This Spanish Style Chicken Orzo is not only bursting with flavour, but is all made in one pot, making it THE perfect weeknight dinner!
I really don’t do enough one pot meals on this blog and quite frankly I don’t know why. I hate washing up just as much as the next person. I guess this time around I just couldn’t face the dishes 😂 Anywho, thank god I couldn’t, the result is beyond delicious. Follow me…
Chicken Orzo
Chicken and orzo is a match made in heaven. If you’re bored of chicken and rice, orzo is the perfect sub. For this recipe, we’ll be using boneless chicken thighs. These work great because they’re much more fatty than chicken breast. They’re also more difficult to overcook and dry out!
Spanish Chicken
I’ll use the term ‘Spanish’ fairly loosely, just so I don’t anger people 😂 But for me, the flavours and ingredients in this dish offer a nice Spanish ‘kiss’. Starting with the chicken itself, I highly recommend marinating it, even if just for 30 minutes. This will inject flavour into the thighs and tenderize the meat. Here’s what you’ll need for the marinade:
- Olive Oil & Lemon Juice
- Smoked Paprika
- Oregano
- Garlic Powder
- Cayenne Pepper
I suggest marinating overnight, but like I said, even just whilst you prep the other ingredients will benefit.
Process shots: add marinade ingredients to bowl (photo 1), whisk then toss in thighs (photo 2), add to pan (photo 3), fry (photo 4).
One Pot Chicken Orzo
The perfect thing about this dish is that the orzo cooks in the pan with all the other ingredients. No pre-cooking needed. The starch from the orzo actually helps to create a silky, creamy sauce which goes down an absolute treat. Almost like a risotto.
How spicy is this dish?
It’s got a kick since the chicken is coated with cayenne pepper and chorizo can sometimes be spicy. Having said that, you can always reduce the cayenne pepper in the marinade if you’re not good with spice!
Process shots: fry onion and pepper (photo 1), fry chorizo and garlic (photo 2), fry tomato puree (photo 3), add orzo (photo 4), add stock, olives, sun dried tomatoes and seasoning (photo 5), simmer and stir (photo 6).
And there we have it! All my top tips for making the most glorious chicken orzo.
If you like the sound of this Spanish chicken orzo definitely make sure you check out my Spanish Chicken Tray Bake!
Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?
One Pan/Pot Chicken Dinners
- Creamy Mushroom Orzo
- Lemon Chicken Orzo
- Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
- Honey Mustard Chicken Thighs
- Chicken Leg Quarters Tray Bake
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this Spanish Chicken Orzo shall we?!
How to make One Pot Chicken Orzo (Full Recipe & Video)
Spanish Style One Pot Chicken Orzo
Equipment
- Large Bowl & Cling Film (for marinating)
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Deep Frying Pan & Wooden Spoon
- Jug (for stock)
Ingredients
Chicken
- 600g / 1.3lb boneless skinless Chicken Thighs (see notes)
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 Lemon, juice only
- 2 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1.5 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1/4 - 1/2 tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Orzo
- 1 medium White Onion, finely diced
- 1 small Red Pepper, finely diced
- 150g / 5oz Spanish Chorizo, diced
- 2 cloves of Garlic, finely diced
- 2 tbsp Tomato Puree (Tomato Paste in US)
- 400g / 2 cups uncooked Orzo
- 1.125 litres / 4 1/2 cups Chicken Stock, or as needed (see notes)
- 75g / 1/2 cup Sun Dried Tomatoes, finely diced
- 50g / 1/3 cup Mixed Olives, diced
- 1/2 tsp Dried Oregano
- 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
- Salt & Black Pepper, to taste
- Fresh Parsley, to serve
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the seasoning, oil and lemon juice. Toss in the chicken thighs until fully coated, then cover and marinate in the fridge for as long as you have time for (up to overnight). Even 20mins or so as you prep the other ingredients will benefit. Bring close to room temp before frying if marinating in the fridge.
- Place a large deep pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and fry both sides until lightly charred and cooked right through the centre (around 5 mins each side depending on size). If they start charring too aggressively just lower the heat slightly. Remove and place to one side, leaving the excess oil behind.
- Lower the heat to medium and add in the onion and pepper. Fry until soft and golden, then add the chorizo and garlic and fry for 1-2 minutes longer. Stir in the tomato puree and fry for a minute, then stir in the orzo. Pour in the stock then add the olives, sun dried tomatoes, oregano and smoked paprika. Give it a good stir and bring to a gentle simmer.
- Reduce heat slightly and allow everything to bubble away until the sauce thickens and the orzo is al dente, stirring fairly regularly. If the sauce dries out before the orzo has cooked, just stir in more stock a splash at a time. If you run out of stock just use boiling water. Check for seasoning and adjust if needed.
- Add the chicken back in to warm it through (alongside the resting juices) then garnish with parsley, serve up and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Your Private Notes:
Nutrition
Looking for more?
You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’
Love the silky orzo. We add king prawns and olives for that extra wow.
Oooo bet the king prawns are awesome with this!
This is so good!!! I usually only use your recipes when trying to find something new! Delicious every time. Would you be able to make some dessert recipes??
So glad the recipe went down well, Cayla! I don’t do desserts unfortunately! I wasn’t blessed with a sweet tooth at all. Just savoury for now 🙂
Bonjour,
j’aime beaucoup la recette “Spanish Style One Pot Chicken Orzo” est-ce que quelqu’un pourrait me la traduire en français S.V.P.
merci
Hi Dominique, I don’t offer translations on this site, but you can always copy the recipe into something like Google Translate which might work 🙂
I tried so many “Spanish rice” skillet recipes with chicken thighs and never liked them until now. I love this recipe. I think the addition of sun-dried tomatoes really took it over the top – I drizzled some oil from the sun-dried tomatoes into the rice before serving. Great dish.
That’s awesome to hear Jack! Thanks for coming back and sharing the feedback 🙂
Oh my this looks delicious!
Thanks Karly 🙂
So easy and tasty! Love this recipe!
Thanks Kim 🙂
I love preparing new food to celebrate long weekend like the coming Memorial Day weekend, and I think I just find what I want to cook this time. Thanks for sharing this lovely one pot chicken orzo recipe. 🙂
Thanks so much Anita! 🙂
And now I have dinner for tonight lol. Thank you. I was looking fr something like this!
Enjoy!! 🙂
Made this for dinner and had smiling faces all around the table! Delicious, indeed!
So glad you enjoyed it Sara!
My stomach is growling in response to reading this post. Wonderful flavors in the recipe — and I love that you used cayenne (I’m a sucker for spice). This would make a great weeknight dinner for the whole family.
Thanks Lisa! So perfect for a weeknight dinner!