Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice Skillet
This 20-minute skillet dinner, made with garlic, onions, tomato paste, and chicken broth, takes inspiration from Spanish-style rice.
Serves4
Prep5 minutes to 10 minutes
Cook15 minutes
Anytime I’m looking for a surefire dinner win that’s as easy as it is satisfying, a chicken and rice skillet is always the answer. I’ve been leaning especially hard on these skillets the past few weeks, because they can be made with anything I’ve got on hand. This one takes inspiration from Spanish-style rice, which means onions, garlic, tomato paste, and chicken broth all make an appearance.
20-Minute Skillet Dinner
The beauty of starting with leftover rice — either white or brown — is that this dinner comes together in three simple steps and hits the table in about 20 minutes. You’ll start by searing the chicken, which is cut into bite-sized pieces for quicker cooking. Once it’s browned all over, you’ll set it aside and soften some onion and bell pepper in the pan. And finally everything — the chicken, rice, pantry spices, tomato paste, and a splash of broth — all go back in the skillet to meld and heat through.
Read more: 13 Quick and Easy One-Skillet Dinners
Spanish-Style Chicken and Rice Skillet
This 20-minute skillet dinner, made with garlic, onions, tomato paste, and chicken broth, takes inspiration from Spanish-style rice.
Prep time 5 minutes to 10 minutes
Cook time 15 minutes
Serves 4
Nutritional Info
Ingredients
- 1
medium yellow onion
- 1
small red bell pepper
- 2 cloves
garlic
- 1 pound
boneless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon
kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon
freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons
vegetable or canola oil
- 2 tablespoons
tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon
ground cumin
- 2 cups
cooked white or brown rice
- 1/2 cup
low-sodium chicken broth
Lime wedges, for serving
Instructions
Prepare the following, placing them all in the same medium bowl: dice 1 medium yellow onion, dice 1 small red bell pepper, and mince 2 garlic cloves. Cut 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast into 1-inch cubes. Pat dry with paper towels and season all over with 1 teaspoon kosher salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and spread into an even layer. Cook, turning occasionally, until cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Add the onion, bell pepper, and garlic to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons tomato paste and 1 teaspoon ground cumin, stir to coat the vegetables, and cook until darkened in color, about 2 minutes.
Stir in 2 cups cooked rice and 1/2 cup chicken broth, and return the chicken to the pan. Cook until heated through, about 3 minutes. Serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Notes
Storage: Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container up to 4 days.