Simple tomato rice recipe with chicken and chorizo
Today I’ll be sharing this delicious tomato rice recipe with chicken and chorizo. It’s made in the oven and if you use an oven proof skillet this is simplicity! And so delicious and one of my favorite one-pot meals.
Tomato rice recipe with chicken and chorizo
I love adding the chorizo and the chicken to the tomato rice as it gives it an extra kick. Especially the chorizo is my favorite thing to add here. For the rest this is a super simple recipe. It does take a bit of time because you cook the rice in the oven which usually takes a bit longer than cooking rice on the stove.
Table of Contents
I’ve used passata here but you can use any kind of tomato sauce you like. Adding a bit of tomato paste will increase the tomato flavor, but that’s optional. You can also add some fresh tomatoes in. Here I opted for roasted bell peppers as an extra.
You can use both white rice or brown rice in this recipe. I went with basmati rice, but any long grain rice will work. Just make sure to use plain rice and not instant rice. That will get too mushy. You can also make it from leftover rice but the preparation is different for that since the rice doesn’t need cooking anymore. (more on that below)
Making the tomato rice
For making the tomato rice recipe you need to preheat the oven to 180˚C (350˚F) and you place an ovenproof skillet on medium heat. Once the pan is hot you add the onion, garlic, bell peppers, chorizo and the paprika. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions begin to soften. Make sure to stir frequently.
Now add the rice into the pan and stir through. Almost like you would use a risotto as you want all the rice grains to be covered with a bit of the vegetable mixture. Pour the passata or tomato sauce (and your tomato puree if using) in and the chicken stock. You can use vegetable broth here as well. Although I do prefer chicken broth as I find the flavor better.
Now you add the chicken to the pan as well and stir through. Make sure all the chicken is covered with the rice as well. Cover the pan with some aluminium foil or a lid and place in the oven for about 35 minutes.
After those 35 minutes take the cover off and add back into the oven for another 15 minutes. Make sure the pan doesn’t get too dry and if necessary add more cups of water or broth to keep it moist enough.
Serving
You can serve the tomato rice with either flat leaf parsley or coriander leaves. Optionally you can squeeze some lemon over the top.
You can serve the tomato rice as a delicious side dish or make it a main by adding a green salad.
Can I use leftover rice for making this tomato rice?
You sure can use leftover rice instead of raw rice for making this recipe. In fact the cooking time will be greatly reduced too. In that case you do not use the oven. Instead you prepare everything in your skillet. Start with the same steps as mentioned in the recipe card but don’t add the rice in just yet. Once the chorizo, peppers etc are cooked you add the chicken pieces and bake those until the chicken is cooked. Now add the rice and half of the passata. Keep the broth out as you don’t need all the liquid to cook the rice. Stir fry for a few minutes until everything is cooked through and the rice has turned red.
Can I use instant rice for this recipe?
You can but you have to cook the recipe separately and follow the step for the leftover rice
Additions and variations
It’s pretty simple to turn this easy tomato rice recipe into a vegetarian version. Obviously you do not use the chorizo and the chicken and make sure to use the vegetable broth instead of the chicken. You could add some crispy tempeh to the dish if you want. In which case you add the tempeh after the cooking. So don’t add it into the dish the same way as the chicken.
In terms of seasoning, you can easily make this into Mexican rice by adding some chipotle and maybe some green chilies. In terms of rice recipe this one uses pretty simple ingredients but can also easily be adapted to your liking.
During ripe tomato season I like to add lots of tomatoes (fresh ones) to the mix and by changing the spices you use you can turn this into a south Indian tomato rice (adding some garam masala and turmeric powder or other Indian spices), a Portuguese tomato rice or whatever other favorite cuisine you have. It’s a great way to use leftover rice
Tomato lover?
If you love tomato, you might want to try this insanely delicious tomato curry too.
Tomato rice with chicken and chorizo
Ingredients
- 1 red onion chopped
- 2 garlic cloves chopped
- 4 roasted peppers from a jar
- 50 g chorizo in cubes
- olive oil for baking
- 1 tablespoon sweet smoked paprika (ground)
- 250 g whole grain basmati rice
- 4 free-range chicken thighs skin off, bone in
- 400 ml passata or tomato sauce
- 300 ml organic chicken stock
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 1 lemon
- Preheat the oven to 180ºC (350˚F)
- Peel and finely chop the onion, peel the garlic and mince it. Coarsely chop the chorizo and the roasted bell pepper.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onion, garlic, pepper, chorizo, paprika and paprika. Cook for about 5 minutes, or until it begins to soften, stirring frequently.
- Add the rice and stir everything until the rice is coated. Pour in the passata and broth. Dip the chicken in the sauce, cover the baking dish with silver foil and place in the oven. After 35 minutes, remove the aluminum foil and bake for another 15 minutes until the rice and chicken are done. Add another bit of broth if necessary.
- Finely chop the parsley leaves and sprinkle on top. Cut the lemon into wedges to squeeze on top. Delicious with a salad.
Nutrition Information per portion
Disclaimer
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
