Spanish Chicken and Saffron Rice brings tender, bone-in chicken thighs together with long-grain rice, tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion in one baked dish. The chicken browns in a skillet before it goes into the oven, adding savory flavor while the rice cooks beneath it.
Saffron gives the rice its distinctive aroma, while smoked paprika seasons the chicken with a warm, savory note. The method has a few useful checkpoints: brown the chicken well, keep the baking dish tightly covered at first, and check that both the rice and chicken are ready before serving.
Why browning the chicken matters
Patting the chicken thighs dry helps their skin brown in the hot skillet. Season them with smoked paprika, kosher salt, and black pepper, then place them skin-side down to sear. Give the skin time to develop color before turning the thighs; moving them too soon can interrupt browning.
The chicken does not need to finish cooking in the skillet. After searing, transfer it to a plate while the onion and bell pepper soften in the same pan. The browned bits left behind contribute savory flavor to the rice. Pour the juices collected on the plate over the chicken when you arrange it on top of the rice mixture.
Build flavor into the rice
Long-grain white rice cooks with chicken broth, drained diced tomatoes, onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Stirring the rice with the softened vegetables and garlic helps coat the grains before you add the liquid. Lightly crushing the saffron threads and stirring them into the broth distributes their aroma through the cooking liquid.
The recipe includes salt for both the chicken and the rice mixture, so season each part as directed on the card. Once the broth, tomatoes, and rice mixture have simmered, transfer them to an evenly sized baking dish. Spreading the rice in a level layer helps it cook more evenly beneath the chicken.
Keep the dish covered, then check doneness
Cover the baking dish tightly with foil for the initial bake. This traps moisture as the rice cooks. Arrange the thighs skin-side up so their browned surfaces face the top; uncovering the dish for the final part of baking lets the chicken brown further.
Check the rice for tenderness and the thickest part of a thigh for doneness, avoiding the bone when checking. If the rice is still firm, cover the dish again and bake it for a few more minutes with a splash of broth. Let the finished dish rest as directed on the recipe card before serving; this gives the rice time to settle after baking.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my rice still firm after baking?
The rice may need more time to absorb the liquid. Cover the dish again and continue baking for a few minutes with a splash of broth, then check the grains again. Keep the dish covered while the rice finishes cooking.
Why should the chicken be seared before baking?
Searing the thighs skin-side down first adds color and savory flavor. Drying the skin before seasoning helps it brown in the skillet. The chicken then finishes cooking on top of the rice in the oven.
How can I tell when the chicken and rice are done?
The rice should be tender, and the chicken should be deeply browned. Check the thickest part of a thigh without touching the bone to confirm it has reached the temperature specified on the recipe card.
Spanish Chicken and Saffron Rice
Course: Main CourseCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy6
servings15
minutes1
hour10
minutes570
kcal1
hour30
minutesBone-in chicken thighs bake over saffron rice with tomatoes, bell pepper, and onion. Browning the chicken first adds color and savory flavor to the dish.
Ingredients
- Chicken
6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs, about 2 1/2 lb
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tbsp olive oil
- Rice
1 medium yellow onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups long-grain white rice
1/4 tsp saffron threads, lightly crushed
3 1/4 cups chicken broth
1 cup drained diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Directions
- Heat the oven to 375°F. Pat the chicken thighs dry and season them with the paprika, 1 tsp salt, and black pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken skin-side down for 7 minutes, then turn and cook for 3 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring to coat the rice.
- Stir the saffron into the chicken broth, then add the broth, diced tomatoes, and 1/2 tsp salt to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook for 3 minutes.
- Pour the rice mixture into a 9×13-inch baking dish and arrange the chicken thighs on top, skin-side up. Pour any juices from the plate over the chicken. Cover the dish tightly with foil.
- Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 20 minutes more, until the rice is tender and the chicken is deeply browned and reaches at least 165°F in the thickest part without touching bone.
- Let the dish rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Notes
- If the rice is still firm after baking, cover the dish again and bake for a few more minutes with a splash of broth.
