Crispy Chicken and Saffron Rice Skillet
Easy 1 pan meal of bone-in skin-on crispy chicken thighs cooked in a savory saffron rice. Flavorful, warm and ideal for a crisp fall weeknight dinner.
The temperatures here in California have dropped to about 65 degrees, which is about as frigid as I like it. It has cooled down so much that I now only sleep with my window half open, instead of all the way open. I’ve even busted out my Ugg boots. Well, actually they’re fUgg boots (fake Ugg boots). Have you guys tried the Costco brand ones? I swear, I cannot tell the difference! Actually, I can. Because Costco only charges $40 compared to Ugg charging $195. So I don’t have to have a heart attack when a little bit of water or olive oil spills on them. So they feel even comfier since I can really relax in them. Highly recommend.
So now that your feet are warm and toasty, let me show you how to make my brand new number 1 favorite meal for fall.
This chicken and saffron rice skillet is a-mazing. First of all, you must start cooking more chicken thighs. You must! Not only are they cheap cheap cheap (I got 3 lbs for $3 athankyou), but they have much more flavor than a chicken breast. And since you’re saving money by using chicken thighs, it’s ok to splurge a little on saffron. A little tip, Trader Joe’s just started carrying saffron at the best price I’ve seen in stores. You get a whopping .02oz for $5.99. Ok, well, maybe not whopping, but it’s all you need. Oh saffron, how can you be so delicious?
Let’s get cooking.
Start by heating up 1/2 tsp of olive oil in your biggest non-stick straight-sided oven-safe skillet. I’m in love with my 6 quart Calphalon pan, perfect for this meal. If you don’t have something big enough (roughly 13″ across and 2″ deep) just cook the chicken and prep the rice in any pan, then assemble the “skillet” in a 9×13″ baking dish. Will turn out just the same.
Cook the chicken thighs 4 at a time over high heat until they are nice and golden brown, about 4 minutes per side.
Transfer the chicken thighs to a platter to rest while you get the rice ready.
Discard all but 1 tsp fat from the pan. Add in the onions and cook until they just start to turn translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in the garlic and cook for 1 minute until it is fragrant.
Next add 2 cups of white rice.
Stir to combine.
Add in 4 cups chicken broth.
Now it’s time for the star ingredient…saffron! So red and beautiful.
Add in about a gram of saffron (I only had .7 grams since that’s the amount Trader Joe’s sells). Break it up in your fingers as you sprinkle it in to release the oils in the spice.
Then add in 1 cup of frozen peas.
And 1 tsp salt. Stir to combine. The saffron turns the broth into a beautiful deep golden color.
Add the chicken thighs back in.
Put them skin side up. This is important! Otherwise, the skin won’t stay crispy.
Cook in a preheated 450 degree oven until the rice has absorbed all the liquid and the chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.
Let rest for 5 minutes before serving, then dig in!
Just wait until you hear the crunch from that crispy chicken. And the rice? Delicious. Oh. My. Yum. You are going to love this.
My husband loved this so much the first time I made it for him he gave me a kiss after his first bite even though his mouth was full, so I knew it was a winner.
Crispy Chicken and Saffron Rice Skillet
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs, about 3 pounds
- 1 medium onion, chopped medium
- 3 garlic cloves, diced small
- 2 cups white rice
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1 gram of saffron
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 tsp olive oil
- salt & pepper
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees, and preheat your largest non-stick oven-safe skillet (13" across and 2" deep) over high heat for 2 minutes.
- 2. Dry chicken thighs well, and trim of excess skin and fat. Salt and pepper both sides generously.
- 3. Cook the thighs in batches of 4 at a time, starting with the skin side down, over high heat until deep golden brown, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer chicken thighs to a plate.
- 4. Discard all but 1 tsp of fat. Add in chopped onion and cook until just turning translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and cook until fragrant, 1 minute.
- 5. Stir in 2 cups of white rice, then 4 cups of chicken broth, 1 gram saffron, 1 cup of peas and 1 tsp salt. Return skillet to heat until the liquid just starts to boil.
- 6. Add in chicken thighs skin side up. Put skillet in the oven and cook uncovered until all the liquid is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through, about 35 minutes.
- 7. Remove from oven, allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
136 Comments on “Crispy Chicken and Saffron Rice Skillet”
Help! I want to love this recipe, it was so easy to make and made enough for leftovers, but something went wrong with my rice. Now, I only had 1/2 gram of saffron, so I know next time I need more, but the rice was greasy and tasted like what I think was fat. How can I prevent that? Just need more saffron? Willing to try again. I am good at messing recipes up, sometimes I just need to try again!
Hi Danielle! Sorry the recipe didn’t work out perfect for you the first time, but I love your determination! Maybe your chicken thighs had a lot of fat? Before I cook the chicken thighs, I cut off as much fat as possible. Any “white” parts stuck to the chicken. I’ll even lift up the skin if necessary. I didn’t mention that in the recipe, so this is partly my fault. Sorry friend! I also use 1 gram of saffron, which gives it a warm, scented flavor. So maybe the extra saffron adds more flavor to the rice? Does any of that sound like it could help? If not, let me know! Happy to recipe trouble shoot with you Danielle!
Hi! So I am making this recipe in the oven right now…is it really a whole gram of saffron? My first time cooking with it and from articles I read it says that is a lot. I’m scaref I put too much now!
Hi Vanessa! Yup, a whole gram of saffron. I buy the little container from Trader Joe’s and use the whole thing. Perfect amount of flavor. Keep in mind the chicken and rice is pretty “bland”, so the saffron gives it its flavor. I hope you like it! One of my favorite dinners! Perfect for a cold January night.
Thank you so much Natalie! It looks pretty and getting ready to serve! Looking forward to my first saffron experience! :)
You’re welcome! The saffron gives it such a pretty yellow color. I just love it. So excited this is your first time with saffron! It gives the rice a warm and savory flavor. So good! You’re going to love it. Thanks for visiting my blog! Hope you have a great rest of your night : )
It was beautiful! We really enjoyed it! Thank you so much for your lovely recipe…and for responding so promptly on the one gram of saffron! Hope you have a lovely evening as well!
So glad you liked it! Thanks for letting me know, made my day : )
Do you cook the rice first ?
Hi Hanna! No, you put the rice in uncooked. It will cook in the oven and absorb all of the liquid, so easy! Hope you like the recipe when you try it, it’s one of my favorites : )
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This dish looks and sounds delicious!! I will have all the ingredients tomorrow and can barely wait to cook it for my family. :-)
Your instructions and step by step pictures are great. Thank you for sharing this dish with all of us. :-)
I’m so happy that I found your page.
Thank you so much Kristina! It is such a delicious dish, one of my favorites. I love it even more because it’s so easy to make. Just brown the chicken and throw everything in the pot and let the oven do the work. I hope your family loves it! I’m happy you found my blog too. Have a great rest of your week!
This looks just awesome! Great blog…keep it up!
Thanks so much!
Good recipes, I really enjoyed the part when you discussed.
I just found your blog and already love it. Pinning this recipe and bookmarking your site. Can’t wait to read more. :)
Thanks Kathy! You’re so sweet : )
seriously love the flavors in this! that crispy chicken skin is calling my name!
Thanks Julie! Is there anything better than chicken with crispy chicken?
And I’m a HUGE fan of your blog, so I’m *very* excited you came to see mine! Made my day : )
this looks sooo delicious..my mouth is watering….
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Thanks Ayna!
This looks absolutely delicious — I love saffron with rice. It really gives the rice such depth of flavour!
Thanks! It might be my new favorite : )
So happy I found your lovely blog today! I’ll be dreaming of this for dinner all afternoon ;)
Thanks Ashley, you’re so sweet!
Saffron continues to allude me because I refuse to put down the $$. You are tempting me now….
I’m the same way with vanilla beans. So much money! But I just noticed that Trader Joe’s started carrying vanilla beans for cheap too. Thank goodness for TJ’s, now I can feel fancy with fancy ingredients : )
Any suggestions as to what can be put in place of saffron?
I used saffron but I also tried it with turmeric and smoked paprika and garlic. It turned out delicious too.
Ooooh, all that sounds delicious! I’m going to try that next time I make this. Glad you liked it Meredith!
Oh yum! This is exactly the type of dinner I would love to eat! Thanks for the tip about TJ saffron. I had Persian friends growing up, and as a result, I have fallen in love with saffron rice and flavorful chicken. I just think anything with saffron is delicious! I can’t wait to make this. Pinned! :)
Thanks! Saffron does make everything taste better : )
This recipe sounds easy and quick. Fortunately I have saffron from Morocco. I am making it on Saturday for my movie group night. I will let you know what they think. I wonder if a bit of cumin would go well with this.
I bet yours will be extra good with saffron from Morocco! I hope you loved it! Movie group night sounds like a blast! I bet cumin would be delicious too. I want to try that next time!
I’m in CT and I’ve dragged out my Uggs too. I hated spending all that money on them but they were worth it because I live in them this time of year. But I’m all for saving money so I gotta check out those Costco ones.
I love, love, love this dish. Everything about it. It’s easy, cheap, and looks mad tasty. Definitely have to make this one!
I bet you’re much colder in CT than we are here in California! So you definitely deserve the name brand Uggs to keep you warm : )
Thanks for the compliments too! This dish is very loveable, hope you make it someday!
Yum! This looks amazing! My family would love it.
Thanks Kelly, you’re so sweet! Your family will love it : )
Your photography is beautiful!
Thanks Lisa!
Ok. This looks absolutely delicious!! I cannot wait to make this. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Nicole! You’re going to have to cook it in your new Calphalon pans you got for your wedding, really break them in. Ken is going to love this for dinner. He’ll think he married the best cook ever : )
I am making this right away. It looks so good! I even have saffron on hand :)
Thanks Caitlin! You’re so organized already having saffron on hand. You’re gonna love it, and especially love only having to clean 1 pan.
I made this….It was bland…I have good saffron…But it didnt have that crazy good Indian flavor?
Saffron isn’t a “spicy” spice. This dish is exactly as I remembered it from the Cuban cook my granny had. Savory, not spicy! Love it!
Yea! So glad you enjoyed it Gayla!