This Spanish-style garlic chilli chicken recipe borrows from the Basque technique of pil-pil - where garlic, chilli and olive oil create a silky, flavour-packed sauce that clings to everything it touches.

Crispy garlic chilli chicken thighs cooked Spanish pil‑pil style in a cast iron skillet, with golden skin and a silky garlic‑chilli oil that clings to every bite.
(Serves 1 hungry chef)

Ingredients
2 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
3 tbsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 fresh Serenade chilli, sliced (seeds in for more heat, out for gentler warmth)
½ tsp sweet paprika
½ tsp smoked paprika
Sea salt and black pepper
Splash of dry sherry
Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Instructions for Cast Iron Skillet Chicken

Season the bone-in chicken thighs with salt, pepper, sweet paprika and smoked paprika. Let them rest for 10 minutes so the seasoning settles into the skin.

Warm the olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium heat.
Add the sliced garlic and Serenade chilli. Let them gently sizzle until fragrant, soft and just beginning to colour — not browned. Remove the garlic and chilli from the oil and set aside. This prevents them burning during the hotter searing stage.

Lay the chicken thighs into the skillet, skin-side down. Sear until the skin is golden and crispy, about 5–6 minutes.

Flip the thighs and cook the second side for another 5 minutes. Add a splash of sherry if you want a little extra depth.

Reduce the heat, cover loosely, and let the chicken cook for 15–20 minutes until tender and fully cooked.

Return the softened garlic and chilli to the pan. Uncover and spoon the hot, chilli-garlic oil repeatedly over the chicken to create that classic pil-pil sheen and flavour.

Finish with chopped parsley and serve with crusty bread, fried potatoes, or whatever you fancy for soaking up the garlic chilli oil.

Recipe Notes for Spanish Garlic Chicken

Pil-pil relies on the gentle emulsification of garlic, chilli and oil. With cod, the garlic and chilli stay in the pan the whole time because the fish cooks gently and quickly, so nothing burns. With bone-in chicken thighs, the heat is higher and longer, so removing them early prevents bitterness.

Serenade chillies are ideal for this Spanish chicken recipe: fruity, mid-heat and cooperative in oil. Seeds in = sharper heat; seeds out = mellow warmth.

For a Chilean-leaning version, add a few strips of bell pepper or onion to soften in the oil.

The cast iron skillet is perfect for achieving crispy skin chicken thighs whilst building that gorgeous garlic oil base.

Rather than buying it, you can make your own with my Small-Batch Chilli Oil with Fresh Chillies & Garlic Confit Oil — it's what I used here.

If you're curious about cooking with Spanish chillies, I've written more about fiery produce from Almería in A Box of Fire from Almería: Cooking with Hot Chillies in Rural Andalucía.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Disclosure: The vegetable produce featured in this Spanish chicken thighs recipe was provided by La Caja Saludable, a Spanish fruit and vegetable box delivery service based in Almería. Read my full review of La Caja Saludable to learn more about their service, or visit their website to order your own box of fresh Spanish produce.

Footnote

This recipe is part of my easy chicken dinner ideas collection — a complete guide to cooking every cut, every style, from Casa Adora and the road.

Footnote: Wonky photos, proper chicken, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef.