One-Pot Spanish Chicken & Rice

On busy weeknights, i’m always looking for a low-effort, delicious, balanced and relatively affordable one-pan dinner, which is why I often revert back to chicken and rice!

This is one of my absolute favourite one-pan meals that uses (mostly) minimal ingredients. The combination of chorizo and paprika gives this a sort of ‘paella’ flavour without the hours of cooking or attention. Not to mention, using bone broth in place of regular stock adds a little gut health boost.

The result is a giant pan of super tender and juicy chicken thighs, nestled in a blanket of baked rice that’s crispy on top yet soft and fluffy on the inside.

I’ve served this with a simple salad of mint, parsley, feta and pickled onion which adds the perfect amount of creaminess and acidity to cut through the smokiness of the sausage and spice. If you want to go a step further, you could even add some lovely steamed seasonal greens in extra virgin olive oil and lemon (I highly recommend).

Lunch

Dinner

Quick Sticks

Serves 3-6

Prep Time 5 Mins

Cook Time 40 Mins

Method

1
Preheat oven to 200 degrees celsius and set aside a heavy based saucepan for which has a lid.
2
Allow the chicken to come down to room temperature and season well with salt.
3
Heat the olive oil in the pan over a medium-high heat. Place the chicken skin-side-down and cook until well browned (about 5 minutes). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
4
To the plan, add the onion, garlic and chorizo. Cook until the onions begin to soften and turn opaque. Next, add the sherry vinegar to deglaze the pan. Add the zucchini and cook until half of the water has evaporated.
5
Add the rice and smoked paprika, toasting it in the pan for a brief minute. Finally, add the bone broth, lemon zest and season with salt and pepper. Stir, then place chicken back in pot. Bring up to a high simmer, then turn off the heat and place into the oven uncovered for about 25 minutes, or until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and is crispy on top. Cover with the lid and allow the rice to rest for 5 minutes.
6
Meanwhile, combine all the ingredients for the herby feta and pickle in a bowl.
7
Spoon the chicken and rice into each bowl and top with the herby feta and pickle. Serve with a wedge of lemon and some steamed greens if desired.