A great one-pot meal for midweek, tastes like risotto but so much easier to make! Lemon garlic chicken, surprising amount of hidden vegetables, oozy tomato risoni (orzo), loaded with Greek flavours! The list of ingredients is looks long, but there's actually a lot of repeat ingredients.
Serves 5
INGREDIENTS
LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN
- 1 lb / 500g chicken thighs , boneless skinless (or breast), cut into 2 cm
- 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1/2 tsp each salt and pepper
ORZO/RISONI
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 1 small onion , finely chopped
- 2 zucchini (medium, or 1 large) , cut into 1cm / 1/3" cubes (Note 1)
- 1 red bell pepper/capsicum , cut into 1cm / 1/3" cubes (Note 1)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth/stock , low sodium
- 14 oz / 400g canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 1/2 cups orzo/risoni (Note 2)
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes (1 Australian punnet)
- 1 tsp cooking salt (kosher salt)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
GARNISH (SEMI-OPTIONAL)
- 2 tbsp lemon juice , drizzling at end
- 1/2 cup (100g) Greek feta cheese , crumbled (not optional)
- Fresh oregano leaves (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS
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Marinade chicken – Combine Marinated Chicken ingredients in a bowl and set aside for marinate for 20 minutes. (Skip if in hurry, can also do overnight)
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Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F (160°C fan).
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Brown chicken (raw inside) – Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a a large oven proof skillet or pot over high heat (Note 3). Cook chicken until lightly browned but still pink inside. Remove from skillet.
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Sauté vegetables – Add 1 tbsp olive oil, garlic and onion. Saute for 1 minute, then add zucchini and bell peppers/capsicum. Cook for 2 minutes.
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Add everything else – Add risoni, oregano, chicken broth, tomato, tomato paste, salt and pepper.
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Scatter chicken and cherry tomatoes across the surface (don't stir in).
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Bake 15 minutes – Once the liquid comes to a simmer, transfer to the oven (no lid) and bake for 15 minutes (or until risoni is just cooked, tender but still firm). There may be liquid on the surface still – that's good!
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Drizzle with lemon – Remove from oven, drizzle with lemon juice. Garnish with feta and fresh oregano leaves, if desired, then serve.
Recipe Notes:
1. Veg – Any saute-able veg will work great here. Beans, carrots, celery, small bits of cauliflower or broccoli, even diced frozen veg.
2. Risoni, also known as orzo – Rice shaped small pasta sold in the pasta aisle, same price as spaghetti etc. Tastes like risotto, but much faster to cook!
3. Cooking vessel – Pictured skillet is a 30cm/12″ non stick skillet. 28cm/11″ deep skillet ok too, any smaller and you’ll need to be careful re: liquid overflow when transferring to oven. Else, use a large pot!
3. Risoni cooks very quickly! So transfer it to the oven as soon as it starts simmering on the stove, otherwise it will overcook by the time the bake time is finished (it cooks faster on the stove than the oven).
Check it after 15 minutes see if the orzo / risoni is done. Don’t worry if it’s done and it’s still quite saucy – that’s a GOOD thing! 🙂 The liquid evaporates quite quickly while serving. It was slightly wetter when I took it out of the oven.
4. Leftovers will keep for 3 days in the fridge though it won’t be as oozy as the risoni absorbs the sauce. Resurrect with a splash of water, and microwave.
