Lunch · Dinner · Greek

One-pot lemon chicken orzo

Name: One-pot lemon chicken orzo
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 500g Chicken thigh fillets; 2 tsp Dried oregano; 2 Lemons; 1 Brown onion; 3 cloves Garlic, crushed; 2 cubes Chicken stock cube, in 900ml water; 2 tbsp Olive oil; 300g Orzo; 200g Baby spinach; 200g Feta

Lemony orzo, chicken and spinach cooked together in one pan, with salty feta crumbled on top.

Start to finish: 45 min
Hands-on: 33 min
In the fridge: 3 days
Freezes: Not well

Contains gluten, dairy, celery

Ingredients

4 portions

500gChicken thigh fillets
2 tspDried oregano
2Lemons
1Brown onion
3 clovesGarlic, crushed
2 cubesChicken stock cube, in 900ml water
2 tbspOlive oil
300gOrzo
200gBaby spinach
200gFeta

Plus salt, pepper and water.

Method

1
Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss with 1 tsp of the oregano, the finely grated zest of 1 lemon and some salt and pepper. Chop the onion and crush the garlic. Crumble the stock cubes into 900ml boiling water.
2
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large, deep lidded frying pan or casserole over a high heat. Brown the chicken for 5 minutes, until golden. It will finish cooking later. Lift onto a plate.
3
Add the rest of the oil and soften the onion for 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and the rest of the oregano for a minute, then the orzo for another minute, so it is coated and lightly toasted.
4
Pour in the stock, return the chicken and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring a few times so it does not stick, until the orzo is tender, most of the stock is absorbed and the chicken is cooked through with no pink in the middle.
14 min, mostly hands-off
5
Stir in the spinach a handful at a time until it wilts, then add the juice of the zested lemon and season. It should be loose and creamy, so add a splash of water if it is thick.
6
Crumble over the feta and serve, or leave to cool, portion into tubs and top with the feta. Cut the second lemon into wedges.

On the day

Eat warm or at room temperature. The orzo soaks up liquid overnight, so add a splash of water before microwaving until piping hot, then squeeze over a lemon wedge.

Cook’s tip

Stir the orzo every few minutes as it simmers. Like risotto rice, it settles on the bottom of the pan and catches if you leave it alone.