One Pot Spanish Chickpea Chicken

This One Pot Spanish Chickpea Chicken is an easy, family-friendly dinner! You’ll love how the flavors come together in this healthy one pan meal!

Do you make New Year’s resolutions?

I know a common one is to live a healthy lifestyle, either through diet, exercise or both. The tricky part is sticking with those healthy goals long-term, right?

I’m proposing that instead of trying to follow some crazy restrictive healthy diet, we commit to meal planning and preparing nutritious meals for ourselves and our families each day. Home cooked meals are more satisfying and nourishing than takeout, every time. And knowing what goes into the food that you put into your body is so important.

This time of year, when we’re still in the thick of winter, I crave home-cooked meals that are not only healthy but also hearty and comforting. This One Pot Spanish Chickpea Chicken is both. It’s made with fresh vegetables, brown rice and chickpeas, all of which offer fiber and other nutrients.

Chickpeas are one of my very favorite ingredients. I use them all the time in my kitchen, as evidenced in these make ahead mason jar salads, these sweet potato noodles, and this favorite slow cooker chili.

I’ve known for a while that chickpeas pack a nutritious punch, but I’ve just recently learned that they belong to a group of foods called pulses. Pulses include dry peas, chickpeas, lentils and beans, and are protein-packed, sustainable foods. So when we cook with pulses we’re making our food both more wholesome and tasty, all while helping to protect the environment.

All pulses are a good source of both protein and fiber. Chickpeas in particular are an excellent source of folate. They contain three times as much folate per serving than kale! I always have a stock of lentils, chickpeas and beans in my kitchen. Not only are they an affordable source of protein, they can be used in a variety of recipes and make getting dinner on the table a snap!

You can learn more about the benefits of pulses and join me in taking the Pulse Pledge (commit to eating pulses once a week for 10 weeks) by visiting pulsepledge.com.

Notes about this One Pot Spanish Chickpea Chicken:

• If you like, you can make this meal vegetarian by omitting the chicken and using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to cook the rice.
• We’re using long grain brown rice in this recipe, which takes about 40 minutes to cook. During this time the chicken will also finish cooking. Once you get to that step, this one pot meal is hands-off so you can relax (or prepare a salad).
• If you’re cooking for less than 4 people, the leftovers of this dish reheat wonderfully.

More One Pot Meals:

• Chicken Tortilla Casserole
• Skillet Mexican Quinoa
• One Pot Pasta

5 from 1 rating

One Pot Spanish Chickpea Chicken

Servings: 4 servings

Prep Time: 15 minutes mins

Cook Time: 40 minutes mins

Total Time: 55 minutes mins

This One Pot Spanish Chickpea Chicken is an easy, family-friendly dinner! You’ll love how the flavors come together in this healthy one pan meal!

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Ingredients

• ▢ 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ▢ 1.25 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, about 4 pieces*
• ▢ salt and pepper
• ▢ 1 small onion, chopped
• ▢ 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• ▢ 4 cloves garlic, minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cumin
• ▢ 15 ounce can diced tomatoes
• ▢ 1 ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth, 1¾ cups equals one 14.5 ounce can
• ▢ 1 cup long grain brown rice, rinsed and drained
• ▢ 15 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• ▢ chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

 

• Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add it to the hot pan. Brown the chicken on both sides, about 3 minutes per side, and then transfer to a clean plate.
• Reduce the heat under the skillet to medium. Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, stirring.
• Add 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, the smoked paprika, cumin, diced tomatoes, and broth. Stir to combine. Stir in the rice and chickpeas. Nestle the chicken back into the mixture in the skillet.
• Bring to a low simmer, cover, and cook for 35-40 minutes, until rice is tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. Stir gently every 10 minutes to make sure the rice cooks evenly.
• Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.

Notes

• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts may also be used.
• To make this recipe vegetarian, omit the chicken and substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

Serving: 1/4 recipe, Calories: 526kcal, Carbohydrates: 61g, Protein: 40g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Cholesterol: 135mg, Sodium: 612mg, Potassium: 1019mg, Fiber: 9g, Sugar: 6g, Vitamin A: 1350IU, Vitamin C: 50.8mg, Calcium: 109mg, Iron: 4.9mg

Nutrition information is an estimate.

Cuisine: Spanish

Course: Main Course, Main Dish, One Pot

Tried this recipe?Mention @kristines_kitchen on Instagram or tag #kristineskitchenblog.

This post was created in partnership with and sponsored by USA Pulses and Pulse Canada. All text and opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting the sponsors who make it possible for me to bring you quality content!