Chicken and Chorizo Rice

One-pot saffron rice with chicken thighs, chorizo, and peas

• Prep: 25 min
• Cook: 45 min
• Serves 8
• Difficulty: medium

Chicken thighs and chorizo cook with bomba or short-grain rice, saffron, bell pepper, and peas into a fragrant one-pot crew dinner.

Why crews like it: Bold Spanish flavors feel like a special occasion. One pot means one cleanup after a long shift.

Ingredients

• 12 pieces bone-in chicken thighs
• 12 oz Spanish chorizo
• 3 cups short-grain rice
• 2 whole red bell pepper
• 1 large yellow onion
• 5 cloves garlic cloves
• 5 cups chicken broth
• 0.5 tsp saffron threads
• 1 tbsp smoked paprika
• 1.5 cups frozen peas
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

1. Bloom saffron: Steep saffron in warm broth 10 minutes until liquid turns golden and smells distinctly floral and earthy.
2. Crisp chorizo and brown chicken: Cook chorizo in Dutch oven until fat renders and edges crisp. Remove. Brown chicken thighs in chorizo fat 4 minutes per side until golden.
3. Build rice base: Sauté onion and pepper 5 minutes. Add garlic, paprika, and rice. Toast 2 minutes until rice edges look translucent and smell nutty.
4. Simmer covered: Add saffron broth, nest chicken and chorizo on top. Simmer covered 25–30 minutes without stirring until rice absorbs liquid and is tender.
5. Add peas and rest: Stir in peas off heat, cover 5 minutes. Rice should be fluffy with slight socarrat crust at bottom if heat was even.

Tonight's spread

• Simple green salad with sherry vinaigrette.
• Crusty bread for scraping pan.

Hall tips

• Wide pot is essential—deep narrow pots cook unevenly.
• Lemon wedges at the line brighten rich chorizo fat.
• Substitute andouille if Spanish chorizo unavailable—adjust salt.

Meal prep

Bloom saffron in warm broth 10 minutes before cooking. Use wide Dutch oven for even rice. Station: Do not stir rice after initial mix—stirring releases starch and makes mush. Station: Crisp chorizo first and reserve fat for browning chicken. Station: Rest pot 5 minutes covered off heat before serving for fluffy rice.

Leftovers

• Reheat covered with splash of broth to restore moisture.
• Arancini-style balls from leftover rice—deep fry or bake.

• 7-quart Dutch oven with lid
• Wooden spoon

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