Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Rice

The first thing that hits the pan is the chorizo, and honestly, once that starts sizzling, dinner is already heading in the right direction.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The chicken stays juicy inside while getting deeply browned on top.
• Chorizo seasons the rice as it cooks, so you get smoky flavour throughout the whole dish.
• Everything cooks together rather than leaving you with six pans to wash.
• The rice gets soft and savoury in the middle with a few slightly crisp edges underneath.
• Red peppers, peas and tomato make it colourful without adding loads of extra prep.
• Lemon at the end cuts straight through the richness.
• It makes a proper filling dinner and leftovers are very good the next day.

 

Ingredients

This makes around 4 generous servings.

For the chicken

• 6 boneless or bone-in chicken thighs
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

For the rice

• 150g Spanish-style chorizo, sliced into thick rounds
• 1 large onion, sliced
• 1 large red bell pepper, sliced into strips
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 300g long-grain rice
• 400g chopped tomatoes
• 700ml chicken stock
• 1 cup frozen peas
• Salt and black pepper, as needed

To finish

• A generous handful of fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 1 lemon, cut into wedges

A Couple of Things Before You Start

Use chicken thighs if you can.

They suit this dish much better than chicken breast because you can brown them quite aggressively without worrying that they’ll turn dry by the time the rice is finished.

And I really do mean brown them.

The chicken in this dish shouldn’t look pale or gently cooked. You want those deep golden, slightly charred-looking patches on the outside.

The chorizo gets the same treatment.

Give the slices enough time in the pan for the edges to colour and the orange-red oil to come out. That oil is going straight into the rice, and you absolutely want it there.

Instructions

1. Season the chicken

• Pat the chicken thighs dry with kitchen paper.
• Add them to a bowl with the olive oil, smoked paprika, garlic powder, oregano, salt and black pepper.
• Rub the seasoning all over the chicken.
• Leave it for around 10 minutes while you get everything else chopped.

If you want to season it a few hours ahead, even better.

But I’ve also made this after remembering at 6:15 that dinner needs to exist, and it still turns out great.

2. Brown the chicken

• Heat a large, wide, heavy-based pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the chicken thighs in a single layer.
• Cook for around 4 to 5 minutes on the first side without constantly moving them.
• Turn and brown the second side for another 3 to 4 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a plate.

It does not need to be cooked through yet.

You’re just building that dark crust now. It will finish cooking later with the rice.

And leave all those browned bits in the pan.

That’s flavour, not mess.

3. Brown the chorizo

• Add the sliced chorizo to the same pan.
• Cook for around 2 to 3 minutes.
• Turn the pieces so they colour on both sides.
• Once they’re browned and have released some oil, scoop out about half of the chorizo and keep it aside.

I like keeping some back so there are proper visible pieces scattered through the finished rice rather than everything disappearing underneath the chicken.

4. Cook the onion and peppers

• Add the sliced onion to the pan.
• Cook for about 4 minutes until it starts softening and catching around the edges.
• Add the red pepper.
• Cook for another 3 to 4 minutes.

The onion should be soft and slightly caramelised.

The pepper should soften but still hold its shape.

I don’t want either of them cooked down into mush.

5. Add the garlic and tomato

• Add the chopped garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
• Stir in the tomato paste, smoked paprika and oregano.
• Cook for another minute.

Let the tomato paste actually fry a little.

It should darken slightly and start sticking to the bottom of the pan.

That tiny step gets rid of the raw tomato-paste taste and makes the rice much richer.

6. Add the rice

• Tip the uncooked rice directly into the pan.
• Stir for about a minute so the grains get coated in the tomato, chorizo oil and seasonings.
• Pour in the chopped tomatoes.
• Add the chicken stock.
• Stir everything together and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom.

Give it a taste at this point.

Depending on how salty your stock and chorizo are, you might need hardly any additional salt.

7. Add the chicken back

• Nestle the browned chicken pieces into the rice.
• Scatter the reserved chorizo around them.
• Bring everything to a gentle simmer.
• Lower the heat.
• Cover loosely and cook for around 20 to 25 minutes.

Try not to stir the rice constantly.

Actually, once everything is settled in the pan, I mostly leave it alone.

That helps the rice cook properly and gives you a better chance of getting those slightly crispy bits around the bottom.

8. Add the peas

• Scatter the peas over the rice during the final 5 minutes of cooking.
• Cover again and let them warm through.

There is no need to cook frozen peas separately.

They only need enough time to become hot and bright green.

9. Let the rice catch slightly

Once the rice is tender and most of the liquid has disappeared, remove the lid.

If the bottom still seems quite wet, cook uncovered for another few minutes.

I then turn the heat up slightly for about a minute.

This is where you can get a little caramelised crust underneath.

Do not stir it.

Listen for a gentle crackle rather than an aggressive burning noise.

There is a fairly narrow gap between “lovely crispy rice” and “why does the kitchen smell like smoke?”, so stay nearby.

10. Rest and finish

• Turn off the heat.
• Leave the rice to rest for around 5 minutes.
• Scatter generously with chopped parsley.
• Add lemon wedges around the dish.
• Finish with another little crack of black pepper.

Squeeze the lemon over your portion right before eating.

That hit of acidity makes the smoky tomato and chorizo flavours taste even better.

What the Finished Rice Should Look Like

The rice shouldn’t be wet or soupy.

It should be tender, separate enough to see the individual grains, and coated in that deep red-orange tomato mixture.

There should still be obvious slices of chorizo, strips of red pepper and green peas running through it.

The chicken sits on top rather than disappearing into the rice.

And those chicken pieces should have proper colour.

Deep golden brown, dark in patches, with juicy meat underneath.

Then you have fresh parsley everywhere and lemon wedges tucked around the top.

It is a very generous-looking dinner.

Exactly my kind.

Don’t Keep Stirring the Rice

This is probably the biggest difference between cooking this and making something like risotto.

Once the stock is in, leave the rice alone as much as you can.

Every time you stir, you release more starch.

That can make the rice softer and stickier than you want.

Leaving it alone also lets the bottom develop those darker toasted patches.

I’m not pretending this is traditional paella, because it isn’t.

But I absolutely borrow the idea that the slightly crisp rice touching the pan is the part everyone secretly wants.

If Your Rice Needs More Liquid

Rice can be irritatingly inconsistent.

Different pans, different brands and different hob temperatures all change how quickly the liquid disappears.

If the rice is still firm but the pan looks dry, add another splash of hot chicken stock.

About 60ml at a time is enough.

Do not pour in another half-litre and turn dinner into soup.

Add a little, give it time, then check again.

Getting the Chicken Right

Chicken thighs are forgiving, but that does not mean they deserve to be cooked into oblivion.

Brown them hard at the beginning, then let them finish gently over the rice.

That combination gives you the best of both worlds.

You get those dark, almost caramelised edges outside while the meat stays juicy.

If you use bone-in thighs, they may need a little longer than boneless ones.

Just make sure the chicken is fully cooked through before serving.

Easy Swaps

This recipe has quite a bit of wiggle room.

You can use yellow or orange bell peppers alongside the red ones.

A handful of green beans would work too.

If you prefer more heat, add chilli flakes with the paprika.

And if you want more chorizo, I am absolutely not going to talk you out of that.

You can also use chicken drumsticks instead of thighs.

Just allow extra cooking time.

What to Serve With It

Honestly, not much.

This is already chicken, rice and vegetables all sitting happily in one dish.

A simple green salad on the side is plenty.

Crusty bread is nice if you want something for soaking up any tomatoey bits left behind.

But most of the time, I just bring the pan to the table with extra lemon wedges.

There is already enough going on.

Storage and Reheating

Cool any leftovers and refrigerate them in an airtight container.

They will keep for up to 2 days.

When reheating, add a tablespoon or two of water or stock to stop the rice drying out.

Heat until everything is piping hot throughout.

The microwave works fine, although reheating it in a covered frying pan gives the rice a nicer texture.

And somehow the chorizo flavour is even stronger the next day.

Not complaining.

Q&A

Can I use chicken breast?

You can, but chicken thighs are much better suited to the longer cooking time.

If you use breast, cut it into large pieces and be careful not to overcook it.

What type of chorizo should I use?

Use firm Spanish-style cooking chorizo rather than very soft Mexican-style chorizo.

You want slices that hold their shape and brown in the pan.

Can I use brown rice?

You can, but it will need more liquid and considerably more cooking time.

I would stick with white rice for this particular recipe.

Can I leave out the peas?

Absolutely.

They bring colour and a little sweetness, but the rice still works without them.

Why is my rice still hard?

It probably needs more liquid or more time.

Add a small splash of hot stock, cover and cook for another few minutes.

Why is my rice mushy?

Usually too much liquid, too much stirring, or cooking it too long.

Once the rice is tender, get it off the heat.

Can I make this spicy?

Yes.

Add chilli flakes, cayenne, or a finely chopped fresh chilli with the garlic.

Is the lemon necessary?

For me, yes.

Technically you can leave it off, but the fresh lemon cuts through the richness of the chicken and chorizo so well that I really wouldn’t.

Final Thoughts

This is exactly the sort of dinner I love making in one big pan and putting straight in the middle of the table.

You’ve got chicken with properly browned edges, smoky pieces of chorizo hiding all through the rice, sweet red peppers, soft onions and little peas popping up everywhere.

But the rice is what gets me.

It has soaked up the tomato, chicken juices and all that smoky chorizo flavour, and then you hit one of those slightly crunchy bits from the bottom of the pan and suddenly you’re scraping around looking for more.

Add plenty of parsley, squeeze lemon over everything, and eat it while it is still hot.

There probably won’t be much left.