One-Dish Baked Chicken Orzo with Tomatoes and Feta

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

Everything goes into one baking dish raw — orzo, cherry tomatoes, olives, garlic and chicken thighs — and the oven does the rest. The orzo drinks up the stock and the tomato juices while the chicken skin-side edges brown on top, and a shower of feta melts into the last few minutes. Feeds six, and reheats beautifully with a splash of water.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups dried orzo
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes
• 1 red onion, thinly sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives
• 2 tsp dried oregano
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 3 cups hot chicken stock
• 2 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs
• 1 lemon, zested and cut into wedges
• 6 oz feta cheese
• 1 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 400°F (200°C). In a 9x13-inch baking dish, tip in the orzo, cherry tomatoes, sliced onion, garlic, olives, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the oregano, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and 1/4 teaspoon of the pepper. Stir with a spoon until the orzo is coated and everything is spread in an even layer.
2. Pour the 3 cups of hot chicken stock evenly over the top and shake the dish gently so the orzo settles into the liquid rather than sitting on the tomatoes.
3. Pat the chicken thighs dry, rub them with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon oregano, the lemon zest, and the rest of the salt and pepper. Lay them over the orzo in a single layer, spaced apart, pressing them lightly into the liquid.
4. Cover the dish tightly with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
5. Remove the foil, stir the orzo at the edges of the dish back toward the middle (it cooks fastest there), and return to the oven uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes, until the liquid is absorbed into a loose creamy texture and the chicken registers 175°F (79°C) at its thickest point.
6. Crumble the feta over the top and bake for 5 minutes more, just until it softens and starts to colour at the edges.
7. Let the dish stand 5 minutes so the orzo finishes drinking up any liquid at the bottom, then squeeze over a lemon wedge or two and serve straight from the dish with the rest of the wedges alongside.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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