skillet-baked orzotto with chicken, spinach, and parmesan
Orzotto, which is orzo cooked like risotto, is remarkably undemanding. You cook some protein in a skillet, dump some other stuff into that skillet, and then bake it in a set amount of liquid until at the end of 20 minutes you magically uncover self-contained, perfectly-cooked orzotto. You don’t have to stir it. You don’t have to really even pay attention to it. And while I have written up other orzottos in the past—a chicken and kale rendition that uses boursin cheese, this one with sausage and cherry tomatoes—this refinement is arguably the easiest and lowest-maintenance version yet, and likely the new template on which I will build all future orzottos (which there are bound to be more of this season).
While flexible and foolproof by design, there is one firm rule: you must use 2 1/2 cups of liquid for every 1 cup of orzo. You can make that any combination of liquids you want—broth, cream, white wine, whatever—but it has to be 2 1/2 cups, or this dish will not work.
I know “creamy pasta” and “it’s the first week of January” are not the most intuitively compatible, but this is truly creamy pasta at its most reasonable: each serving is only 1/4 cup of orzo and 2 tbsp. of cream, with the balance heavily skewed towards the chicken and vegetables. That isn’t enough to classify this as a salad or anything, but it represents exactly the kind of balance we’re striving for in 2022: realistic, easygoing, maybe a little self-indulgent, but definitely not trying too hard to do anything overly ambitious because let’s be real, we all saw how that worked out last year.
recipe
Orzo cooked like risotto creates “orzotto”: a one-skillet, hands-off weeknight dish made from chicken, spinach, broth, orzo, a splash of cream, some cheese and lemon, and (most importantly) just 30 minutes of your time.
Effortful time: <10 minutes
Total time: 30 minutes
Serves ~4
you need
1 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken thighs
Salt and pepper, to taste
A small shallot, finely diced
1 cup orzo
2 cups chicken broth; I use Better Than Bouillon
1/2 cup heavy cream
A pinch of chili flakes
A few big handfuls of baby spinach
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Juice from 1 lemon
make it
Get prepped. Preheat the oven to 400ºF. Dice your shallot. Salt and pepper the chicken thighs.
Cook the chicken. In a large-ish, oven-safe skillet, heat the 1 tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear these 4-5 minutes each side or until nicely browned. Pull them onto a plate or a piece of foil while you do the next step.
Build the orzotto base. Add the finely diced shallot to the leftover cooking fat in the pan. Sauté this 1 minute or until the shallot pieces have softened. Add the orzo and stir to coat with oil, about 30 seconds. Then add 2 cups of chicken broth and 1/2 cup cream; season with a pinch of salt and chili flakes, then stir again to fully combine everything. Nestle the chicken into the orzo.
Cover and bake for 15 minutes in your 400°F oven.
Add the spinach. At the 15 minute mark, remove from the oven and uncover (don’t turn the oven off, though). Add a few handfuls of baby spinach to the pan. Stir gently to fold together—at this point you will still have some liquid left, and the spinach will be looking pretty raw. Re-cover and put back in the oven for 5 more minutes to finish the orzo and wilt the spinach.
Finish and serve. Remove the dish from the oven. At this point you should have a tiny bit of pooled liquid left on top. Set the chicken aside for a second on a plate or board. Then in the skillet, add the 1/3 cup of parm and the lemon juice and stir well until the texture is creamy but not sludgy or thick. If you think it looks too runny, just simmer it on the stove for a few minutes longer; if it looks too dry, add 1/4 cup of water, broth, or cream and simmer briefly just to heat it all back up. I personally like to chop or lightly shred the chicken before reincorporating, but you can also serve the thighs whole with the orzotto on the side if you prefer. Serve with extra chili flakes and some shaved parm.