Chicken and Mushroom Baked Orzo

Chicken and mushroom baked orzo, it’s one of the most classic flavour combinations for a reason… because it tastes delicious!

This recipe is bursting with earthy, herby autumnal flavours and you can get in on the dinner table in under 60 minutes.

If you love pasta and risotto, then this dish is definitely for you. It comes together in one pan, but does require a few steps to really get the best flavour out of the ingredients. I promise it’s worth it though.

How to make baked chicken and mushroom orzo

What you’ll need:

• 300 g chestnut mushrooms sliced
• 3 chicken breasts cut into bite sized pieces
• 400 g orzo
• 1 whole white onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 glass white wine optional
• 700 ml chicken stock
• 125 g ricotta cheese
• 2 tbsp olive oil or cooking oil of choice
•  tbsp butter
• Few thyme sprigs fresh
• parmesan to serve – optional
• lemon juice to serve – optional
• salt / pepper to season

How to:

• Preheat the oven to 180C
• Slice / chop all your ingredients – onion, garlic, mushrooms & chicken

Cook the mushrooms (I don’t recommend skipping this step – it’ll help you really get the most flavour out of the mushrooms)

• Warm the butter in your oven / stove proof dish – get the dish hot
• Add your sliced mushrooms to the pan, allow to caramelise for a minute on each side.
• Once you have a nice colour, remove the mushrooms from the pan

Next, cook the chicken

• Add a dash of oil to the pan, allow to get hot
• Add your bite-sized chicken pieces to the pan, try to avoid disturbing them for a few minutes
• Turn the chicken over once you get a nice golden brown colour – cook on 2nd side for a couple of minutes
• Remove from the pan, set aside

Bring everything together

• Add about 1 tbsp oil to the pan, allow to heat
• First, add onion and garlic, saute until soft and fragrant
• Add orzo and thyme to the pan, stir well
• (optional) add a glass of white wine to the pan – give it a good stir and release anything that has stuck to the bottom of the pan, allow to cook for a couple of minutes as the wine evaporates
• Add prepared chicken and mushrooms back to the pan, stir well
• Pour chicken stock into the pan, stir to combine
• Place dish into the oven, bake for 20 minutes
• Remove from the oven, stir – taste the sauce, season with salt and pepper to taste
• Add small dollops of ricotta on top of the orzo
• Return the dish to the oven for 10 minutes
• Once it’s cooked through, serve with parmesan and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)

FAQ!

What is orzo?

Orzo, despite appearing like rice, is actually a short cut type of pasta generally made from white flour. It’s incredibly versatile but particularly good in risotto-style dished such as this. I find baking it to be particularly nice, as it takes on a sort of chewy texture.

Can I use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast?

Absolutely, if using whole bone-in chicken thighs, follow the same process but increase the cooking time to allow the thighs to cook all the way through – check they’re done before serving.

Or use de-boned chicken thighs, cut into bit sized pieced and follow the same method as outlined above. They’ll add a bit more fat to the dish and a stronger chicken flavour.

Can I use different mushrooms?

Definitely, use whatever type you enjoy / have access to – although I do recommend a richly flavoured mushroom to get the most of the dish.

You might also like:

Easy Mushroom and Thyme Risotto