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.
Absolutely delicious! Made it over a week ago and enjoyed with my man who also commented on the good combination of seasoning.
Thanks for a wonderful recipe! My family LOVES It. I make it at least once a moNth, if not more.
just a tip I learned,,,,any cooked rice dish is more flavourful if you “toast” the rice. in this recipe, after frying the chicken, put the rice in the pan alone without liquid. you may need to add 1 tbsp oil as the the rice needs to be coated and stir the rice constantly until it turns a light golden color, 3-4 minutes, and then proceed with adding liquid. this is a trick i learned from a mexican friend and it is how they get their flavor in mexican restaurant rice. use a high smoke point oil such as peanut. on a related note, never cook with sesame oil, as it turns bitter when heated too much…only add it at the last minute for its flavor.
I just Made this and only time will tell but I have a few questions. Is this baked or skillet cooked? What temperature? I was so confused.
Hi Jackie – this is skillet cooked on medium heat. sorry for the confusion.
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. i used zatarain’s long grain rice (my favorite rice for cooking). The only issue i had with this recipe..it’s not good as lefto-overs. It dried out a lot. But, it was wonderful when it was fresh!