- Light & Sweet
- Mains
- Prep 10 min
- Cook 30 min
- Serves 4
One pan, half an hour and a sauce that tastes far richer than it is. The orzo cooks straight in the broth and turns creamy by itself, and the lemon keeps everything light.
Ingredients
- 8 bone-in or 6 boneless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, crushed
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 300 g orzo
- 700 ml hot chicken stock
- Zest of 1 lemon and juice of ½ to 1 lemon
- 100 ml double cream or crème fraîche
- 100 g baby spinach
- 40 g parmesan, grated
- Salt and black pepper
- Chopped parsley, to serve
Method
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large, deep pan and brown the chicken for 5 minutes per side, until deep golden. Set aside.
- Add the butter and onion to the same pan and cook for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and oregano for 1 minute.
- Stir in the orzo, then pour in the stock and lemon zest. Nestle the chicken back into the pan, bring to a simmer, cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the orzo is tender and the chicken is cooked through.
- Stir in the cream, spinach, parmesan and lemon juice and cook for 2 more minutes until the spinach wilts and the sauce is creamy. Season to taste.
- Serve straight from the pan with parsley.
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