One Pan Spanish Chicken and Rice
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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.
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.
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!!
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
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
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this this evening. I love how easy it was, easy to make, easy to clean up. I hesitate to make chicken and rice because I find most recipes bland, but not this. The chicken was tender, the rice was cooked perfectly. I’ll make it often and plan and on trying different spices and variations. Thanks for a great recipe.
Thank you for your review! I’m glad it turned out well and you enjoyed it! 🙂
You don’t say what temperature the oven should be at …. rather important to know!
This recipe does not use the oven, it’s written for the stove top. In step 3 it mentions to cook it at medium heat. If you would like to make this in the oven, however, another reader has said that they used the oven and cooked this at 350 for 30 minutes with success.
This is one of my favourite recipes to make and is always in rotation!! So easy and fast to make !!
Love this recipe – it’s been my go to for years! I do adjust how much water I use depending on which rice I have on hand. The flavour is incredible and I’m thinking I might make a big batch of the spice mix to keep in the cupboard for the next time I make it
Looks nothing like the pictures. I should have watched the video first, that would have told me all I needed to know. Ended up with soggy, mushy rice. The flavor is ok but this recipe needs a serious makeover. Overall… disappointed.
This was fabulous .. such a delicious meal, fast and easy.. I added red onions zucchini and some cherry tomatoes to the rice.. chilli flakes and whole cumin seeds … took it up a notch..
this will definitely become a favourite . I’m going to add chorizo next time and olives to make it even tastier .. thanks heaps for the recipe
Nice job on making it your own! I’m glad it turned out well 🙂
I followed the recipe exactly. There is far too much salt in it. It might have been good but all I could taste was salt, which overpowered the spices. If I try it again I will omit the salt.
Can I use brown rice?
Yes, you can but you will need to add about 1/4 more broth and the cook time will be a bit longer as it takes brown rice longer to cook. I would also not add the chicken until the rice is about halfway done cooking.
Can this be frozen! We couldn’t eat it all and it’s too delicious to throw out!
This recipe hasn’t been tested as a freezer meal. I know that rice and chicken freeze well though so I’m sure it would work great! 🙂
A delicious meal and so easy!
I would recommend to make the rice a little more wow, after frying the chicken on both sides add some raisins, barberries and pineapple (cut into pieces) let that caramelise for a minute and then continue with the recipe adding the stock, lemon, etc.
When you add the rice some sliced pistachio’s or your own choice of nuts is also a nice add.
Went down a treat and once again such an easy recipe to follow. Thanks a bunch.
We served with Greek yogurt with dried mint mixed through. Side was a salad.