One Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken

Where This Goes Wrong

Toast the orzo briefly for flavour.

Stir once only during cooking.

Add the parmesan off the heat for a smooth sauce.

Cooking One Pot Garlic Parmesan Chicken

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1. Season the chicken with the salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a deep pan with a lid over medium-high heat. Brown the chicken for 4 minutes per side and remove it.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

2. Cook the onion for 4 minutes. Add the garlic and orzo and stir for 1 minute.

   Mark done Start 4 min timer

3. Pour in the stock, scraping the base. Return the chicken and bring to a simmer.

   Mark done

4. Cover and cook for 12 minutes, stirring once, until the orzo is tender and the chicken is cooked through.

   Mark done Start 12 min timer

5. Stir in the parmesan, cream and lemon zest. Scatter with parsley and serve.

   Mark done

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Why It Works

This is what to make in the first cold week of autumn, when you want something creamy and comforting and not too many pans to wash. The chicken browns in the base of the pot, the orzo cooks in the juices around it, and the parmesan melts into everything at the end.

Use boneless, skinless thighs, which cook through in the time the orzo needs and stay juicy. Season them well and brown them for 4 minutes per side, then take them out. The browned bits left behind flavour the stock, and the thighs finish cooking on top of the pasta.

Toast the orzo in the pan before the liquid goes in. A minute in the hot fat gives the pasta a nutty flavour and helps it keep its shape. Pour in the stock and the garlic, stir once, and tuck the chicken back on top.

Cover and simmer for 12 minutes, until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid has been absorbed. It should look creamy, almost like a risotto. Stir in the parmesan and a splash of cream, check the seasoning, and finish with lemon zest and parsley to freshen the richness.

Storage and Reheating

Keeps for 3 days in the fridge. Add a splash of stock when reheating.

If You're Missing Something

• In a sauce, full-fat crème fraîche can usually take the place of the double cream; single cream is thinner and more likely to split if it boils, so keep it below a simmer.
• An eighth of a teaspoon of garlic powder per clove is the stand-in usually given when you are out of fresh garlic; it will not brown the same way, and it burns easily, so add it with the liquid.

What to Serve Alongside

• Green salad
• Steamed broccoli
• Garlic bread
• White wine

Sides from the same cuisine on this site: Tuscan Panzanella, Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Ciabatta.

The Numbers per Serving

Per serving, calculated from the ingredient list with USDA FoodData Central figures (SR Legacy). A calculation, not a laboratory analysis: brands, cuts and how you measure change the real numbers. How the figures are worked out.

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