Anna Louise Spanish chicken is the one-pan dinner that delivers a complete meal with almost no effort. Golden chicken thighs nestled in a sauce of smoky chorizo, roasted peppers, tomatoes, and olives — fragrant with smoked paprika and garlic, finished with a handful of fresh parsley — it is a dish that looks like it took all afternoon and actually takes forty-five minutes start to finish.
Mary Berry’s Spanish chicken recipe is built around the combination that defines Spanish cooking at its most accessible — chorizo and smoked paprika.
The chorizo renders its deep, smoky, slightly spiced fat into the pan as it cooks, and everything that goes into the pan after it absorbs that flavour. It is one of the most efficient ways of building flavour in a one-pan dish.
This is the weeknight dinner I make when I want something that tastes genuinely interesting without requiring much thought. Everything goes into one pan, the oven does the rest, and the washing up is minimal.
What Makes This Dish Work
Chorizo renders its fat into the pan. The most important step in Spanish chicken is cooking the chorizo first and letting it release its deeply flavoured, bright orange fat into the pan. Every subsequent ingredient that goes in absorbs that smoky, paprika-rich fat. This is the foundation of the entire dish.
Smoked paprika — not sweet paprika. Smoked paprika gives this dish its characteristic depth. Sweet paprika is pleasant but one-dimensional. Always use smoked — pimentón de la Vera if you can find it, which is the Spanish original and the finest version.
Skin-on chicken thighs. The skin crisps during the initial browning and then stays relatively crisp on top of the sauce in the oven. Skinless thighs are fine but miss the golden, slightly caramelised skin that makes this dish so visually appealing.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Spanish Chicken
- 8 chicken thighs, skin on, bone in
- 200g cooking chorizo, sliced into 1cm rounds
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion, roughly chopped
- 1 red pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 1 yellow pepper, deseeded and roughly chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 2 tbsp tomato purée
- 400g tin chopped tomatoes
- 200ml chicken stock
- 100g pitted green or black olives
- 1 tsp caster sugar
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, to finish
- Juice of ½ lemon
How to Make Mary Berry Spanish Chicken — Step by Step
Step 1 — Brown the Chorizo
Heat a large, deep ovenproof frying pan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the sliced chorizo and cook for three to four minutes, stirring occasionally, until it has released its fat and turned slightly crispy at the edges. Remove the chorizo with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving all the fat in the pan.
Step 2 — Brown the Chicken
Increase the heat to medium-high. Season the chicken thighs generously. Place skin-side down in the chorizo fat and cook for four to five minutes without moving until the skin is deeply golden and crisp. Turn and cook for two minutes on the other side. Remove and set aside.
Step 3 — Build the Sauce
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the olive oil if needed. Add the onion and peppers and cook for eight to ten minutes until softened and beginning to colour. Add the garlic, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, and oregano. Stir for one to two minutes until fragrant.
Add the tomato purée and cook for one minute. Add the chopped tomatoes, chicken stock, and sugar. Season generously. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the base of the pan.
Step 4 — Add the Chorizo and Chicken
Return the chorizo to the sauce and stir through. Nestle the chicken thighs skin-side up into the sauce — the skin must be above the liquid, not submerged. Scatter the olives around the chicken.
Step 5 — Oven or Hob
Oven method (preferred): Transfer to a preheated oven at 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4. Cook uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is golden and slightly crisped.
Hob method: Reduce the heat to low. Cover partially and simmer for 30 to 35 minutes until the chicken is cooked through.
Step 6 — Finish and Serve
Squeeze the lemon juice over everything. Scatter generously with fresh parsley. Serve directly from the pan at the table.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Spanish Chicken
Cook the chorizo first and use its fat. This is the step that gives the entire dish its character. The chorizo fat carries a deep, smoky, paprika-rich flavour that permeates everything cooked in it. Do not drain it away.
Keep the chicken skin above the sauce. The skin crisps at the start of cooking and stays relatively golden if it sits above the liquid during oven cooking. Submerged skin goes soft and grey. Keep it above the sauce at all times.
Use smoked paprika. Pimentón de la Vera is worth seeking out at a good deli or online. The depth and quality of Spanish smoked paprika is significantly better than generic supermarket versions.
Add the olives for the last 15 minutes only. Olives added from the start become soft and slightly bitter. Added in the final fifteen minutes they remain firm and pleasantly salty.
Finish with lemon juice. A squeeze of lemon over the finished dish brightens all the rich, smoky flavours and adds a freshness that makes everything taste more alive.
Serving Suggestions
With crusty bread for mopping the sauce — essential. With rice or new potatoes alongside. With a simple green salad. Served directly from the pan at the table for the most relaxed, impressive presentation.
How to Store Mary Berry Spanish Chicken
In the fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat gently on the hob, adding a splash of stock if needed. The flavour improves overnight.
In the freezer: Freeze in portions for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat gently until piping hot.
Mary Berry Spanish Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Cook chorizo in a large ovenproof pan over medium heat 3–4 minutes until fat renders and edges crisp. Remove chorizo — leave fat in pan.
- Increase heat. Season chicken. Brown skin-side down in chorizo fat 4–5 minutes until deeply golden. Turn — 2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- Reduce heat. Cook onion and peppers in same pan 8–10 minutes. Add garlic and spices — stir 1–2 minutes. Add tomato purée — 1 minute. Add tomatoes, stock, and sugar. Season. Scrape base.
- Return chorizo to sauce. Nestle chicken skin-side up. Scatter olives.
- Cook uncovered in a preheated 180°C / 160°C fan / Gas 4 oven for 35–40 minutes until chicken is cooked through and skin is golden.
- Squeeze over lemon juice. Scatter parsley. Serve from the pan.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
What type of chorizo should I use?
Cooking chorizo — the fresh, uncured type sold in links — is what you want here. It renders its fat beautifully during cooking. Cured chorizo (the dry, sliced type used on charcuterie boards) works but gives a slightly different, less juicy result.
Can I use chicken breast?
You can but thighs give a significantly better result in a braise. Breast dries out easily in a sauce. If using breast, add it for the final 20 minutes of cooking only and do not overcook.
Can I make this in a slow cooker?
Yes — brown the chorizo and chicken as directed, build the sauce, and transfer everything to a slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 6 to 7 hours. The skin will not be crisp but the flavour is excellent.
Can I add other vegetables?
Yes — courgette, cherry tomatoes, or baby new potatoes added to the sauce all work well. Baby new potatoes added at the start of oven cooking are particularly wonderful — they absorb the smoky sauce beautifully.
Can I use tinned peppers instead of fresh?
Yes — drained roasted red peppers from a jar add a slightly sweeter, more intense pepper flavour and save preparation time.
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