I’m all about sheet pan meals, my family’s favorites include balsamic chicken, bacon wrapped chicken breast and this zesty Spanish inspired dinner.
How Do You Make Spanish Chicken?
This Spanish chicken recipe starts with making a Spanish spice blend which you rub on chicken thighs. In a small bowl stir together smoked paprika, salt, pepper, onion powder, cumin, oregano and garlic powder. Rub the spice blend on your chicken thighs. Arrange the seasoned thighs on a sheet pan. Next, place your halved yellow potatoes in a large bowl and toss them in olive oil, salt and pepper. Place the seasoned potatoes on your baking sheet with the chicken. Roast everything in the oven. Add strips of bell pepper to the sheet pan and place it back in the oven. Finally, place sliced Spanish chorizo sausage on the sheet pan and finish baking until the chicken cooks through and the potatoes become tender. Add a sprinkle of parsley, then enjoy! If you want some veggie side dishes to go with this chicken try my roasted asparagus, sauteed green beans and crispy brussels sprouts.
Spanish spice blend
This blend of Spanish spices brings out the flavor of the chicken with herbs and smoky richness. This blend starts with a base of salt, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder and dried oregano. There are two additional spices that really bring this dish to the next level, cumin and smoked paprika. I often make a double batch of the spice blend and save some for later to sprinkle over fish, vegetables and steak.
Tips For The Perfect Spanish Chicken
I like bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe because they stay moist in the oven. However, you can use bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts or drumsticks if you prefer. Chicken breasts may take some additional time to cook through. I use Yukon gold potatoes for this recipe, but you can also use small red potatoes or regular Russet potatoes cut in 1 inch cubes. Use Spanish chorizo if you can find it. Spanish chorizo is a hard dried sausage that is found in the deli section of most grocery stores, don’t confuse it with the fresh Mexican chorizo! If you can’t find chorizo, use a smoked sausage such as kielbasa. Coat your chicken thighs well with the spice blend. Feel free to lift up skin and rub the blend under the skin. Roast your chicken thighs skin side up so that the skin cooks nicely in the oven.
Flavor Variations
While this Spanish chicken recipe is delicious as-is, you can add other ingredients to customize it to your tastes.
Low Carb: Swap out the potatoes for cauliflower florets. Vegetables: Other vegetables can be substituted for the bell pepper such as broccoli, zucchini, tomatoes or asparagus. Flavorings: Feel free to add other flavorings to this dish such as green olives, minced garlic cloves or finish your dish with some shavings of Spanish Manchego cheese. Rice: Instead of potatoes, you can separately cook in a pot white rice, cilantro lime rice or mushroom rice.
You can never go wrong with a sheet pan meal, and this Spanish version is full of bold flavors. The Spanish chorizo really makes this meal taste authentic, this one is sure to become part of your regular dinner rotation.
