One Skillet Spanish Chicken and Rice

One skillet Spanish Chicken and Rice is an easy dinner recipe packed with flavor and ready in under an hour.

One of my favorite parts of traveling is trying out new foods.  

Two years ago we took the kids and grandparents on a cruise that stopped in Central America and I was ecstatic to get to try some authentic foods-we took one trip to see some Mayan ruins in Belize and on the way back to the port we stopped at a restaurant and had chicken and rice with Belizean beer-that was a great day!

I was inspired to make this One Skillet Spanish Chicken & Rice from that trip and have spent quite some time experimenting to get to this final, delicious version!

Why I love this recipe

The crispy chicken thighs are nestled in rich, flavorful Spanish rice chock full of bacon, peas, and fire roasted tomatoes. This dish is PACKED with flavor and to top it off, you have only one pan to clean!

Ingredients:

• 6 bone in chicken thighs, skin on
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 8 pieces extra thick bacon, cut into 1" pieces
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 ½ tablespoons ground cumin
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 ½ cups chicken broth
• 1 ½ cup long grain rice
• ¾ cup frozen peas
• 14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

Step by step

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large cast iron or oven safe skillet heat olive oil over medium high heat until very hot but not smoking.  
2. Add chicken thighs and cook sear for 3-4 minutes on each side.  Remove chicken to plate.
3. Add onion and bacon to skillet and cook until onions are soft and bacon is crispy, about 7 minutes.
4. Add garlic, cumin, wine and broth and stir to mix.  
5. Add rice, peas and tomatoes.  Stir well and simmer 5 minutes.
6. Remove from heat, add chicken back to pan and cover with two layers of aluminum foil.  Place skillet in oven and cook for 40 minutes. Remove and serve immediately.

Tips for best results

• Don't skip the searing step, this locks all the juices into the chicken thighs and helps you get that crispy exterior.
• If you don't have an oven-proof skillet you can transfer the rice to a casserole dish then top with the chicken and cover with foil instead.

If you try this recipe please comment and rate it below, I love hearing from you!

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