Easy Spanish Chicken Traybake (One Pan & Tangy)

Add some spice to your next meal with Spanish chicken! This spanish chicken recipe uses flavourful yet simple seasoning, savory chorizo, juicy chicken thighs, tomatoes, olives, and rice for a deliciously rustic dish. It features a tangy, bold bravas sauce that will have you hooked. If you love chicken, try this Delicious Chicken Bolognese next.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Comforting: This Spanish chicken includes juicy chicken thighs and cosy ingredients, making it the perfect spanish chicken and rice meal for gloomy days.
• Bold flavours: Spanish seasoning helps take this spanish chicken and rice recipe to the next level with super garlicky flavours. See this Easy Sausage and Peppers for more bold flavours.
• Meal prep: I love to make this recipe for meal prep as the flavours taste even better the next day. It also freezes really well, just like my Healthy Chicken Lasagna.

Here are a few other hearty, comforting chicken recipes for you to try: Mini Chicken Pot Pies with Puff Pastry Crust, Baked Chicken and Cauliflower and Easy Chicken and Chorizo Risotto.

Ingredients

• Chicken thighs: This Spanish chicken isn’t complete without juicy chicken thighs. Unlike other spanish chicken recipes, you can also use boneless chicken thighs, drumsticks, or chicken breasts here, though you may need to adjust the cooking time.
• Chorizo: I recommend using cooked chorizo for this spanish chicken rice recipe. Raw chorizo will also work, but you’ll need to brown the crumbles before adding them to the baking pan. Try using leftover chorizo in this Easy Chicken and Chorizo Paella.
• Rice: Rice helps create a more filling, comforting dish. If you prefer cooking them separately, my Rice With Chicken Broth and Butter is a great side! You can also use potatoes if you prefer.

See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.

Variations/ Adaptations

Here are a few ways to make this yummy Spanish chicken your own:

• Swap the carbs: If you are wondering what to serve with spanish chicken instead of rice, serve the chicken over boiled or roasted potatoes like The CRISPIEST Roast Potatoes.
• Change the meat: You can also swap the skin-on thighs out for skinless chicken thighs, drumsticks, or chicken breasts to make a lighter one pot spanish chicken. If you prefer spicier recipes, add chilli powder or a small amount of cayenne.
• Add more veggies: Create a more filling dish by including beans, which add fibre to the recipe. Or use different veggies that align with your preferences, such as peas or sliced bell peppers. Check out this Roasted Mediterranean Vegetables for more veggie ideas.

Need inspiration for some other chicken and chorizo recipes? Try my Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Pasta, Spanish Chicken and Chorizo Stew and Fast Chorizo Carbonara.

How to make Spanish Chicken and Rice

NOTE: I cooked the onion, garlic and tomato in a frying pan before adding it to the chicken tray bake, but you can easily add these straight into the baking tray with the chicken, chorizo and peppers to make this a one pot dish.

Preheat oven to 190°F (374°C)

Before placing the chicken into a large baking tray, cut off the excess skin that isn’t directly attached to the thigh.

1. Add the peppers into the pan, then the chicken thighs and chorizo (Image 1). 
2. Coat in 1 tbsp olive oil, paprika, salt and pepper. Pop in the oven for 30 minutes (Image 2). 

3. Meanwhile, add 1 tbsp of olive oil into a large pan. Add the onion into the pan and season with salt and optional chilli flakes. Saute for 5 minutes, or until softened (Image 3). 

4. Next, add the garlic into the pan to cook for 2 minutes (Image 4). 

5. Then add 3 cans of chopped tomatoes. Stir to combine and cook for 15-20 minutes, until reduced nicely (Image 5).  

6. When your oven timer goes off, add the reduced chopped tomato mixture evenly into the tray. Scatter the green olives and pop back into the oven for another 30 minutes (Image 6). 

7. When your oven timer goes off, add the reduced chopped tomato mixture evenly into the tray. Scatter the green olives and pop back into the oven for another 30 minutes.  *Cook the rice during this time (Image 7).  

8. After 30 minutes, the chicken should be fully cooked and your kitchen will smell divine. Serve a portion of rice with the Spanish chicken. Top with fresh parsley, a crack of black pepper and a pinch of flakey salt. Enjoy! (Image 8). 

Need advice when cooking chicken from frozen? See: Frozen Chicken Thighs in Air Fryer (Perfectly Cooked in 25 minutes or less) and How to cook frozen chicken breast in the air fryer.

What is Spanish Chicken?

This Spanish chicken dish includes an array of Mediterranean ingredients, like green olives, paprika, and chorizo. I took inspiration from arroz con pollo, a dish that originates in Spain and is made with rice, vegetables, saffron, and chicken. Then, I added a slightly different twist with bravas sauce and chorizo to create a style flavour that’s tangy, bold, and slightly spicy.

Bravas sauce is a delicious way of seasoning this dish. Bravas, meaning “fierce” in Spanish, refers to the smoky, bold flavours in the sauce. It’s a tomato sauce known for being tangy, garlicky, smoky, and spicy. It is most commonly used in Madrid to give a complex taste to fried potatoes, but this versatile sauce is great for everything from chicken to fish!

Why choose chicken thighs? For Spanish chicken recipes, I recommend using chicken thighs with their skin on, as it helps create juicier pieces of meat. Since this recipe calls for the chicken to bake in the oven, it’s more likely for the meat to dry out if you’re using chicken breasts, especially if they are boneless and skinless. Be sure to trim the excess skin off the meat before cooking so it doesn’t get soggy. You can then use thighs for this Easy Chicken Piccata as well.

Serving Suggestions

I recommend serving the Spanish chicken with a fresh green salad and bread and butter on the side. Spanish chicken with rice is also great alongside fruit salad, chips and salsa/guacamole, or other Spanish/Mexican/Mediterranean-inspired sides.

Try it with:

• Simple Tricolore Salad 
• Roasted Tenderstem Broccoli 
• Crispiest Diced Potatoes in Air Fryer 
• The BEST Roasted Sweet Potato Cubes 
• Frozen Garlic Bread in Air Fryer
• Easy Mexican Street Corn Off the Cob

Leftover Storage and Reheat Instructions

Refrigerator: If you have Spanish chicken leftovers, allow them to cool fully. Then, store them in airtight containers in the fridge. They should be good for 3-4 days.

Freezer: You can also freeze leftovers. I recommend transferring the spanish chicken into an airtight freezer bag to save space. It will keep well for up to one month.

Reheat: When reheating, allow the leftovers to defrost in the fridge overnight. Then, heat them on the stove, stirring occasionally until warm. If you’re in a time crunch, you can also zap the leftovers in the microwave. If you enjoy one-pan meals that reheat beautifully, try my One-Pan Cajun Dirty Rice next.

FAQs

For more main dish ideas, try this 30-Minute Cream of Mushroom Chicken, One-Pan Mince Pasta, or Simple Baked Ravioli Casserole Recipe.