Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet

This paella-inspired Spanish chicken and rice skillet cooks up all in the same pan and is packed with chicken, rice, bell peppers and peas. Healthy, easy and delicious!

Did you guys hear? Full House. Netflix. Eeeee!

I just love the fact that my generation (aka: 1980's kids) are all grown up now and feeling nostalgic...and rebooting all these fun TV shows! First there was Boy Meets World, and now Full House!? Now I'm just waiting to see if Family Matters gets a reboot!

OK, let's ignore the fact that these shows weren't actually very good (shhhh!), they were happy, safe, family-friendly shows. Do we have shows like that anymore? It seems like TV these days is so much darker and more serious...of course that could be because I've watched the entire Walking Dead series in the past few months.

Well, Full House reboots have nothing to do at all with this delicious meal I have for you today, although I would say that I'm quite excited about both Full-House and this Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet!

Either you're with me on this one, or you're thinking "enough with the one pot/one pan meals already, lady!"

I hope you're with me.

I wasn't going to do another one dish meal, but I bought this amazing stainless frying pan with the Amazon gift card I was so lucky to win (for my Tropical Lentil Lunch Bowls, which took the salad category in the Canadian Lentils Recipe Revelations Challenge--woo hoo!)  I am in love with this pan. It cooks so evenly and it is big enough to fit dinner for 6--in one pan!

Anyway, I was so inspired by my new pan that I had to make a one-pan meal with it 🙂

This Spanish chicken and rice skillet  was definitely inspired by paella, with the exception that there is no chorizo in it, and no need to cook it in the oven. Because it isn't cooked in the oven, the rice doesn't have that 'paella texture', but the flavors are definitely there (and still has a nice texture).

As the rice cooks, it absorbs so much flavor from the saffron and smoked paprika, the tomatoes, chicken broth and wine. I added bell peppers, then threw in some fresh peas in the last five minutes to make this a well-rounded meal. It truly is a complete meal in one pot!

So much excitement on this wonderful Thursday! Delicious one-pan meals, and the return of Full-House. Life is good 🙂

Are there any TV shows you want to see come back? Let me know in the comments below!

Did you make this? Tag me on social @sweetpeasandsaffron and be sure to leave a comment and rate the recipe!

Spanish Chicken and Rice Skillet

5 from 4 votes

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

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This paella-inspired Spanish chicken and rice skillet cooks up all in the same pan and is packed with chicken, rice, bell peppers and peas.  Healthy, easy and delicious! 

6

Ingredients

• ▢ ½ cup white wine
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads
• ▢ 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• ▢ 6-8 chicken thighs
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 onion diced
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 can of diced tomatoes 540mL; 18oz
• ▢ 2 bell peppers sliced
• ▢ 2 ½ cups chicken stock
• ▢ 1 ¼ cup long grain rice
• ▢ ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ¼ teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1 ½ cups peas ends trimmed

Instructions 

• In a small bowl, combine the white wine and saffron. Set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat.
• Season the chicken thighs with salt and pepper. Cook until browned, 2-3 minutes per side, then remove from pan and set aside.
• Drain all but 1 tablespoon of oil/chicken grease from the pan (if you use skinless chicken thighs, you may need to add an extra tablespoon of oil). Add the onions, and cook until translucent, 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
• Add the white wine/saffron mixture to the pan, and scrape up any brown bits on the bottom. Cook for around 1 minute, until wine is reduced by half.
• Add the diced tomatoes, bell peppers, chicken stock, rice, smoked paprika, and salt. Return the chicken thighs to the pan.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, *covered* for around 25 minutes, or until rice is cooked through.
• *Important: you will need to give the rice a good stir every 5 minutes or so to ensure that it cooks evenly*
• When rice is cooked through, stir in the peas. Cover the skillet, reduce heat to low, and cook for 5 more minutes.
• Serve immediately.

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Nutrition Information

Calories: 523kcal, Carbohydrates: 48g, Protein: 27g, Fat: 23g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 432mg, Potassium: 723mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 1770IU, Vitamin C: 73mg, Calcium: 64mg, Iron: 3mg

Author: Denise Bustard

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: Spanish

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