One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice

Jump to Recipe ▼
Reader Rating
Total Time 30 minutes

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Easy one pan Spanish chicken and rice is made with simple seasoning that come together with zesty, bold flavors in this one pot, 30 minute meal. 

Try these other easy one pot recipes like One Pan Garlic Herb Chicken and Asparagus, One Pan Mediterranean Chicken with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, and Cajun Shrimp and Rice Skillet.

close up of Spanish chicken and rice in a pan.

I’m thinking a little bit outside of the box this week and so far I’m loving the out-of-the-box dishes that are happening. I love chicken and rice together and a couple of days ago I was just craving a good ol’ one pan/one pot chicken and rice, only I really wanted to step up the flavor profile.

I’ve been making my ultra-popular one pot lemon herb chicken and rice for a couple of years now and love how easy it is to make with just a few ingredients I almost always have on hand. This week, I took that same one pan chicken and rice idea and put a fun, delicious new twist on it with some big, bold, Spanish seasonings and you guys…. this might even be better than that lemon herb chicken dish. So if you’ve tried that and love it, you are going to go crazy for this Spanish chicken and rice version.

side by side images of Spanish chicken and rice in a pan.

There is one ingredient you mayyyy not recognize and it’s coriander. If you haven’t cooked with coriander, it’s kind of similar to cumin. I use it occassionally and really love the depth it gives to the flavor of dishes. It’s easy to find in the spice section of any grocery store, but if you have everything but the coriander and don’t want to make a special trip to the store just for one ingredient, you can actually use an equal amount of cumin as a pretty great substitute! If you try this dish, I would love to hear what you think of the flavors so don’t be shy and make sure to leave a comment or send me an email or message!!

top view of Spanish chicken and rice in a pan.

What people are saying about this One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice

“OMG. This was heaven in a skillet. After an exhausting day, I printed out this recipe and gave it to my husband and ordered him to make it. I think he spiced it up with some hot chili powder. But the rice! Strongly recommend the thighs for more flavor.” – Lisa 

“Made this for dinner and husband and daughter begged to have it on a regular basis!! We all loved it, and I especially loved how simple it was to make and it’s only one pot! Thank you Tiffany for the awesome recipe!!” – Mona

“I am beyond thrilled with this recipe! To make something so good in thirty minutes after a long night at work…from the bottom of my heart and sore sore feet thank you!!!” – Alison

“Great recipe. the flavors were great and the meat was juicy (i was worried it wouldn’t be). The spice was just the right amount. It seemed like a ton of spice so I was worried it would be too hot for me, but it wasn’t at all.” – Sarah

One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice | lecremedelacrumb.com
4.92 from 1196 votes

One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice

Easy one pan Spanish chicken and rice is made with simple seasoning that come together with zesty, bold flavors in this one pot, 30 minute meal.
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 25 minutes
0 minutes
Total: 30 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Save this recipe!
Get this sent to your inbox, plus get new recipes from us every week!

Ingredients 

  • 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, OR 6 chicken thighs
  • 3 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
  • 1 cup uncooked white rice
  • 2 ¼ cups low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 lemon
  • chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish

Spanish seasoning mix

  • 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoons ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon coriander , (see note)
  • ¼ teaspoon Italian seasoning

Instructions 

  • In a small bowl whisk together all ingredients for the Spanish seasoning mix. Divide in half and set aside. Cut the lemon in half, then thinly slice one half - for garnish - and reserve the other half for juicing later in the recipe.
  • Place chicken in a medium bowl. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil, then toss to coat well. Use half of the prepared seasoning mix to rub on both sides of each piece of chicken.
  • Drizzle a large skillet with remaining 1 tablespoon of oil and bring to medium heat. Cook chicken for 2-3 minutes on each side until browned. Transfer to a plate. (It won't be cooked through at this point)
  • Add rice, chicken broth, juice from 1/2 of the lemon, and remaining seasoning mix and stir to combine. Return chicken to the pan on top of the rice. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes until liquid is absorbed, rice is tender, and chicken is cooked through.
  • Garnish with lemon slices and freshly chopped cilantro or parsley and serve immediately.

Notes

*Coriander is found in the spice section of any typical grocery store. In a pinch, cumin can be used as a substitute. 

Nutrition

Calories: 426kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 765mg | Potassium: 675mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 691IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 42mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Did you make this?Leave a star rating or comment below!
Tiffany of Creme de la Crumb in the kitchen

Welcome!

Hey there, I’m Tiffany – chef, photographer, mother, and avid taco eater. I am passionate about turning simple flavors and ingredients into tasty meals the whole family will love, with minimal prep and cleanup so there’s more time to spend eating and enjoying. Stay awhile, and help yourself to a taco or two!

More Recipes To Love

4.92 from 1196 votes (827 ratings without comment)

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




850 Comments

  1. Steven Byrne says:

    4 stars
    A very tasty dish, easy to cook leftovers last well in the fridge. My only other comment is that the recipe calls for cilantro & coriander and the author carefully, for those unused to coriander, explains that it is available in most grocery store spice sections. My comment is that Cilantro is another name for Coriander along with Chinese parsley and Dhania. Great dish though and so easy to cook!

  2. Ashley Sugiyama says:

    Can yoy make it to have more rice?

    1. Tiffany says:

      You’ll need more liquid, too.

  3. Steve says:

    You didn’t specify what heat to finish cooking ,only to brown meat??

  4. Denise says:

    This was so easy! All five children enjoyed eat this meal. 😁As the kid say “ winner ,winner , chicken dinner. Lol

  5. Gigi says:

    I have a question most of the time when I make rice to get non mushy rice I have to use like 1 to 1.5 ratios of rice to liquid. Is there something special we’ll have to do to avoid the rice becoming mushy with a 1 to 2.25 ratio?

  6. Manpreet says:

    Hi,
    How many grams in your serving that contributes 436 cals?

  7. Clem says:

    Do you have Instant Pot instructions for this?

    1. Tiffany says:

      I don’t at this time, sorry.

  8. Jeanne says:

    5 stars
    This recipe is AMAZING!

  9. Stephen C Davey says:

    Would be nice to know what temperature to set the oven.

    1. Tiffany says:

      The oven is not used for this recipe.

  10. Ty says:

    I made this and my rice burned after 20-25 minutes as instructed. My question is once we put the rice broth and chicken at what temperature do I cook it on? I left it on high for the whole time and my pot started smoking. Should this be cooked on low for 25 minutes, then how will the chicken cook through?