Season the chicken — Pat chicken thighs completely dry with paper towels. Combine paprika, garlic powder, cumin, onion powder, salt, pepper, minced garlic, and lemon juice into a paste. Rub generously all over the chicken, including under the skin.

Sear the garlic chicken — Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin-side down and sear undisturbed for 4–5 minutes until deeply golden. Flip and sear 2 more minutes. Remove and set aside — it will finish cooking with the rice.

Sauté aromatics — In the same pan without wiping it, reduce heat to medium. Add diced onion and cook 3–4 minutes until soft. Add minced garlic and stir for 1 minute until fragrant.

Toast the rice — Add dry rice to the pan. Stir constantly for 1–2 minutes, letting it toast lightly in the garlicky oil and pan drippings.

Add color and broth — Stir in turmeric (and bloomed saffron if using). Pour in chicken broth and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom. Add bay leaf and taste for salt. Bring to a gentle simmer.

Nestle and cook — Place seared garlic chicken thighs skin-side up on top of the rice. Cover tightly with a lid or foil. Reduce heat to low and cook for 20–25 minutes.

Add peas — In the last 5 minutes of cooking, scatter frozen peas over the rice. Re-cover and finish cooking.

Rest and serve — Remove from heat. Let rest covered for 5 full minutes — do not skip this step. Remove the bay leaf, fluff rice gently with a fork, garnish with fresh parsley and lemon slices, and serve immediately.