An easy Spanish chicken traybake — chicken thighs baked over chorizo, peppers, olives and butter beans in a smoky paprika tomato sauce. One pan, big flavour.
This one-pan Spanish chicken is weeknight cooking at its most rewarding: smoky chorizo, sweet peppers and tender thighs all bake down into a rich, paprika-scented stew. The chorizo does most of the flavouring for you, releasing its spiced oils into everything around it. Serve it straight from the pan with crusty bread to mop up the sauce.
Prep 15 min
Cook 55 min
Total 70 min
Easy
- 2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 Onion
- 150g Chorizo
- 1 Red Pepper
- 1 Yellow Pepper
- 1 teaspoon Sweet Smoked Paprika
- 4 cloves Garlic
- 400g Tinned Tomatos
- 150g Green Olives
- 400g Butter Beans
- 8 Chicken Thighs
- 1 Handfull Parsley
Video
Preparation
- Heat the oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Heat the olive oil in a large ovenproof frying pan over medium heat and fry the onion, chorizo and peppers with a pinch of salt and pepper for 15 minutes, until softened and the chorizo has released its oils. Add the paprika and garlic and cook for a few minutes more until fragrant.
- Tip in the chopped tomatoes, olives and butter beans, stir to combine, and season. Nestle in the chicken thighs and season well, then transfer to the oven and bake for 40 minutes, until the skin is crisp and the meat cooked through and tender.
- Scatter with the parsley and serve.
Tips from the ZestyPlate Kitchen
- Let the chorizo render properly in the first frying stage — those red oils are where the flavour lives.
- Use bone-in, skin-on thighs and leave them proud of the sauce so the skin crisps in the oven.
- Butter beans are traditional, but cannellini or chickpeas slot in happily if that's what you have.
- A squeeze of lemon and the fresh parsley at the end lift the richness — don't skip them.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can, but thighs stay far juicier through the 40-minute bake. If using breast, add it later or reduce the cooking time to avoid drying it out.
Use the firm, cured cooking chorizo you slice, not the soft spreadable kind. Sweet or spicy both work depending on your taste.
Yes — it reheats beautifully and the flavours deepen overnight. Re-crisp the skin under the grill for a minute before serving.
Crusty bread, rice or buttery potatoes all work to soak up the sauce. A simple green salad balances the richness.
