Spanish Chicken and Chickpea Stew
Comfort food with one pan, pantry chickpeas, and a stew that tastes like it took more effort than it did.
Make this on a night when you want dinner to feel calming but you do not want a project. It starts with one pan, a little onion and garlic, then builds into a cozy stew with chicken, chickpeas, tomatoes, and smoked paprika. The result is hearty, savory, and spoonable without being heavy. It is not a long-simmered Sunday stew, but it gives you enough depth to feel like real comfort food after a rough day. Serve it with bread, rice, or nothing at all if you just need something warm and filling fast.
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs — Cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 unit yellow onion — Chopped
- 3 unit garlic cloves — Minced
- 1 unit red bell pepper — Chopped
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 pinch red pepper flakes — Optional
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 unit canned chickpeas — 15 oz can, drained and rinsed
- 1 unit bay leaf
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 tbsp chopped parsley — For serving
- 0.5 tsp salt — Plus more to taste
- 0.25 tsp black pepper
Method
- 1 Season the chicken with salt and black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet or sauté pan over medium-high heat, then brown the chicken for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring once or twice. It does not need to be cooked through yet. Transfer to a plate.
- 2 Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion and red bell pepper, then cook for 4 to 5 minutes until softened. Stir in the garlic, smoked paprika, cumin, red pepper flakes if using, and tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute.
- 3 Pour in the chicken broth and crushed tomatoes, scraping up any browned bits from the pan. Add the chickpeas and bay leaf, then return the chicken and any juices to the pan.
- 4 Bring to a gentle simmer, cover loosely, and cook for 12 to 15 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the stew has thickened a little.
- 5 Remove the bay leaf. Stir in the lemon juice, taste, and add more salt if needed. Spoon into bowls and top with parsley.
Variations
- Vegetarian swap — Replace the chicken with 2 cans of chickpeas total and add 8 oz sliced mushrooms for extra body.
- Faster swap — Use rotisserie chicken and add it with the chickpeas just long enough to warm through, cutting the cook time by about 10 minutes.
- Substitutions — Use fire-roasted diced tomatoes instead of crushed tomatoes, or swap parsley for chopped cilantro if that is what you have.
Notes
If the stew feels too thick, add a splash of broth or water. If it feels too loose, simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes. For the best comfort-food payoff, serve with crusty bread, rice, or warmed tortillas.
Equipment that helps
- Large skillet or sauté pan — Gives the stew enough surface area to brown the chicken and reduce the sauce in one pan.
- Wooden spoon — Helps lift the browned bits from the pan so the sauce tastes deeper without extra work.
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