Dinner Recipes

One-Pan Chicken & Rice with Spanish Spices

Chicken and rice can do no wrong in our book. It’s simple, yes, but so very satisfying, and it serves as a blank slate for all sorts of seasonings. Here, we’ve zhuzhed up the two ingredients with a spice blend inspired by Spanish flavors — think smoked paprika, cumin, coriander, and chili powder, plus a wee bit of Italian seasoning. Bonus: it comes together in an easy 45 minutes, and you only dirty a single skillet along the way.

We like to use chicken thighs for this particular recipe — they’re less fussy when it comes to overcooking and naturally more flavorful than chicken breasts. And when we coat them in a bit of oil and the spice blend, they brown beautifully in the hot skillet, developing a nice, crispy skin.

All those cooking juices from the chicken help flavor the rice, which we lightly toast with more of the spices and some lemon juice. Then, we simmer the little grains in chicken stock, with the browned thighs on top. Once the rice is tender, we slide the skillet into the oven for a few minutes to crisp everything up a bit.

We love serving this dish with lemon slices: they add the perfect amount of zing to balance out the warm, supremely savory rice and the subtly charred spice of the chicken. And my, how tender and juicy that chicken is!

Altogether, this spiced chicken and rice is such a lovely, comforting meal — perfect for the middle of the week, when you need some filling, feel-good food to get you to the weekend. And though vegetables are certainly not required with this dish, we’d serve it with a side of roasted carrots (either coated in harissa or sprinkled with lemon juice and parsley) or a garlicky tangle of fresh greens.


One-Pan Chicken & Rice with Spanish Spices
printPrint

Share:

Dinner

One-Pan Chicken & Rice with Spanish Spices

Serves: 6

Ingredients

2 tsp Gelson’s smoked paprika
1 tsp Gelson’s garlic powder
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp Gelson’s ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp Gelson’s chili powder
¼ tsp Gelson’s Italian seasoning
6 Gelson’s organic chicken thighs
3 Tbsp canola oil, divided
1 cup white rice
Freshly squeezed juice from ½ lemon, plus slices for garnish
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Gelson’s organic cilantro, chopped, for garnish

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350°.

  2. In a small bowl whisk together the smoked paprika, garlic powder, kosher salt, cumin, coriander, chili powder, and Italian seasoning. Set aside.

  3. In a large bowl, add the chicken thighs, 2 tablespoons canola oil, and half of the seasoning mix. Toss until the chicken is fully coated.

  4. In a large ovenproof skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon canola oil over medium heat. Place the chicken in the skillet skin-side down and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the skin is browned and crispy. Flip, cook on the other side for 4 to 5 minutes more, and then remove the chicken and set aside.

  5. Using the same skillet, add the white rice, the remaining seasoning mix, and the lemon juice. Stir the rice until evenly coated, and then add the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and lower heat to medium-low. Place the chicken on top, cover the skillet with a lid, and continue to cook until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.

  6. Once the rice is finished cooking, place the skillet in the oven for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the tops of the chicken and rice are crisp.

  7. Garnish with lemon slices and chopped cilantro, and serve immediately.


Recipe source: Creme de la Crumb

Calculate nutrition information for this recipe.