This one-pan Spanish chicken and rice made with onions, bell peppers, chorizo, and a simple seasoning is a fun variation of Arroz con Pollo. It has loads of flavor with all the comfort food vibes!
My Take on Spanish Chicken and Rice
Arroz con Pollo, or chicken and rice, is a comforting casserole with several variations found throughout Spain and Latin America. In Spain, however, it usually includes saffron, giving it its signature yellow coloring.
The seasonings and aromatics in this dish may vary depending upon who made it, but the two star ingredients: rice and chicken, remain the same. In my version of chicken and rice, I skip the saffron threads for an easier and more budget-friendly option, which is why mine is not yellow, but I keep all the Spanish flavors for a comforting one-dish recipe that almost alwasy leads to second helpings!
Spanish Chicken and Rice Ingredients
- Rice. Some recipes call for short-grain rice. I prefer medium-grain rice because, in my experience, short-grain rice is too sticky, while long-grain rice is too loose and doesn’t provide the texture I want.
- Chicken thighs and drumsticks. I am a thigh and drumstick gril all the way. The meat says tender and juicy.
- Chorizo, either Spanish or Mexican chorizo, will work.
- Vegetables: A sofrito of chopped red onions, bell peppers, and garlic
- Extra virgin olive oil to sauté the vegetables.
- Tomato and a little sweetness and umami from a bit of tomato paste.
- Chicken broth: You can use either homemade chicken broth or store-bought. If you use store-bought, just opt for the low-sodium kind.
- Spice rub: Smoked paprika gives you that complexity without the heat, then I use black pepper, garlic powder, and kosher salt, to round out the flavors. A small hint of cayenne brings the spice!
How to Make Arroz con Pollo?
This recipe is easy to make in just one large pan (a lid is a must). And it is all about cooking things in different stages for the best flavor and texture.
- Soak the rice in water. Rinse the rice well and place it in a bowl. Cover the rice with water and allow it to soak for 15 minutes while you work on other things. You should be able to break a grain of rice easily. Drain well.
- Make the spice rub. In a small bowl, mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season with the spice rub, both on top of and under the skin.
- Brown the chicken on both sides. In a 5-quart braiser pan (or a large deep skillet with a cover), heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Carefully add the chicken and brown deeply on both sides. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate for now.
- Cook chorizo and vegetables. In the same pan, add the chorizo. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the chorizo has nicely browned. Add the green peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
- Cook the chicken. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Add the browned chicken back to the pan. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, then lower to medium and cover. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the rice and cook it with the chicken. Uncover the pan and transfer the chicken to a plate. Stir the drained rice into the cooking liquid. Cook uncovered over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken back on top of the rice. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan again, and cook the rice and chicken together for another 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
- Let the chicken and rice rest in the pan. Turn the heat off, but leave the pan covered and undisturbed for 10 more minutes. Serve hot.
Tips for Making Spanish Chicken and Rice
Selecting the rice for your arroz con pollo is important. Here are a few tips to follow:
- For the best results, rinse the rice several times until the water runs clear.
- I like to go one step further to soak the rice in water for 15 to 20 minutes. I do this with almost every rice dish. You’ve seen it earlier in my hashweh rice and this shrimp and rice recipe. I learned this trick from my mom.
- Why do I soak the rice before cooking? Soaking the rice helps remove excess starch, which makes it sticky. It also helps the rice cook quickly and evenly. That’s because when you soak the rice, you’re kick-starting the water absorption process before the rice hits the pan.
- Once cooked, leave the chicken and rice in the covered pan, undisturbed, for 10 minutes. The rice needs time to rest, and allowing the time means the starch will set and the moisture can evenly distribute so you don’t end up with a gluey mess.
What to Serve with Spanish Chicken and Rice
This is such a hearty recipe that I like to pair it with something lighter to balance it out. Roasted green beans or Spanish garlic mushrooms are both great options. If you’re looking for something fresh, try this orange salad with endive and radicchio.
More Spanish Recipes to Try!
Appetizer and Mezze
Albóndigas (Spanish Meatballs) in a Catalan-Style Saffron Sauce
Soups and Stews
Sopa de Ajo (Spanish Garlic Bread Soup)
Meat and Poultry
Escabeche de Pollo (Spanish Chicken Escabeche)
A delicious and easy take on Arroz con Pollo, this Spanish chicken and rice recipe with chorizo is a satisfying and flavorfu one-pan-wonder! It's important to rinse and soak the rice in water for a little while to get rid of excess starch.
Ingredients
For Chicken
- 1 1/2 cup medium grain rice washed
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 4 chicken drumsticks
- Olive oil
- 6 ounces bulk Chorizo sausage no casings
- 1 large green bell pepper cored, chopped
- 1 medium red onion peeled, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves peeled, crushed
- 1 large ripe tomato chopped
- 3 tablespoons tomato paste
- 3 cups chicken broth
For Spice Rub
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper more or less to your liking (optional)
Instructions
- Soak the rice in water. Rinse the rice well and place it in a bowl. Cover the rice with water and allow it to soak for 15 minutes while you work on other things. You should be able to break a grain of rice easily. Drain well.
- Make the spice rub. In a small bowl, mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Season the chicken. Pat the chicken dry and season with the spice rub, both on top of and under the skin.
- Brown the chicken on both sides. In a 5-quart braiser pan (or a large deep skillet with a cover), heat 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering but not smoking. Carefully add the chicken and brown deeply on both sides. Remove the chicken and set it aside on a plate for now.
- Cook chorizo and vegetables. In the same pan, add the chorizo. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring regularly until the chorizo has nicely browned. Add the green peppers, onions, and garlic. Cook over medium heat, stirring regularly, for 5 minutes.
- Cook the chicken. Now add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, and chicken broth. Add the browned chicken back to the pan. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil, then lower to medium and cover. Cook for about 15 to 20 minutes.
- Add the rice and cook it with the chicken. Uncover the pan and transfer the chicken to a plate. Stir the drained rice into the cooking liquid. Cook uncovered over high heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the chicken back on top of the rice. Turn the heat to low, cover the pan again, and cook the rice and chicken together for another 20 minutes or until the rice is fully cooked.
- Let the chicken and rice rest in the pan. Turn the heat off, but leave the pan covered and undisturbed for 10 more minutes. Serve hot.
Notes
- Tip: Once cooked, leave the Spanish chicken and rice in the covered pan, undisturbed for 10 minutes or so. Rice needs time to rest, and allowing the time means that the starch will set and the moisture can evenly distribute so you don’t end up with a gluey mess.
- Leftovers & Storage: allow leftovers to cool and store in the fridge in a tight-lid glass container for 3 days or so.
- Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including extra virgin olive oils and smoked paprika used in this recipe!
Nutrition
Calories: 687.6kcalCarbohydrates: 64.6gProtein: 48.5gSaturated Fat: 7.8gCholesterol: 163.5mgPotassium: 977.3mgFiber: 3.8gSugar: 2.9gVitamin A: 1148.3IUVitamin C: 33.1mgCalcium: 58.7mgIron: 5.4mg
Tried this recipe?
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*This post originally appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2017 and has been recently updated with new information for the readers’ benefit. Enjoy!
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Looks wonderful! Any suggestions on converting to use brown rice, without over cooking the chicken?
Hi Deb. I have not tried this particular recipe with brown rice, but it can certainly be done. Do keep in mind that brown rice will require more liquid and more time to cook because of its outer bran coating.
I loved the simplicity of the recipe..Do the prep work and the cook is easy.
I found that I needed a bit more spice and the it needed to be stir
prior to service..overall a really good recipe…Thanks.
Amazing, delicious I couldn’t stop eating it!!!
Yay! Thank you for sharing!
I really enjoy getting the weekly list of recipes. We are trying to learn Mediterranean cooking and it really helps putting meals together! BTW, this one was really delicious and easy to make. I de-boned the left overs and made wraps for lunch.
Thanks again,
Russ
Awesome, Russ! I am so so happy to hear this! And love your idea of chicken wraps for the next day!
I made the Spanish arroz con pollo y chorizo
tonight. Everyone in my family loved it. It was a bit spicy with 1/2 tsp of cayanne pepper. Next time I’ll probably use 1/4 tsp.
Great to hear it, Tony!
Cooked this twice already and it is amazing!!! Crowd pleaser and so good as leftovers too.
Awesome, Shelby! Thanks for sharing the love!
This recipe is amazing!!!
Thank you, Angela! We love it!
Hi Suzy
This was so good I have already cooked it twice! Great recipe and a bit of a crowd pleaser!
Didn’t have a skillet so transferred to the oven to complete – just fantastic.
Until I found this site I was always a bit puzzled by paprika – I am beginning to understand it now and bought a number of varieties to play with (sweet, smoked, hot etc). Such a great spice!
Also I am enjoying using chicken thighs – always my preferred cut of chicken as I think it adds flavour to the overall dish. I have always thought this but had slipped in to using diced breast as it’s an easy go to meat for quick meals…..but just not as tasty.
Thanks again 🙂
David
ps look out for other reviews, I have done at least 4 other fantastic recipes!
Oh my!!! Cooked this for dinner tonight and this may be the most delicious recipe EVER!!! Thanks for sharing it!!!
Awww…so glad to hear this, Kim! Thank you!
Excellent Recipe, very flavorful. Definitely had to adjust using a professional range cooktop, to slightly lower temperature when simmering. Definitely will prepare this again, perhaps opting to use an oven for part of the cooking and will try using BOMBA rice.
Thanks so much for sharing! So glad to hear you enjoyed it.
Loved this dish! A lot of flavor that will be perfect for Cinco de Mayo, a good reason here in Texas to have a Mexican Fiesta poolside dinner party. I prefer to use Soy-type chorizo which offers the exact same flavor but without the pork, which I prefer not to eat.
Wonderful! Thank you for sharing!
That’s cool but Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican Holiday not Spanish holiday. You could celebrate 2nd de Mayo though.
Being of Spanish & Mexican descent, LOVE THIS RECIPE!! I substituted a soy chorizo product from Trader Joe’s because most of the commercial meat chorizo products use scrap meat that is “chewy”. Same taste without the knuckle scraps found in the pork or beef chorizo and no grease – I have to add a little olive oil to brown it before adding the non-meat chorizo to other dishes.
Chris, thanks so much! Means a lot! And thanks for sharing your idea re using soy chorizo. Quality does make a difference.
Oh my goodness! I made this tonight, and even my non-chicken loving husband declared your recipe a keeper! So incredibly tasty. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Awesome, Penny! So glad to hear it!
So good and easy to make! I used fully cooked Spanish chorizo, so I only sauteed it for a few minutes just to get a hard sear on it. I also put the chicken under the broiler for a few minutes at the end to get that extra crispy skin. Will definitely make this again. 5 stars.
Yay! Thanks so much, Mike! So glad you enjoyed it!
This was excellent. I give it 5 stars. Husband and daughter loved it. Looking forward to trying more of your recipes. Thank you!
Wonderful, Cindy! So glad you enjoyed it!
My family does not like chicken thighs. Can this be made with boneless breasts?
Absolutely, Joe! You’ll just want to watch the cooking time. Boneless chicken will be quicker to cook…internal temp needs to be 165 degrees F when cooked. Enjoy!