Greek Chicken and Orzo
This dish is so comforting and tasty. The orzo gets saucy and the tomatoes get jammy and the feta and lemon add the best tang. It also makes for a great weeknight meal because everything comes together in one dish. Enjoy!
Serves 2
Ingredients
3 bone-in, skin on chicken thighs
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
1 tbsp fresh oregano, minced
1 tbsp powdered or granulated garlic
1 lemon, zested and then cut into slices.
½ cup orzo
2 cups chicken stock
½ pint cherry tomatoes
¼ cup feta cheese
Method:
Preheat oven to 375 and sprinkle chicken thighs liberally with salt both sides.
In a small bowl, combine ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, oregano, granulated garlic, and the zest from the lemon. Set aside. Slice the remaining zested lemon into thin slices.
In a large oven-proof skillet, heat 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium high heat. Add chicken thighs to pan, skin side down. Cook until the skin is lightly browned, crispy and the fat has rendered, about 5-7 minutes. Remove chicken from the pan (the non-skin side should still be raw) and set to the side.
Add the onion to the pan with a pinch of salt and let cook in the chicken fat until lightly slightly translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add the minced garlic, red pepper flakes and half of the oregano mixture. Stir over medium heat until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
Add the orzo to the pan with a glug of olive oil and cook for about a minute until the orzo is slightly toasty. Add a little bit (about ½ cup) of the chicken stock to deglaze the pan - stir and scrape up any bits. Then add the rest of the chicken stock, along with the tomatoes and lemon slices, and about half of the feta cheese. Nestle the chicken in the orzo mixture, and top with remaining oregano mixture and feta (save a few crumbles of feta to finish). Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, until the chicken is cooked through and the orzo has absorbed the liquid, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pan from the oven and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Top with remaining feta and any chopped herbs you have on hand.