Easy Spanish Chicken and Lentils Recipe with Smoked Paprika

A delicious and easy, nutritious meal, this roasted chicken and lentils dish is flavored with smoked paprika and the salty allure of bacon. Packed with healthy ingredients, it’s the kind of dish you’ll crave for dinner and enjoy as leftovers the next day.

The dish is a take on Chef Jose Andres’s Spanish roasted chicken thighs with a golden lentil stew. Although I lighten it up considerably, I still stayed true to the original recipe’s bold flavors of paprika, bacon and sherry vinegar.

How to reimagine a classic chicken and lentils dish with healthy ingredients

The original Spanish chicken recipe was a little heavy for my taste. So I lightened it up and added a few extra healthy ingredients. Here’s how I approached my makeover of this roasted chicken thighs dish with healthier ingredients:

1. I eliminated some of the fat. (This is one of the easiest ways to lighten up a recipe.) However, I kept the fat where it counted the most. The thing I didn’t do was replace the chicken thigh meat with skinless chicken breasts. And yes, thighs have nearly twice the saturated fat as chicken breast meat but I think chicken breast would get too dry with this preparation. I also cook the thighs with the skin on. If you are really watching your fat, you can use skinless chicken, but it is not my first choice.
2. I added extra vegetables. If you’ve read my 10 Steps to Sexy Diet, then you know I believe in eating a rainbow of fruits and vegetables every day. Here, I added two shades of green vegetables, both zucchini and spinach, to the carrot and red pepper in the original recipe.

The result is certainly not authentically Spanish but it echos many of the Spanish notes in Andres’s original with the tang of sherry vinegar and that seductive bottom note of smoke from the paprika.

What is smoked paprika?

This bold spice is one of the biggest secrets to giving this humble chicken and lentil recipe great flavor without added fat.

If you’ve never worked with smoked paprika, I think you’re going to enjoy your introduction to this Spanish spice. Also called pimentón or smoked Spanish paprika, it is made from chiles that are smoked and dried over an oak fire. (True pimentón is made using traditional techniques and can only be labeled as pimentón if it meets strictly controlled criteria.)

Buy smoked paprika on Amazon

A fine powder, smoked paprika offers both sweet and smoky notes. And it is, at least as far as I’m concerned, one of the most craving-worthy spices. You probably wouldn’t normally find it adding flavor to a pile of baby spinach but I love how it helps mellow the tannic notes of the greens.

Tips for cooking lentils

Lentils are incredibly easy to cook and they work well with so many cuisines, from French to Indian. Before you cook any lentils, you want to rinse them and check them for any small stones or bad lentils. These should be discarded before cooking.

Lentils – and this goes for any lentil recipe – should be cooked over low heat. If they are briskly boiled, they tend to fall apart. After you bring the liquid to a simmer, you should reduce heat to low.

Lentils love flavor. They will absorb the flavor of whatever they’re cooked with, so season them generously and enjoy!

When to serve this sexy chicken lentil dish

When you look at this recipe and ingredients, you’re probably thinking Sunday supper. And it’s true, this is a great, wholesome recipe to make for a Sunday dinner and have a second meal later in the week. (The leftovers reheat brilliantly.)

However, I would also like to argue that this chicken with lentils is a chicken dish for a romantic meal. The alluring aromas of the herbs and spices and the sensual combination of textures make this no ordinary chicken dinner. Additionally, several of this Spanish chicken dish’s ingredients, including bacon, paprika, garlic, thyme and even spinach are historically aphrodisiac. Lastly, did you know that lentils are among the best foods for women’s sexual health?

So if you want a dinner recipe that will make your evening more romantic, this smoky Spanish chicken dish might be just the right fit!

Spanish Roasted Chicken Thighs with Golden Lentils

Print Recipe

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A no-stress entree packed with Spanish flavors, this healthy chicken recipe was Inspired by Jose Andres Chicken Thighs with Lentil Stew.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Spanish

Diet and Health gluten-free, Healthy

Seasonal autumn, spring, winter

Ingredient chicken, lentils

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 50 mins

Total Time 1 hr 5 mins

Servings 4

Author Amy Reiley

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 slices of thick-cut bacon diced
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 quart homemade chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1 lg carrot halved lengthwise
• 1 lg zucchini halved lengthwise
• 1 small leek white and pale green parts only, halved lengthwise
• 1 large red bell pepper quartered
• 1 1/4 cup golden lentils substitute red lentils
• 1 thyme sprig
• 1 1/2 lbs organic chicken thighs with skin
• salt
• smoked paprika
• 2 cup fresh spinach leaves
• 2 tsp sherry vinegar

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 450°.
• Rinse the lentils. Pick out any small stones or bad lentils.
• Heat a large, non-stick saute pan over medium heat (I use a non-teflon Scan Pan).
• Add the bacon and cook over moderate heat until golden brown, about 4 minutes.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
• Add the stock, whole garlic cloves, carrot, leek, bell pepper, zucchini, lentils and thyme plus 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Simmer over low heat for 25-30 minutes. Lentils should be tender when cooked.
• Coat a baking dish with non-stick cooking spray and arrange the chicken. Season well with salt and pepper. Roast on the top rack for about 40 minutes, until cooked through.
• Discard the thyme sprig from the lentils.
• Transfer the garlic, carrot, leek and bell pepper to a blender. Add 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid and puree.
• Drain the lentils and return them to the pot. Stir in the pureed vegetables.
• In a small skillet, heat the tablespoon of olive oil. Add the chopped garlic and cook over low heat for 1 minute.
• Add 1 teaspoon of pimentón. Scrape the mixture into the lentils and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Add the spinach and vinegar, stirring until the spinach is just wilted and season with salt to taste. Serve the lentils in bowls topped with the chicken.

Notes

Make sure to cook the lentil mixture over low heat. If lentils are boiled, they may fall apart. 

Leftovers reheat well in the microwave or you may enjoy them cold. 

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Amy Reiley

A 5x cookbook author with an MA in Gastronomy, Amy Reiley has spent the past 18 years studying the history and science behind aphrodisaic foods. She speaks on aphrodisiacs globally and has brought her knowledge of aphrodisiac foods to national television shows including The Today Show and CBS Early Show. Amy is also a freelance wine writer and competition judge. Her work has appeared in publications ranging from Variety to The Daily Meal. She is a former wine editor for Gayot.com and former wine & spirits editor of Las Vegas magazine. Most importantly, Amy is mother to 2 human children and 1 standard poodle.

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