Here’s a one pot Mediterranean inspired baked chicken and orzo recipe that is sure to be a hit with your family or dinner guests. Reminiscent of Spanish paella, this recipe replaces rice with tender flavorful orzo. Although the ingredients list is a bit lengthy, the actual preparation of the dish comes together quickly, and you and your family or guests will be richly rewarded. Serve accompanied by a green salad dressed with a light vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Baked Chicken and Orzo
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

4 skin-on chicken breasts or thighs (skin-on preferred, but sub skinless if you prefer)
2 tablespoons of chopped pancetta
1 cup orzo
1 ½ -1 ¾ cups chicken broth
¼ cup white wine
½ medium onion chopped
3 tablespoons crushed tomatoes
2 cloves of minced garlic
¼ cup olive oil
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
large pinch of saffron
½ cup of green peas
1/3 cup Spanish olives with pimento sliced in half
½ sweet red pepper coarsely chopped
parsley for garnish

PREPARATION
Preheat the oven to 375 F

Pat the chicken thighs dry. Mix the thyme, salt and pepper, vinegar, olive oil, and coriander. Coat the chicken with the mixture, cover, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
In a Dutch oven or other heavy bottom, oven-proof pan, brown the pancetta. Remove the pancetta and reserve. Pour off all but a tablespoon or two of the pancetta fat.
Remove the chicken from the marinade and wipe off excess marinade. Brown the chicken pieces on both sides. Remove and tent the browned chicken.
If the pan is too dry add two tablespoons of olive oil. Over medium heat, sauté the garlic, onions, and red pepper for a minute or two before adding the orzo. Stir until the orzo begins to brown and the onions are tender.
Add 1 ½ cups chicken stock, wine, tomatoes, and saffron, and bring to a boil. Nestle the chicken thighs into the orzo and sprinkle the sliced olives around the chicken. Sprinkle the reserved pancetta over the chicken and place the pan in the preheated oven. Bake for about 25-30 minutes until the orzo is tender and the internal temperature of the thighs reaches 165 F. If the orzo is too al dente, add the remaining ¼ cup of chicken stock. Stir in the green peas for the last 10-15 minutes in the oven. (Waiting to add the peas at the end will ensure that you have bright green peas, not over-cooked gray peas.)
Serve garnished with chopped parsley.
Wine pairing: Medium-bodied white wines like Albariño, lightly oaked Burgundy, Vernaccia, Soave, Viognier, or dry Riesling will complement the complex, subtle flavors of this dish; for those who don’t drink white wine, a Rosé or a light Pinot Noir or Beaujolais would be a good choice. For this dish, avoid wines with heavy tannins.

print recipe

For many, roast chicken is quintessential comfort food. This is the easiest, best roast chicken recipe you will find. If you don’t already have a cast-iron skillet, you need to go out and buy one! It will quickly become one of your most useful kitchen tools. A follow-up recipe to my Spice Rubbed Roast Turkey Breast , the advantage of using the hot preheated cast iron skillet to roast your chicken is that you end up with beautiful crisp browned skin all over the bird including the skin on the underside of the chicken. The typical cast iron skillet can accommodate a bird in the 4-5 pound range which will feed four people. Highly recommended recipes for cast iron skillet cooking: Cook it in Cast Iron by Cook’s Country/America’s Test Kitchen.

Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken
Serves 4 with leftovers

Ingredients:

4-5 pound chicken (preferably air-chilled)
olive oil
Herbes de Provence or equal measures of dried thyme, rosemary, oregano, basil, and fennel seed.
salt and pepper
1 small onion
3-4 cloves of garlic
canola oil
wood chips for smoking on the grill (optional)

Preparation:
Preheat your oven or grill to 400-425 F. with the cast iron skillet in the oven or grill. You want the skillet to be very hot so it sears the skin on the underside of the chicken.

Pat the chicken dry inside and out. You do not have to rinse your chicken to clean it.
Sprinkle salt, pepper, and dried herbs inside the bird’s cavity.
Place a small onion and a few cloves of garlic in the cavity and tie the legs.
Brush or rub the bird with olive oil and sprinkle salt, pepper, and the dried herbs evenly all over the bird.
Add a tablespoon of canola oil to the hot skillet and carefully place the bird breast side up on the skillet.
Close the grill or oven and cook for 1 hour before you check the temperature of the bird with a meat thermometer. You may have to continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes until the finished temperature reaches 155 F.
Remove the bird from the skillet to a cutting board and tent. The temperature will continue to rise about another 10 degrees to the recommended safe temperature of 165 F. for poultry.

*Note: while the tented chicken is resting, you can make a simple delicious pan sauce by adding a tablespoon of flour to the skillet over medium heat, stirring constantly until the fat in the pan and flour combine to make a roux. Once the roux begins to turn light brown, slowly add a cup of chicken broth and ¼ cup of dry white wine stirring constantly and scraping up the rich browned bits (fond) on the bottom of the pan until the sauce forms. Simmer and reduce the sauce for a few minutes to intensify the flavors and add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard (optional) and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. Any accumulated juices on the cutting board can be added to your sauce.

Wine pairing: Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Rueda, White Cotes du Rhone, Dry Riesling

print recipe

Baked Chicken and Orzo →

Cast Iron Skillet Roast Chicken →