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Spanish Braised Chicken with Olives & Rice

After arriving home from a wonderful trip, I found myself craving something simple, comforting and a little restorative. Travel has its pleasures, of course, but all those new flavours and holiday indulgences can leave the system feeling slightly out of sorts. So, true to my nutritionist instincts, I turned to a remedy in food form.

This Spanish Braised Chicken with Olives is calming, deeply tasty, and wonderfully gentle on the gut. Served over soft, fluffy rice with a spoonful of cool herby yogurt, it’s exactly the kind of dish that welcomes you home and heals you from the inside out.

This slow-cooked, bone-in chicken stew is more than delicious—it’s deeply restorative. Cooking with bone-in pieces naturally releases collagen into the broth, helping support the gut lining and promoting smoother, easier digestion. As the chicken gently braises, it also enriches the stew with immune-supportive minerals, making it the perfect post-holiday nourishing meal.

Rich, aromatic and incredibly soothing, this recipe is everything your body wants when you’re back home, rebalancing, and ready for food that feels good again—from the inside out. Perfectly paired with rice and a dollop of herby yogurt, it’s comfort, flavour and gut support all in one.

Lunch
Dinner
A Little Longer

Serves 3-4

Prep Time 5 Mins

Cook Time 3+HRS Mins

Ingredients

  • 5-6 chicken thighs, skin on and bone in
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 brown onion, roughly chopped
  • 3 large eschalot, halved
  • 6 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
  • 3 anchovies, plus 1 tablespoon of the oil
  • 1 tablespoon Italian jarred chilli (mild)
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 pinch saffron
  • 1 ½ teaspoons smoked paprika
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 large stick celery, roughly chopped
  • 1 red capsicum, seeds removed and roughly chopped
  • 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 400ml chicken stock
  • 300ml boiling water
  • ⅓ cup Kalamata olives
  • 12g parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon lemon zest + 2 tablespoons juice
  • Salt & Pepper

To Serve

  • Rice
  • Parsley
  • Natural yogurt with finely chopped coriander

Method

  • 1
    Brown the chicken:
Season the chicken thighs generously with salt. Heat the olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium–high heat. Place the thighs skin-side down and cook until deeply golden and crisp, about 5–7 minutes. Flip and sear the other side for about a minute. Remove the chicken and keep all the rendered fat in the pot.
  • 2
    Build the base:
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion, eschalots and garlic, sautéing until softened. Stir in the anchovies, chilli, cumin, coriander, saffron and smoked paprika. Cook for about a minute until aromatic. Deglaze with the sherry vinegar and let it bubble away for another minute.
  • 3
    Simmer low and slow: Add the celery, capsicum, tomatoes, chicken stock and boiling water. Stir well and season with salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a strong simmer, then reduce to a gentle simmer. Cover and cook for 3 hours.
  • 4
    Finish the braise:
After 3 hours, stir in the olives, parsley, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cook uncovered for a further 30 minutes to concentrate the flavours. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
  • 5
    Serve: Spoon the braised chicken over rice, add a generous dollop of natural yogurt, and finish with fresh parsley.
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