a tremendous hit for my daughter’s birthday party).
Very happy children. Thanks so much for another awesome recipe!
My family says that it was a winner! I work long hours so definitely adding this to the weekly menu.
Love Spanish chicken and rice. I can’t wait to try it. It looks delicious!
Spanish chicken and rice is always a favorite in my house. Your version looks amazing!
love how easy and delicious this dish is, and that spice mix is something to make and keep in the pantry!
Yes I especially love that spice mix!
this is pure comfort food, and i cannot wait to dig in!!