Chicken and Orzo

Chicken and Orzo

One pot, 45 min, 180°C, serves 4

Ingredients

chicken thighs   8, bone in skin on
orzo             300g
onion            1, chopped
garlic           4 cloves, sliced
tinned tomatoes  1 tin
chicken stock    600ml, hot
dried oregano    1 tsp
ground cinnamon  pinch
feta             100g, to finish
olive oil        2 tbsp

Close cousin of giouvetsi. This is the fast weeknight version with chicken instead of beef.

Recipe

1. Heat the oven to 180°C.

2. Brown the chicken skin side down in the Dutch oven for 5 minutes. Set aside.

The only browning step. Worth it here because the rendered fat cooks the onions.

3. Soften the onion and garlic in the fat, then add the rest:

[onion 1 chopped, garlic 4 cloves sliced, tinned tomatoes 1 tin, chicken stock 600ml hot, orzo 300g, dried oregano 1 tsp, ground cinnamon pinch]

4. Chicken back on top, skin side up.

Measure the stock. The orzo needs the full 600ml to cook through, so this is a ratio.
The skin should sit proud of the liquid. Submerged skin stews and stays pale.

5. Oven, lid off, 30 minutes.

Stir the orzo once at the halfway point or the edges catch.

6. Crumble the feta over before serving.

Eat it the day you make it. Orzo turns to paste on reheating.