Baked one pot chicken and chorizo orzo
The family fave to save the day
If you need a meal that requires one pot and satisfies the full family, this is it. Because who doesn’t love a bit of chicken and rice? Only this version is PACKED full of paprika, garlic, onion, peppers, chorizo and so much more. I even threw in some white wine, so you have an excuse to crack open a bottle and have a glass yourself. Chefs perks.
Why one pot?
One pot is life-changing. Well, to me it is. I hate washing up with a passion and with a baby at home and a super hectic lifestyle, I need meals that are easy, tasty and achievable with one arm wrapped around an infant. Other positives inclue…
Time saving
Everything cooks together, flavours build in the one pot, and you’re not juggling three different pans on different heat levels.
Bigger and better flavours
When everything cooks in the same pot, all those juices and caramelised bits combine. Nothing gets lost down the sink.
More economical
Less energy used. Less food waste. And often cheaper cuts of meat work beautifully in one-pot dishes as you can either slow cook them or cook quickly if needed.
Family-friendly
Minimal stress and easy scaling up. You may just need a slightly bigger pot or pan…
What to serve this one pot chicken with?
This is literally a full meal in itself so you’re good to go! But if you want to add a bit more to the meal, this works well with garlic bread (you can whip up a super quick air fryer friendly garlic bread here) or a simple salad for a bit of added greenery. Then, obvs some more wine for the adults.
Get more one pot recipes from my latest book
You can find exclusive recipes from my one pot cookbook here, or why not grab a copy of my book: Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious One Pot Cookbook. The book is packed with recipes just like this, dishes that feel impressive but are actually achievable on a weeknight. From sticky chicken traybakes to hearty stews and yes, plenty of potato moments (because it’s me, obviously).
So if you’re loving this recipe, grab yourself a copy. It’s designed to make one-pot cooking actually exciting and mix up your weekly meal rotation.
Baked one pot chicken and chorizo orzo
By Poppy Cooks
https://www.poppycooks.com/recipes/baked-one-pot-chicken-and-chorizo-orzo/
Ingredients
- 5 chicken legs, skin on and bone in
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic granules
- 1 tsp onion granules
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 150g cooking chorizo, skin removed and diced
- 2 red onions, peeled and sliced
- 2 red peppers, peeled and sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
- 1 tbsp tomato puree
- 75ml balsamic vinegar
- 350g orzo pasta
- 175g white wine
- 500ml chicken stock
- Small handful chopped parsley
- Salt and pepper
Metric
Imperial
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180ºc fan/200ºf/350ºf. Tip the chicken legs into a bowl and sprinkle in smoked paprika, garlic granules, onion granules and dried oregano with a large pinch of salt and pepper.
- Place a large sauté pan over a medium heat with a large glug of olive oil and fry the chicken legs, skin side down, until golden brown. Flip and fry the other side, then pop the whole pan into the oven for 30 minutes.
- Remove the chicken legs from the pan and set aside, leaving as much of the chicken flavour and juice in the pan as possible. Add another splash of oil to the now empty pan and tip in the chorizo, red onions and peppers. Sweat for 5 minutes until softened, then chuck in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Spoon the tomato puree into the pan and deglaze with the balsamic vinegar. Season generously with salt and pepper and pour in the orzo and white wine. Bring to a bubble then pour in the chicken stock. Place the chicken legs on top of the mix and return the pan to the oven for 20-25 minutes.
- When the stock is absorbed and the orzo is cooked through, take the pan out of the oven. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and a final touch of sea salt and black pepper, then serve with a fresh green salad for health.