Spanish Olives Chicken and Rice made in a single cast iron skillet is a gorgeous meal made easy with delicious Spanish queen green olives, caramelized onions, garlic and saffron rice.
Spanish Olives Chicken and Rice is one of those “that looks super intimidating” dishes that you can make with almost no extra effort over your every day one pot meals. The rice only takes a pinch of saffron, the garlic only takes a couple of minutes in the pan with the onions and low and behold… gorgeous!
Today’s post is featuring Olives from Spain who has so graciously sponsored not only the post but a recent visit I took to San Fransisco to an event called Spain’s Great Match to mingle, and learn about food from Spain. I know, pinch me right?
I got to spend an afternoon learning about Olives from Spain. As a Californian we grow olives here too, mostly black olives, but we import more than three times the amount of olives we grow here domestically, including these amazing Queen Green Olives that I totally fell in love with at the event! They were dressed with julienned apples, honey and goat cheese and everyone I saw who tried it fawned over them. We tried a number of dishes but these were my favorite. We also learned that the olives are hand picked (serious love involved in doing that!) and that they’re the world’s largest producers of olives (by a pretty wide margin).
Fun fact, a green olive just hasn’t turned into a black olive yet. And most olives grown in Spain are used to make olive oil, but the most delicious ones make their way into jars for us to eat.
The flavor differences between the olives is pretty pronounced. Black ones are much smokier, but the green olives have a saltier, brinier flavor (perfect for stuffing with pimentos and blue cheese!). I’m team green olive all the way!


Ingredients
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 pinch saffron threads
- 4-6 chicken thighs , bone in and skin on
- Kosher salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 heads garlic , peeled
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 1 cups white rice , uncooked
- 1 cup Spanish Queen Green Olives (smaller Spanish Green Olives are fine too)
- Parsley , minced for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Add your saffron to your chicken broth.
- Heat the cast iron skillet on high heat.
- Season your chicken to taste with Kosher salt and black pepper.
- Add the chicken, skin side down and cook until browned, 4-5 minutes.
- Flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes.
- Push the chicken to the side (or onto a plate).
- Add the olive oil to your cast iron skillet and heat on medium-high.
- Add in the onions and start to cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Once the onions are mostly melted add in the garlic cloves and cook for 2-3 minutes or until browned.
- Add in the uncooked rice and cook for a minute.
- Pour in the chicken stock with the saffron in it.
- Add the green olives and put the chicken back in skin side up.
- Bake covered with foil for 45-50 minutes.
Wonderful recipe, Thank you for sharing it. Perfect just the way it is. I did use my dutch oven before I saw the caste iron skillet but it was perfect.
Thank you Jonni and thanks for the five star review.
Could you finish this off on the stovetop instead?
I haven’t tested this recipe using cast iron on the stove top; however, I think it could work. Cover the pan while cooking. Let us know what you decided to do.
This recipe is excellent. I have made many times. All in one pan.
Easy and a family favorite! Delicious!!
This was so easy and so delicious. I loved all the garlic.
This was a hit! I actually bought olives with currants from the olive bar at Whole Foods. The slightly sweet fruity addition was fabulous!
I modified the recipe reducing the amount of garlic to 2 cloves and half the onion. Also, I used turmeric instead of saffron. Saffron is too pricey. I like the one skillet convenience and I will make it again.
Really, you substituted out the saffron? Why even bother then? ????
Next time I go to the hairdresser, I’m going to take the scissors from her and ask her if I can adjust my cut. That’s essentially what you just did to this recipe.
OMG RELAX. It’s a freaking recipe.
Two HEADS Garlic cloves? Or 2 cloves garlic?
The recipe calls for heads. Needs lots of flavor.
Hi,
Can you please provide instructions for doing this in an instapot?
Thank you
This is wonderful!! I love that it’s soo simple to remeber and I love the 2 bulbs of garlic!!! They are perfect and not overpowering at all!
Question: I had lots of fat left in the pan before adding the olive oil. Is that correct or was I supposed to drain that chicken fat.
I’m thinking key that chicken fond goodness right?
This looks delicious! Will try tonight. Have boneless skinless thighs.. any idea if they can take the browning plus 45min in the oven without getting too dry? Thank you!
I don’t recommend using boneless skinless for this recipe for that very same reason, sorry.
I make this all the time and we love it! But, two heads of garlic? That can’t be right, can it? I slice up approx 6 medium cloves and it’s more than enough, it tastes very garlicky in the end result.
Feel free to adjust to your liking.
This was really yummy even though my brain screwed up a couple steps. I made it because my daughter is out of town and she’s the only chicken thigh hater- crazy, right?! I’ll have to fit a breast in for her so I can put it in rotation ?
For the baking portion of the Spanish Olives &Rice, is the chicken back to skin side down, or up? Thanks!
You’ll want the chicken skin side up. Enjoy!
Made this with 12 Chix thighs 3 cups rice, 6 cups broth, 5 heads of local fresh garlic (which is must milder than store bought varieties) everything scaled up for 8 people. My family absolutely loved this recipe. Will be making again and again.
So glad it was a hit, Kelly!
2 whole heads of garlic? Or is it supposed to be 2 cloves?
I used 2 heads but you can cut back if you’re not as big of a fan of garlic as I am though you may still want to use more than 2 cloves. Enjoy!
I do not have any cast iron skillet. Is it OK to use a regular skillet as long as it is oven proof? The only kind I have are regular, not non-stick. Thanks!
Yes 🙂
This has become a weekly family favorite meal and we just LOVE it!! Thanks you Sabrina!
You’re welcome, Karen. I’m so happy to know you guys love it so much.
Hi there,
I love your blog of Spanish olives, yum. You did a great job I can’t wait to try this recipe. If you are ever in Barcelona I would love to show you some amazing places to eat in the city. I run a food tour company called Eye on Food Tours drop me a line some time.
all the best,
-A
I make this all the time, and I thought it’s about time that I comment! It’s such a luscious, flavor-filled meal that everyone in my house absolutely loves. Thank you so much!
(I took a great photo of it, but I can’t seem to add it here, but if you’d like to use it for the site, let me know. I can email it over.)
Great easy recipe. I made it with basmati rice (no changes needed ) and added cherry tomatoes (cause I had them). I served it with sautéed onions, mushrooms and kale. Everyone loved it.
Is there a way to make this with brown rice or quinoa?
Quinoa might be an easier substitute as you need more liquid and a longer cook time for brown rice. If you decide to try either, I’d love to know how it turns out. Enjoy!
Hi, Sabrina! Looking to make this tonight but have one questions. Do you really use 2 heads of garlic, or is it 2 cloves of garlic?
So sorry I just saw this – it is 2 whole heads! They become melty goodness, I promise!
In the oven now! House smells amazing. Can’t wait for my husband to come home from work to see my awesome dinner. (He is the chef in our house) But I made a mistake and only put two cloves of garlic and not two heads, darn it! I also added a tablespoon of capers just because I wanted to cook with them lol. First time with capers and saffron for me. Will let you know how it comes out.
It was amazing. Rice is so good. So much flavor. A nice change from my regular rice dishes. Husband loved it and wants it to be a regular item on our menu. Can’t wait to eat the left overs!
My family is from Miami and this dish is similar to one my mother used to make. I never got the recipe from her, its been years since we had it. I cant wait to try this one. What would you suggest for sides?
So glad you found it! I love serving this with grape tomatoes and roasted vegetables.
I’d like to make this dish substituting for vegetable stock and omitting the chicken. Has anyone made this as a side dish? Any tips?
Long grain or short grain rice? Hoping to try this tonight!
I used long grain 🙂
I loved this! The olives weren’t over powering, but a perfect salty touch. The only thing I did different was leave our the saffron because I don’t have any.
Thank you so much for the 5 star rating! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
This came out perfect! Thanks, this is a game changer!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello, what does a pinch of saffron look like 6 threads ??
It’s more like 10-12 threads.
I know there are lots of reasons for using bone-in, skin on thighs, but my family just will not “do” dark meat or skin; what they love is shredded rotisserie chicken. Do you think there is some way to switch this out? And if so… how?
Can you use chicken breast?? Thanks! Will it change cooking time.
I really don’t recommend it. I’m afraid the chicken will get tough with the cook time of the rice. Sorry 🙁
I’m drooling, especially since I recently discovered that chicken thighs & olives are a marriage made in heaven! I already made an Italian version of chicken & olives which was ‘delicioso’, but I’m now looking forward to making this Spanish version, which sounds ‘incredible’! As a personal choice, I’ll use brown rice, ….but everything else will remain the same as written in this recipe. Your recipes ROCK, Sabrina. Thank you.
Thank you so much Angelina!
Is it possible for you to actually make a video or states the steps of which to add first?
I do have it on my list of videos to make but until that happens, you can follow the instruction step by step below the ingredient list. You’re going to start with browning your chicken first. Hope this helps.
Just made it, turned out great! My very first use of saffron! 🙂
Awesome!! Thank you so much for coming back to let me know how much you loved it!! You’re a pro with saffron now 🙂
This looks delicious!
As a novice cook, I have a silly question…is the white rice cooked or uncooked when you add it to the skillet?
Can’t wait to try it!
The rice goes in uncooked Melissa, sorry I didn’t mention that specifically. Changing it to make it clear now. 🙂
This looks incredibly flavorful and delicious. I wish my husband was an olive fan but maybe he’d enjoy them in a chicken dish better than on top of a pizza. I’ll have to try this and hopefully convert him.
Oh I have a husband who feels the same way! He ate a few of them but left the rest behind for me, but he said he loved the dish!
I adore skillet recipes! This looks amazing!
Thanks Jessica!
This sounds absolutely incredible! I cannot wait to try it!
Green olives are my favorite ones, and I love how awesome this chicken looks!
My husband loves olives and I love when things can be cooked all in one pan, haha! So, this sounds like the dish for us!
That is one amazing chicken dish! My dad would love this!
This chicken dish looks absolutely divine to me! I’m definitely going to be trying it! We have a couple olive fiends here too, so this is perfect!
Oh, that lovely chicken and olives. Dinner is served!
Your ingredients list shows two HEADS garlic – do you mean CLOVES? Then you say “Bake covered with foil for 45-50 minutes temperature? 350?
Yes! Two whole heads! Probably about 15-20 cloves? They are meltingly delicious and muted. Trust me! And yes 350 degrees, totally left that out somehow. Adding it now, thanks for the heads up!
Did you use stuffed olives?
I didn’t but you certainly could if you’d like 🙂