Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thigh fillets diced (note 1)
- 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta
- 1 medium zucchini diced
- 8 oz button mushrooms thinly sliced
- 1 medium shallot minced or finely diced
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 2 cups chicken broth or stock
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup heavy cream or whipping cream or double cream
- 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- kosher salt to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put a large pan with high sides, big enough to hold one-pan meals (or alternatively, use a pot) over medium-high heat. Add the oil and once it’s hot and shimmering, add the diced chicken and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the diced chicken until golden, flipping the pieces over to get color on both sides (about 3-4 minutes). Remove the chicken to a bowl or plate for now.
- Add half the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the sliced mushrooms and diced zucchini, seasoning with salt and pepper. Sauté just for 3-4 minutes until you get a bit of color on them. Add the minced shallot and cook for a minute, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken stock and water, and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping the brown bits. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium so the liquid simmers. Add in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and orzo.
- Stir the orzo in and return the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 9-10 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom, until the orzo is tender and the liquid has mostly been absorbed by the orzo or evaporated. If you need a bit more liquid before the orzo is cooked, you can add some more water or chicken stock.
- Once the orzo is almost cooked, add the cream and the remaining butter, and stir frequently for about 1 minute.
- Take the pan off the heat and add the grated parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary.
- Serve immediately while hot with extra grated parmesan on top.
Notes
Note 1. Chicken. Chicken thighs are better than chicken breasts in this recipe as there’s less risk of overcooking the chicken thighs while making them in the same pan as the orzo and veggies.