You’ll love this Spanish chicken stew, featuring seared chicken simmered in a savory, and tangy tomato-based braising liquid, and served with potatoes and olives!
This is the kind of dish that’s actually very easy to make. It’s the perfect one pot dinner for either weeknights or weekends.
The chicken is cooked until extra juicy and fall-off-the-bone tender. Serve this Spanish chicken stew with rice for a hearty meal at home.
This Spanish chicken stew is a hearty stew packed with incredible flavors! I use juicy dark meat chicken, tender potatoes, and Spanish green olives. It’s infused with fragrant spices commonly used in this Spanish cuisine, such as saffron and smoked paprika.
This dish one of my favorite one pot chicken recipes to make when I am craving something cozy and flavorful, with minimal clean-up. Just one bite, and you’ll soon understand why!
It simmers in a rich braising liquid made with tomatoes, vegetables, and white wine until the chicken is fall-apart tender and delicious.
I like to serve it with my Garlic Butter Rice or Fluffy Mashed Potatoes on the side to soak up all that liquid.
As complex as the layers of flavors are, this impressive Spanish chicken stew, much like my Slow Cooker Chicken Stew, is very easy to make. It’s a one pan meal that is hearty, satisfying, and perfect for any occasion. Another stew I really like is my Dutch Oven Beef Stew.
If you’re a fan of Spanish-inspired recipes, try my Chicken and Chorizo Paella too!
Why I love making this Spanish Chicken Stew:
- Hearty, filling, and a great comfort meal for cooler temperatures.
- One pan dinner for easy clean-up. It’s an impressive dish, but also super simple to make.
- The flavors! You’ll love the smokey, earthy, savory, and aromatic flavors in every mouthful. There’s so much good stuff going on here.
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Ingredient Notes
The key to making a flavorful Spanish chicken stew is using lots of seasonings and spices. Ingredient quantities are listed in the recipe card down below, as always, but I wanted to provide a few helpful notes here:
- Chicken: Use bone-in chicken drumsticks and thighs for the most flavor. Dark meat is juicier.
- Smoked paprika: A staple spice in Spanish cuisine. It’s smoky and adds depth.
- Saffron: Saffron threads a bit on the pricier side, but it’s very popular in Spanish cuisine. It’s delicate and aromatic, and helps give the stew that nice yellow color.
- Ground turmeric: Adds a beautiful yellow color and a touch of earthiness. Use sparingly, a little goes a long way.
- Ground cumin and oregano: These two add extra flavor.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- Diced yellow onion and minced garlic: These add to the aromatic base.
- Carrots and red bell peppers: These veggies add beautiful color, texture, and taste.
- Crushed tomatoes: Adds an acidic, tomato-y flavor that cuts through the earthy spices and brightens up the dish.
- White wine: For depth of flavor to your broth. If you prefer not to use it, you can replace it with the same amount of chicken broth.
- Chicken broth: Use your favorite. Regular, low-sodium, homemade, store-bought, you name it.
- Yukon Gold potatoes: Diced. I’d recommend yukon gold over russets, since they retain their shape better.
- Spanish green olives: They’re a great way to add a tangy and briny element into every bite.
Step-by-Step Tutorial
Preparing for this chicken stew is very easy, and the rest is just simmering time. Let me show you how I make it!
Step 1 | Season and sear the chicken
Pat dry the chicken thoroughly with a paper towel. Season with salt, pepper, and paprika.
In a large 6-quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil to medium-high heat. Sear the chicken on both sides until beautifully browned. Remove and set them aside on a plate. Work in batches if necessary, as you don’t want to overcrowd the pot.
Step 2 | Make the stew base
To the same pot (do not wipe clean), drizzle a bit more oil and then cook the onions, carrots, and red peppers until softened, about 6-8 minutes. Then, add the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and turmeric. Sauté everything for a couple of minutes until fragrant. How good does this smell right about now?!
Stir in the crushed tomatoes and the wine. Use a wooden spoon to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping off the browned bits to add even more flavor.
Step 3 | Add broth, chicken and potatoes
Add the chicken broth and a generous pinch of saffron. Season with salt and pepper and then bring that to a simmer.
Return the chicken into the Dutch oven, along with the potatoes and bay leaves. Bring the mixture back to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cover with a lid and simmer for 40 minutes.
Step 4 | Finish with Spanish olives
Once that cooking time is up, toss in the olives. Cover again and simmer for another 20 minutes, and watch how quickly everyone runs to the kitchen table! It’s ready when the potatoes are soft, and the chicken is fall-apart tender.
Serve the Spanish chicken stew with creamy mashed potatoes or rice, or your favorite crusty artisan bread (I always go for baguette!).
Freezing Leftovers
This dish freezes nicely for about 3 months. Once it has cooled completely, you can store all of it in an airtight freezer-safe container or freezer bag.
Thaw it in the fridge overnight, or reheat from frozen over the stovetop over medium heat. You can also pop it in the microwave if already thawed.
Storing leftovers: Refrigerate in sealed containers for 3 to 5 days. Reheat in the microwave oven.
Pairing and Serving Ideas
I love coming up with simple sides to pair with my main dishes. For stews, anything with carbs that can soak up all those juices is a great idea! Rice, potatoes, or bread are great options.
Here are a few ideas to pair with the Spanish chicken stew:
- Garlic Butter Rice
- Peruvian Garlic Rice
- Fluffy Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Spinach Mashed Potatoes
Looking for more one pot chicken recipes? Try my Dutch Oven Roast Chicken, Lemon Chicken Orzo, and Mexican Chicken and Rice.
Recipe FAQs
There are a couple of ways to do this. One, is to coat the chicken in flour before searing it, giving it a slightly crispier skin. Once the chicken gets added back into the broth to simmer, the flour will help thicken the sauce. The other way is to stir in a cornstarch slurry towards the end.
Sure you can! Since they are larger and leaner, you’ll need to increase the cooking time by about 15 minutes to get tender.
Red pepper flakes or a pinch of cayenne pepper should do the trick.
Saffron adds amazing flavor, but if you can’t find it, increase the amount of turmeric and smoked paprika by just a little bit (to taste) for the proper amount of flavor and color.
Tips for Success
- Do not overcrowd the pan when searing the chicken, otherwise they will steam and not brown nicely and evenly.
- Simmer the chicken stew over low heat with the lid tightly covered. This retains the heat inside, which helps to tenderize the chicken and intensify all the flavors.
- Saffron threads can be a bit pricey. If you have a Trader Joe’s nearby, they have the best deal!
- Before adding the saffron, I like to dissolve it with the broth to help release its flavors and color, but that’s optional.
- Potatoes: Yukon gold retain their shape very well.
- If you prefer not to use wine, replace with broth.
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Spanish Chicken Stew
Equipment
Ingredients
For the chicken
- 4 chicken bone-in drumsticks
- 4 bone-in chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and pepper
For the stew
- Olive oil
- 1 medium yellow onion - small-diced
- 2 medium carrots - peeled and chopped
- 1 red bell pepper - diced
- 5 cloves minced garlic
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon turmeric
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 large pinch saffron - about ½ teaspoon loosely packed
- 2 medium Yukon gold potatoes - peeled and diced
- 2 bay leaves
- 1.5 cups Spanish green olives
- Italian parsley - chopped
Instructions
- Season the chicken pieces with 1 teaspoon paprika, about 1.5 teaspoons salt, and ground black pepper. In a large 6-quart Dutch oven, heat a few generous drizzles of olive oil over medium high heat. Sear the seasoned chicken pieces on both sides until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Do not overcrowd the pan, sear in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- In the same pot, add more oil and cook the onions, carrots, and red bell peppers for about 6 to 8 minutes, until softened.
- Then, add and sauté the minced garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, oregano, and turmeric. Cook for about 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
- Stir in the white wine and the crushed tomatoes. Cook for about 2 to 3 more minutes to cook off the wine, stirring.
- Add the chicken broth and the saffron. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Bring back to a simmer.
- Return chicken to the pan, and add potatoes along with the bay leaves, gently nesting it under the simmering liquid. Bring back to a simmer. Cover with the lid and simmer for 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and tender.
- Then, add the green olives, cover again, and simmer over low heat for another 20 minutes.
- Garnish with chopped Italian parsley, and enjoy! I love to serve with garlic rice or mashed potatoes.
Notes
- Before adding the saffron, dissolve it with the broth to help release flavors and color (optional).
- If you have one nearby, Trader Joe’s has a great deal for saffron.
- If not using saffron, increase the amount of turmeric and smoked paprika (to taste) for the proper amount of flavor and color.
- Use just a little bit of turmeric – it can give the stew an intense yellow color when too much is used.
- If you prefer not to use wine, replace with broth.
- Use high quality Spanish olives.
- Freezing: Let cool completely. Freeze in containers or resealable bags for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, or reheat from frozen over the stovetop.
- Bone-in chicken: Boneless thighs or breasts can be used instead.
Tania says
My family LOVES this chicken stew. The flavors are incredible and bold, and it goes really well with garlic rice but we also serve it with just toasted baguette sometimes too. You won’t be disappointed!