Description
One Skillet Creamy Orzo Chicken with Artichoke Hearts- a deliciously cozy dinner, made with simple pantry ingredients, perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on, or use chicken breast, see notes)
- salt and pepper (1 scant teaspoon salt, per pound of chicken)
- 1–2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, rough chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme ( or one teaspoon dried, or sub sage or rosemary)
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 2 teaspoons dijon mustard
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth, more as needed
- 1/4–1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sour cream; add more for extra creamy- sub-full-fat plain yogurt or heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, packed in water, drained. Or sub frozen artichoke hearts, peas, edamame, etc.
- 2 cups fresh spinach, chopped
- 4–6 thyme sprigs
- Lemon zest for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F
- Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.
- Sear the chicken: In a large (10-11 inch) oven-proof skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the skin side first 4-5 minutes, until beautifully golden and crispy, turn over, and sear the other side 3-4 minutes. Set chicken aside on a plate.
- Saute: Lower heat to medium-low, and to the same skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil, onions, garlic and thyme. Saute 4-5 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Add the orzo, stirring 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cups of broth, scrape up any brown bits, stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and mustard and bring to simmer, and cover for 4-5 minutes, or until orzo is al dente and has soaked up most of the liquid.
- Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and adjust the salt to taste (I added another 1/4 teaspoon.)
- Stir in sour cream, spinach, and artichoke hearts. Give the pan a shake, it should level out nicely. If it’s too dry to level out, then add more chicken stock or water to loosen it up.
- Nestle in the chicken, arrange some the artichokes, so they are showing, and place in the oven and bake uncovered until the chicken registers 170F and the very edges of the pan are bubbling, and the orzo is tender – about 20 -25 minutes. Add the sprigs of thyme. Broil the chicken for a few minutes for extra crispy skin.
- Garnish with fresh lemon zest.
Notes
Feel free to use 1 lb chicken breasts. I recommend cutting the breasts into 1-inch bite-sized pieces, seasoning and browning them, then stirring them into the orzo mixture, rather than nestling them on top. They’ll need less baking time- check at 10-15 minutes.
If using heavy cream instead of sour cream, add few drops of lemon juice to give it a tanginess.
Leftovers last 4 days in the fridge.
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 508
- Sugar: 5.9 g
- Sodium: 969.7 mg
- Fat: 26.1 g
- Saturated Fat: 7.2 g
- Carbohydrates: 42.1 g
- Fiber: 8.3 g
- Protein: 26.9 g
- Cholesterol: 119.8 mg