23 Splendid Spanish Chicken Recipes

Every American has their favorite go-to chicken recipes that can never be messed with. In fact, did you know that chicken is the favorite meat of the nation?

From buffalo wings to chicken casserole and every delectable thing in between, it is safe to say that our love of chicken runs deep.

Now, let’s make one thing clear, these 23 Spanish recipes aren’t here to get in the way of you and your chicken-dinner classics, that would just be rude.

What they are here to do, however, is get you inspired to try something new. Using minimal ingredients to bring maximum flavor, each of the recipes in this article is certifiably delicious and destined to impress.

1. Spanish Chicken Tray Bake

The scent that will be emanating from your oven once this tray bake starts cooking will remind you of nowhere but Spain. Why?

Because ingredients like chorizo, olives, orange zest, and cherry tomatoes tell it so. We love tray bakes at home because they represent the ultimate family dinner.

Super easy to prepare and able to feed a family of four without worry, this Spanish chicken tray bake will have your family gravitating toward the kitchen before dinner’s roll call is called.

2. One Pan Spanish Chicken And Rice

We like this recipe because it is another one-pan people-pleasing machine. Name a more perfect pairing than chicken and rice and we’ll wait.

That’s right, there is none because it doesn’t exist. Chicken and rice have been a staple dinner idea in every corner of the world for thousands of years.

Cheap, easy, and oh-so filling, chicken and rice get to the essence of what makes food so important, and this Spanish recipe serves it in style.

Smoked paprika, cumin, chili powder, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder have been called up to the pan to deliver pure perfection. 

3. Chicken Afritada

Chicken Afritada is a traditional Spanish-style chicken stew that every Spanish person holds near and dear.

While authentic Afritada is an investment in time, this recipe intentionally cuts corners to make your mid-week meal prep so much easier.

Chicken thighs are dry-rubbed with Spanish spices and then browned in a hot skillet until their skin turns a shade of golden brown.

From this point, it’s about adding all the vegetables and marinara sauce to the skillet and waiting for it to cook through. 

4. Spanish Chicken In Bravas Sauce

If you have ever been to Spain, there is little doubt that you have indulged in your fair share of patatas bravas in your time.

Meaning “fierce” in Spanish, this appetizer is the perfect way to start an evening of feasting with a kick.

This Spanish chicken recipe will have all the spice-lovers lining up as it marries the richness of chicken with the fiery side of bravas sauce in the most delectable kind of way.

Serve alongside rice or a salad for a dinner idea that will impress you first, and your guests second. 

5. Chicken, Chorizo, And Chickpea Stew

Chicken and chorizo have been close associates of Spanish cooking for a long, long time. There is something special that goes on when chicken and chorizo get cooked in unison.

The oils from both collide in the most heavenly manner for all to enjoy. This chicken, chorizo, and chickpea stew recipe will serve you this heavenly pairing in a big ol’ pot of the stuff.

10 minutes to prepare, 50 to cook, there is nothing stopping you from whipping this hearty dish up tonight with ease and steez – we dare you!

6. Spanish Chicken Stew

Staying with the stew theme for just a moment, because, let’s face it, Spanish people love their stews!

This Spanish chicken stew recipe will soothe your tastebuds with its sweet and sultry flavors.

Sweet potato, bell pepper, raisins, olives, sherry vinegar, and a bunch of herbs and spices get thrown in the pot alongside chicken thighs for maximum flavor points.

If the chicken thigh isn’t your thing, the chicken breast will work okay too, but don’t expect the same richness of flavor. 

7. Spanish Roast Chicken

Whole roast chicken is everywhere in Spain, and the people are all too happy to pick one up for a quick and easy lunch or dinner idea.

While you will have to do the roasting yourself on this occasion, you can bet your last dime it will be easy, and it will be delicious.

Once you have rubbed the chicken with garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper paste, it’s only a matter of placing it in a tray with some white wine and a stock cube before sliding it into the oven.

The whole thing takes just an hour and 15 minutes and serves four people comfortably. 

8. Chicken Braised In Saffron, Almond, And Egg Yolk Sauce

Braising has got to be one of the hands-down best methods of cooking chicken, period.

When you know that it is braised in a thick and lovely sauce of saffron, garlic, almonds, bread, and hard-boiled egg yolks, you start to realize that this is not your ordinary braised chicken recipe.

This Spanish-style braised chicken recipe has got your cozy winter-warmer meal plans done and dusted. 

9. Spanish Chicken With Tomato Sauce

There is absolutely nothing out of the ordinary in this chicken with tomato sauce recipe, and that is the point.

Bringing everyone back to their childhood with a classic family meal that leans ever-so-slightly to the Spanish side of flavor.

Bell pepper, tomato, onion, garlic, and chicken stock work their magic through chicken drumsticks to make them oh-so-delicious, and effortlessly tender. 

10. Chicken Milanesa

Chicken Milanesa is a great recipe idea for the kids. Why? Because it will have them eating every last crumb and asking for seconds!

Breaded chicken is a go-to family dinner idea that has been on regulation rotation in homes right across America for decades. But, did you know, that its origins are in fact in Spain?

Serve with a lemon wedge for impactful first and last bites. 

11. Spanish Chicken With Mushrooms

Chicken and mushroom is another dinner idea that we already know and love with its routes firmly planted in Spain. To really make this dish sing we recommend sourcing free-range bone-in chicken thighs.

Other essentials in the mix with this dish include white wine, thyme, portobello mushroom, Spanish smoked paprika, and fresh parsley.

Chicken and mushrooms that are reduced in all that goodness is going to taste as good as you imagine it will.

12. Spanish Chicken Bake With Kale And Manzanilla Olives From Spain 

We don’t know about you, but this recipe has got our stomach’s truly rumbling over here.

It’s like it knew what everything that is good about Spanish cooking was and has decided to bring it all together into some kind of divine bake.

We’re talking chorizo, chicken, pimiento-stuffed manzanilla olives, kale, bell pepper, and all the usual seasoning suspects. There is your go-to chicken bake recipe and then there is this thing. 

13. Spanish Chicken Kebabs

This recipe’s ability to knock up four succulent chicken kebabs in 20 minutes flat should not be understated. With a Spanish-style marinade in cahoots, these kebabs will bring you curbside in the lively streets of Madrid.

The two spices that stand out and proud in the marinade are hot paprika and smoked paprika. If you don’t source either one of these, the end result will suffer. 

14. One Pot Spanish Chicken And Potatoes

Stripping it right back to what is important is this rustic one-pot dish. Spanish-seasoned chicken breast fillets and thick-sliced russet potatoes go together like two peas of the same pod.

With skin-off diced eggplant, ripened tomatoes, and fresh parsley in the pot, you just know you’re smelling that scent of Meditteranean cooking at its very best.

If you wanted any other evidence – three gloves of garlic should do the trick.

15. Chicken In Almond Sauce

Seeing as Spain is one of the biggest almond growing nations in the world, it makes a lot of sense why almonds feature so heavily in their cuisine.

This chicken in almond sauce one-pot wonder is a powerful recipe that does not hold back. The rich and creamy sauce that turns the chicken all succulent and juicy can only be described as heavenly.

When you are in need of a comfort-focused pick-me-up meal to shake off the day, turn to this. 

16. Spanish Chicken Noodle Soup

Chicken noodle soup is another winter warming classic to warm the bones right through. This recipe gives the classic a little spanish twist to keep you guessing and fill you up.

Angel hair pasta has been called up to the bowl to give this dish legs, as has celery, carrots, and onions.

Flavored with a whole matter of herby goodies, you will be slurping right to the end. If no one is looking, it is suggested to drink the noodley remnants down. 

17. Catalan Style Chicken

Catalonia is a proud region of Spain that encapsulates Barcelona, the Costa Brava, and many other iconic destinations.

Any Spanish region that is this proud of its heritage and culture takes its food very seriously, so you are in capable hands with this recipe.

Chicken chunks are browned off then simmered in a delectable lineup of white raisins, prunes, pine nuts, white wine, onions, and tomatoes.

Serve atop a bed of Spanish rice and alongside some more dry white to really set the Spanish seaside scene. 

18. Spanish Chicken Croquettes

Croquettes are big in many European nations, but the Spaniards have a particularly strong connection to them.

Playing a lead role of the tapas scenes in towns and cities right across the country, it is hard to tell what region in Spain loves them most.

Though ham is probably the most popular croquette flavor in Spain, Chicken is a close second. Let this authentic recipe sweet you off your feet and simmer you down in a backstreet tapas bar of Seville (or somewhere like that). 

19. Spanish Chicken And Chorizo Paella

Paella is arguably the dish that most people associated with Spain, and this recipe does not disappoint.

Like we said, chicken and chorizo are two ingredients that feature heavily in Spanish cooking, and chicken and chorizo paella is a big part of that.

One disclaimer with paella is it’s not exactly a dish to knock up on an idle Tuesday, something this iconic takes time.

Save it for one of those days where you have all afternoon to make something truly special.

Save it for then and you will be licking your lips and thanking your lucky stars the day you let this recipe into your life and kitchen. 

20. Chicken Marbella

Marinate this Chicken Marbella recipe ahead of time for the most finger lickin’ chicken drumsticks you ever did try. The marinade lineup is enough to make even the most stern folks get all giddy with excitement.

Prunes, capers, olives, garlic, and olive oil need to get cozy with the drumsticks for a minum of eight hours to really infiltrate their skin. From there it is smooth sailing as the skillet will do this rest. 

21. Spanish Chicken In White Wine And Garlic Sauce

Chicken, white wine, garlic – we could talk about the holy trinity of these three ingredients until the cows start singing but you already know how good it is.

Simple, honest, and full of heart, Spanish cooking like this has been feeding the people since the first grape was fermented. Don’t delay and cook this recipe up today, you owe it to yourself and that bottle of wine in the fridge. 

22. Slow Cooker Spanish Stew

If there is ever a recipe that asks us to use our slow cooker we stand up and pay attention.

Whack some Spanish Queen Green olives, saffron threads, white rice, parsley, yellow onions, garlic cloves, chicken stock, and chicken thighs into your slow cooker for an hour on high to see what all the fuss is about. 

23. Cheat’s Paella

If you liked the idea of the previously listed paella but don’t fancy spending all afternoon to make it, this Cheat’s Paella will do the trick.

Cutting down the time and requirements to make a paella won’t serve you quite the same authentic taste. What it will do is allow you to whip up a quick-fire mid-week paella, and for that, we salute it. 

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is The Most Traditional Paella?

Though this question is rife with controversy, it is commonly believed that the most traditional paella is in fact chicken. Coming from Valencia, chicken paella has been feeding and pleasing Spaniards for hundreds of years. 

How Do Spanish People Cook?

Spanish people like to stew, roast, broil, grill, and bake. What this tells us is that they love to cook just as much as they love to eat, and we are all better off for it. 

Conclusion

So there you have it. 23 of the most splendid Spanish chicken recipes to delight in now and try later. We hope somewhere within this list of recipes you found yourself a new favorite go-to recipe.