Sheet Pan Chicken Chorizo and Rice
Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipe | Ready in an Hour
Sheet Pan Chicken Chorizo and Rice is our new go-to dinner recipe. It’s easy to make, quick to prepare, and ready in an hour. It uses the winning combination of chicken and chorizo as the protein source, and the chorizo helps to flavor the Bomba rice with the paprika-infused oil. The sofrito sauce base and a selection of key herbs and spices also enhance flavor, with Spanish smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper adding some subtle warmth to the dish.
The result is a delicious and hearty main meal that serves up to 8 people with minimum fuss. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner option using a few simple ingredients with just 20 minutes of preparation and is ready in around an hour. Sheet Pan Chicken Chorizo and Rice is loaded with Spanish flavors and has quickly become one of our favorite dinner options.
This post may contain affiliate links.
Serving:
Main for 8
Ready in:
Around 1 hour
Skill level:
Easy
Serve with:
Good on its own.
Watch step-by-step recipe video
If you’re looking for this recipe’s video and many other great recipe ideas, why not check out our Spanish Radish YouTube Channel? We’ve got everything from quick and easy tapas recipes to delicious main meals, to incredible Spanish dessert options too.
How to Make Sheet Pan Chicken Chorizo and Rice
- Prep time: 20 minutes
- Cook time: 40 minutes
- Ready in: 1 hour
- Serves: 8 as a main
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bomba rice
- 3-4 skin-on chicken quarters (or 8 chicken thighs)
- 18oz/500g raw Spanish chorizo
- 2 yellow onions, cut into wedges
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 head of garlic (tips trimmed)
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 7fl oz/200ml tomato paste (or 2 tomatoes grated and skin removed)
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 cups water (or more chicken broth)
- 2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika (we use La Vera smoked paprika )
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Colorant (around 3 grams)
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper (optional for some heat)
- Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment Needed
- Large 30 cm/12 inch skillet
- High-Sided Aluminum Sheet Pan (around 2 inches/5cm or more)
- Kitchen knife and Cutting board
- Aluminum kitchen foil
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Heat chicken broth and set aside
- Mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and colorant in a small bowl.
- Season chicken thighs on both sides with around half of the seasoning mixture.
- Heat half of the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.
- Fry the chicken pieces on all sides until they begin to golden (around 5 minutes).
- Remove chicken pieces from the pan and set aside for use later.
- Cut chorizo sausages into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. In the same pan used to fry the chicken, cook the chorizo for 3 minutes or until the sausage begins to release the chorizo oil.
- Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside for use later.
- Reduce heat to medium and pan-fry the onion for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the bell pepper and minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
- Add the tomato paste and the remaining spices. Mix well and add a few ladles of chicken broth. Season to taste and remove from the heat.
- In the deep-sided sheet pan, pour in the rice and the remaining stock. Add the onion, tomato, and pepper and mix into the rice.
- Arrange chicken pieces and chorizo around the pan. Place the trimmed head of garlic in the middle of the pan.
- Bake for 40 minutes in total, adding more stock or water every 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cover the pan with aluminum kitchen foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tips:
Rice needs time to rest: Remove the dish from the oven and cover for 10 minutes with aluminum kitchen foil. It will help to cook the rice and allow it to be fluffy without sticking together.
Bomba rice: Allow ⅓ cup of rice per person. You will need at least 3 cups of broth for every 1 cup of rice.
Chicken stock/broth: Use store-bought chicken stock or make your own if you have the time. here ‘s our chicken stock recipe.
Sofrito sauce: We make our own tasty sofrito sauce from scratch in this recipe, but if you are short on time, you can always use a store-bought sofrito.
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge. It will last up to 3 days when refrigerated and 3 months when frozen.
Oven-Baked Rice Origins
Sheet Pan Chicken Chorizo and Rice is a hearty oven-baked rice recipe with ties to traditional Valencian recipes such as paella and arroz al horno. It is a combination of both of these recipes in the sense of preparation and ingredients used. Instead of using a paella pan, this recipe uses the typical oven sheet pan that you’ll find in most kitchens.
The Valencia region is home to many notable rice dishes and is where a majority of rice is grown. When it comes to rice from this region, Bomba rice (arroz bomba in Spanish) is the king of the grain.
Bomba Rice (Arroz Bomba)
Bomba It is short-grained rice and has a pearly white color. The most renowned property of bomba rice is its ability to absorb around three times its volume in water without bursting. For this reason, bomba is the principal rice used in paella rice dishes, and of course, arroz al Horno.
Bomba rice is considered to be the most expensive rice variety in Spain, and two regions in particular (varieties from Calasparra and Moratalla) are under the Denominación de Origen (D.O.). Other notable rice-growing areas within the Valencia region include Silla, Peg, and Pals.
Popular Valencian rice dishes include:
- Paella Valencia/Paella Valenciana – Authentic Paella Recipe
- Spanish Seafood Paella
- Orchard Paella – (Paella huertana )
- Arroz al Horno (Spanish-Style Oven-Baked Rice)
- Vegan Arroz al Horno (Valencian Oven-Baked Rice)
- Brothy Fish Stew with Shrimp, Rice, and Pesto Paste (Arroz Caldoso de Pescado)
- Arroz a Banda: Time-Honored Valencian Cuisine (Seafood and Rice Recipe)
Bomba Rice Cooking Ratio
For every 1 cup of bomba rice used, you will need around 3 cups of broth or water. Bomba rice takes a little longer to cook compared to normal rice, so allow around ⅓ more time. For this recipe, the rice is baked in the oven and takes around 35-40 minutes.
To check if your rice is cooked through, test the deepest part of the pan. Note that a few grains around the edges may be a little crispy, don’t worry this is normal and adds to the flavor of the dish.
Why Oven-Baked Rice is So Popular in Spanish Cuisine
Spanish cooking has embraced oven-baked rice recipes for centuries with traditional recipes such as Arroz al Horno, also known as arròs passejat (passaged rice), mainly as the dish was prepared in large earthenware dishes and then carried to the nearest community oven (called a bread oven, al horno de pan in Spanish). This is because ovens were not typically found in homes.
Nowadays, most Spanish kitchens have a modern oven, and the popularity of rice-baked dishes has remained. This is because they are easy-to-make recipes and offer a large, inexpensive, and hearty meal. Oven-baked rice dishes are ideal weeknight dinner options as don’t have a lot of excessive prep work. Simply make the sauce base, prep the meat ingredients and stock, and bake!
Ingredients and Substitutions
Bomba rice: Ideal for oven-baked dishes as it has a non-stick quality. It also absorbs a lot of liquid giving it plenty of flavor. Be careful of your liquid levels while cooking with Bomba rice. It takes longer and will require more liquid compared to cooking with normal medium or long-grain rice varieties.
Chicken: Skin-on chicken thighs, wings, drumsticks, or chicken quarters all work well for this recipe. The trick is to lightly season and then pan-fry the chicken pieces so the skin gets a little golden and crispy. Then, once it is baked in the oven, the chicken crisps up nicely.
Spanish Chorizo: Use raw Spanish chorizo, called chorizo fresco) for this recipe. You’ll find it in the refrigerated fresh meat section of supermarkets, or ask your local butcher if they can stock it. Raw chorizo requires cooking before consumption and once cooked will release a lot of the paprika-infused oil. This oil is delicious and helps to flavor other ingredients once oven-baked together.
Want to discover more about Spanish chorizo? Check out this article: Types of Spanish Chorizo
Spices: Seasoning is provided by the smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and white pepper. A little more heat is added with ½ teaspoon of cayenne pepper. Optionally for more heat, add a few teaspoons of Choricero Pepper Paste.
Colorant: Food Colorant Paella Coloring is used in a number of Valencian rice dishes to give the rice a distinctive yellow/orange color. It comes in a powder form and around a teaspoon is added to the rice and broth to give the bright color.
Chicken broth: For convenience, we opted for chicken broth cubes for this recipe. We didn’t add any additional salt to the recipe as the salt content in the chicken cubes is quite high. If using store-bought stock or cubes, be sure to check the salt content or use low-sodium varieties.
Here are some recommended low-sodium chicken broth and stock varieties:
How deep should the sheet pan be to make this recipe?
Deeper the better and at least 2 inches as a minimum. The rice will expand more than double the size during cooking so make sure you allow for that. You’ll also need to ensure the liquid levels are well above the rice when you put it in the oven to compensate for the rice expanding.
If the rice isn’t covered during cooking, it will be dry and uncooked.
If you don’t have a deep enough sheet pan, make this recipe in a large oven-safe dish (like a casserole dish or large earthenware dish) or even a Paella pan.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8 |
|
Amount per serving |
|
Calories |
569 |
% Daily Value* |
|
Total Fat 20.2g |
26% |
Saturated Fat 5.5g |
27% |
Cholesterol 105mg |
35% |
Sodium 785mg |
34% |
Total Carbohydrate 60.1g |
22% |
Dietary Fiber 4g |
14% |
Total Sugars 1.7g |
|
Protein 35.7g |
|
Vitamin D 0mcg |
0% |
Calcium 69mg |
5% |
Iron 4mg |
25% |
Potassium 425mg |
9% |
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calorie a day is used for general nutrition advice. |
Sheet Pan Chicken Chorizo and Rice (Easy Weeknight Dinner Recipe)
Equipment
- Large 12 inch skillet
- High-Sided Aluminum Sheet Pan (around 2 inches or more)
- Kitchen knife and cutting board
- Aluminum kitchen foil
Ingredients
- 2 cups Bomba rice
- 3-4 skin-on chicken quarters or 8 chicken thighs
- 18 oz/ 500g raw Spanish chorizo
- 2 yellow onions cut into wedges
- 4 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 head of garlic tips trimmed
- 1 small red bell pepper
- 7 fl oz/ 200ml tomato paste or 2 tomatoes grated and skin removed
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 2-3 cups water or more chicken broth
- 2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika we use La Vera smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon white pepper
- Colorant around 3 grams
- 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper optional for some heat
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
- Heat chicken broth and set aside8 cups chicken broth
- Mix the smoked paprika, garlic powder, white pepper, cayenne pepper, and colorant in a small bowl.1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon white pepper, 1 teaspoon Cayenne pepper, Colorant
- Season chicken thighs on both sides with around half of the seasoning mixture.3-4 skin-on chicken quarters
- Heat half of the oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.2-3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Fry the chicken pieces on all sides until they begin to golden (around 5 minutes).
- Remove chicken pieces from the pan and set aside for use later.
- Cut chorizo sausages into 1-inch (2.5cm) pieces. In the same pan used to fry the chicken, cook the chorizo for 3 minutes or until the sausage begins to release the chorizo oil.18 oz/ 500g raw Spanish chorizo
- Remove the chorizo from the pan and set aside for use later.
- Reduce heat to medium and pan-fry the onion for 5 minutes or until golden. Add the bell pepper and minced garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.2 yellow onions, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 small red bell pepper
- Add the tomato paste and the remaining spices. Mix well and add a few ladles of chicken broth. Season to taste and remove from the heat.7 fl oz/ 200ml tomato paste
- In the deep-sided sheet pan, pour in the rice and the remaining stock. Add the onion, tomato, and pepper and mix into the rice.2 cups Bomba rice, 2-3 cups water
- Arrange chicken pieces and chorizo around the pan. Place the trimmed head of garlic in the middle of the pan.1 head of garlic, Salt and pepper to taste
- Bake for 40 minutes in total, adding more stock or water every 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and cover the pan with aluminum kitchen foil. Leave to rest for 10 minutes before serving.
0 Comments