One pot cheesy chicken and orzo

Tender chicken thighs simmered in a Provençal sauce with olives, tomatoes, peppers and fresh herbs topped with melted mozzarella and basil. This one pot, cheesy chicken and orzo recipe can be made in under 30 minutes and is super simple to prepare. A taste of the South of France that you can make any night of the week and that your family will love.

French family weeknight food

This fall, as life gets busier and schedules fill up, I am on a mission to share with you how French families really eat on a weeknight. The recipes that can come together quickly but value the French way of eating; fresh ingredients, prepared simply, that can be enjoyed at the table together.

This recipe speaks to my husband in particular because his Mamie Pierrette on the French Riviera would often prepare a variation of this recipe when he would come over after school.

One pot meal

Dishwashers in France are half the size of American standard dishwashers. Many of the dishes are washed by hand so the concept of a "one pot meal" is very appealing to a French family. I love that this recipe does not require much clean up and can be made in under 30 minutes, containing all the major food groups. With 2 toddlers in the house, a healthy meal that I can make quickly and that they will actually enjoy eating is a blessing!

What is Orzo?

If you are not already cooking with Orzo, you will be! Orzo is a rice shaped pasta that gives incredible texture to dishes. It is comforting and tasty and yet so easy to cook because it can be added directly into the pot with your other ingredients. No need to use a separate pot to boil your pasta as you would spaghetti or penne for example.

There are many recipe variations with Orzo - let me know if you are interested and I will publish more!

Ingredients:

• 2 lbs skinless chicken thighs
• 1 small white onion (about 1 cup of chopped onion)
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 red pepper, diced
• 3 cups of diced, fresh tomatoes (about 5 tomatoes)
• ¾ cup of sliced, pitted black olives (I like to use Kalamata olives, they are fleshy and flavorful and easy to find)
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2.5 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups orzo
• 1 mozzarella ball, sliced (about 4 oz)
• 1 bouquet garni (2 sprigs of rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, 2 sprigs oregano tied together with string, see below). If you don't have fresh herbs available, use a tablespoon of Herbes de Provence instead.
• ⅓ cup sliced basil

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How to make a bouquet garni

A bouquet garni is simply a little bouqet of herbs (thats my kind of bouquet!). By tying fresh herbs together you save yourself trying to fish them out one, by one, when the cooking is done. A bouqet garni can vary with the recipe, depending on the herbs that you would like to use to flavor your dish.

In this recipe we use Provençal herbs to give off that distinctive, South of France flavor. Simply take 2 sprigs of fresh thyme, 2 sprigs of rosemary and 2 sprigs of oregano and tie them together with a little cooking twine.

Voilà! You have a beautiful bouquet garni that will add delicious flavor for your dish and will be easy to remove before serving.

How to Prepare One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Orzo

Please note that while there seems to be a lot of steps below, this dish is SUPER simple to prepare - I take the time to write out each tiny movement so that you don't have to guess when cooking!

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• *Le Chefs Tip* Pre-chop all of your ingredients before you turn on the stove top. This is your "Mise en Place", or preparation, that will make cooking much less stressful! Chop the onions, garlic, peppers and tomatoes.
• Trim the chicken thighs. Leave the thighs whole but slice off any excess fat and run your thumb around the side to make sure there are no bone chips left. Chicken thighs are notorious for having little chips left in the fat on the sides.
• Over medium heat, drizzle olive oil into a dutch oven or oven safe pan.
• Add the chicken thighs and allow to sear for 3 minutes on each side.
• Flip over the chicken thighs and sear for another 3 minutes
• Remove the chicken thighs from the pot and set aside

Preparing the Sauce

• Add the chopped garlic, onions and red pepper into the pot
• Using a rubber spatula (so not to damage your pot) scrape the bottom of the pot to get all the flavorful brown bits into the onions, garlic and red pepper mixture.
• When the onions begin to brown, add in the tomatoes.
• Add in the bouquet garni or Herbes de Provence
• Stir and let simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add in the chicken stock, bring up to a simmer.

• Pour in the orzo and stir.
• Return the chicken thighs to the pot and lower the heat to medium low.
• Stir again to make sure the orzo is not sticking to the bottom of the pan, lower the heat if it is.
• Cover and allow to cook 10 minutes, stirring frequently to keep the orzo from sticking.
• Add in the olives.
• Turn off the heat and stir. There should be just a little liquid in the dish - the orzo will continue to absorb the liquid as it rests.

• Remove the bouquet garni from the pot, discard.
• Add the sliced mozzarella over the top and transfer the pot, uncovered, to the oven on the middle rack
• Allow for the mozzarella to melt over the dish - about 5 minutes.
• Remove carefully from the oven and sprinkle with the sliced basil.
• Serve immediately and enjoy the cheese pull as you dish out the chicken thighs.
• Bon Appétit!

Other Le Chef's Wife Family Recipes you will enjoy

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Apples and Sage

Super Simple French Roast Chicken Recipe

Foolproof Eggplant Lasagna Recipe

Easy Bolognaise sauce

I hope you enjoy this recipe for One Pot Cheesy Chicken and Orzo. I would appreciate if you leave a star rating and comment on the recipe card below - it helps others find my recipes too. Thank you for being here.

Bon Appétit,

Le Chef's Wife

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