Description
Our Parmesan Chicken Orzo recipe is a one-pan dinner that is packed with flavor! Made with simple ingredients that everyone will love!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon butter (sub plant-based butter)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 3/4 pounds brussel sprouts, thinly sliced (approx. 2 cups sliced brussels sprouts)
- 1 1/2 cups orzo
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or water), more as-needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, finely grated (more, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (more, if desired)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Prep: Place chicken thighs on a plate. Pat dry with clean paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Sear Chicken: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot (it should sizzle if you flick some water on it) place the chicken thighs skin-side down into the pan and let sear 3-5 minutes or until the skin is nice and brown.
- Bake: Flip the chicken thighs over and then move the skillet to the preheated oven (middle rack and uncovered). Let cook 15 minutes or until chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Meanwhile, prep the brussel sprouts and remaining ingredients.
- Rest: Remove the skillet from oven and place chicken thighs on a plate; set aside.
- Sauté: Place the hot pan on the stove top and bring to medium-high heat. Melt butter and add garlic; move around the pan until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds. Add brussel sprouts and move around the pan until they start to soften, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Combine: Add orzo, broth, kosher salt and ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Nestle the chicken thighs on top and pour in any juices that have settled on the plate. The chicken thighs will finish cooking along with the orzo and their juices will help flavor everything.
- Simmer: Let orzo simmer gently, uncovered, 8-12 minutes or until the orzo is cooked to al dente – try and stir the orzo occasionally and add additional splashes of chicken broth if you notice the pan drying up to avoid the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan or burning.
- Add Cheese: Remove chicken thighs from pan and remove pan from heat. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and parmesan cheese to the orzo. Stir to combine. Taste and add any additional parmesan cheese, salt or lemon zest, as desired.
- Serve: Serve the Parmesan Chicken Orzo together on an plate and enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Chicken Thighs: I prefer chicken thighs to chicken breasts and in order for them to be fully cooked they have to do a lot of their cooking in the oven before we add them in with the orzo. You can just cook them on the stove-top if you prefer – ensure they get to about 158/160 degrees F. before nestling into the orzo as they won’t cook a ton during that time frame.
- Orzo: some people have had issues with the orzo sticking to the bottom of the pan while simmering. To avoid this, have a little extra chicken broth on hand and add splashes of it to the orzo, as needed, to help avoid the pan from drying out – also try and stir the orzo as best you can around the chicken thighs while it is cooking!
- Internal temp of chicken: Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Storage: any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 769.4 mg
- Fat: 7.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Protein: 16.9 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg