Brilliant! It was so incredibly good. Silky and savory like our sopa seca de fideo angel hair dish, but with little rice-shaped orzo pasta. The browning of the orzo adds a toasty nutty flavor to the pasta. So, I thought I would step the idea up a notch and make something akin to arroz con pollo, except with pasta instead of the arroz. It would be “Orzo con Pollo.” It’s a winner! And the best part? Aside from it being absolutely can’t-stop-eating delicious, is that it’s really easy to make, all in one large skillet. First you brown the chicken, then brown the orzo in the rendered fat, and then add some onions and garlic. Add the chicken back to the pasta, pour in some stock and crushed tomatoes, cover and cook until the pasta has absorbed the liquid. You can do most of the prep while the chicken is browning, so the whole shebang takes maybe 35 minutes.
Add small florets of broccoli, frozen peas, or fresh spinach in the last 5 minutes to steam.Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese just before serving.Add some crushed red pepper flakes or chili flakes for a little heat.If garlic is your thing, double the amount of garlic.Throw some capers on top when you add the parsley.Add a 4.5-ounce can of green chilies to the stock/tomato mixture.Add a teaspoon of smoked paprika or Italian seasoning to the stock/tomato mixture.
More One-Pan Chicken Dishes
Skillet Chicken Puttanesca Chicken Tikka Masala Spicy Marinated Orange Chicken Easy Chicken Skillet Enchiladas Herbes de Provence Skillet Chicken with Potatoes and Greens
You can easily swap out the thighs for bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts. Depending on the size of the pieces you may want to cut them in half. If you use boneless, skinless thighs or breasts do not brown them as long in the first step. They will not need as much cooking time as the bone-in, skin-on thighs. Then turn the chicken pieces over. Let cook until the chicken has browned on that side, about 4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the pan, set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and let cook, stirring often for 2 to 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften. Add the minced garlic and cook a half minute more. Pour the stock tomato mixture over the orzo. Increase heat to medium high and let the stock in the pan come to a full boil. Depending on the size of the chicken pieces, it may take longer for the chicken to cook through. Cook the chicken until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken (without hitting the bone) reads 165°F. Remove from heat and let sit for 5 minutes before serving. Taste for salt and pepper and add more if needed. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley to serve.
