Marry Me Chicken Risoni (Orzo)
Servings: 4
Calories: 790kcal
Made with simple, low-cost ingredients, this deliciously moreish Marry Me Chicken with Risoni (Orzo) recipe is comforting and family-friendly. Taking only 30 minutes, it’s the ideal, stress-free meal for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 500 g boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- ½ tsp sea salt flakes, plus extra to taste
- 1 tbsp freshly minced garlic
- 80 g roughly chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil (see note 1)
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp sweet paprika
- 200 g risoni (orzo)
- 500 ml chicken stock
- 1 tsp dijon mustard
- 250 ml thickened (whipping/heavy) cream
- 2 handfuls fresh baby spinach
- 50 g grated parmesan, plus extra to serve
- Sea salt flakes, to taste
- Freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Cook the chicken – Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy-based pan with a lid over medium–high heat. Add the chicken and cook, stirring, for 3–4 minutes until browned.
- Add the spices – Stir through the salt, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, oregano, thyme and sweet paprika.
- Add the risoni, stock and cream – Add the risoni, chicken stock, dijon mustard and thick cream. Bring to a gentle simmer so that it is just bubbling.
- Cover and cook for 12–15 minutes or until the risoni is fully cooked – removing the lid to stir the risoni frequently, to stop the sauce from sticking to the base of the pan (see note 2 for help with the consistency).
- Stir through the spinach and cheese – Remove the pan from the heat, add the spinach and parmesan and season to taste with extra salt and pepper (you may need no extra salt depending on how salty the chicken stock is).
- Serve – Sprinkle with extra parmesan just before serving and enjoy!
Notes
Note 1 – Use the leftover sun-dried tomato oil in place of the olive oil in the recipe to cook the chicken for extra flavour! The sun-dried tomatoes can be substituted with fresh, diced tomatoes or cherry tomatoes with 1 tbsp of tomato paste. Alternatively, pump up the flavour and use store-bought red pesto or even basil pesto!
Note 2 – If you feel the risoni is too stiff (it’s not saucy and is clumping together more than you would like), simply add 1–2 tbsp at a time of boiling water from the kettle, stirring the sauce rapidly. This will loosen the mixture.
Hot tip: If you're mid-dinner and need a quick fix, mix 1 teaspoon of cornflour (cornstarch) with 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir it in while the stew is gently simmering. It’ll thicken within a minute or two.
Make Ahead
Dice the chicken and refrigerate it in an airtight container, ready for when you need it (up until the chicken expiry date).Leftovers
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Upon reheating, you may find that the oils separate from the cream, but the taste is equally delicious! This recipe is not suitable to freeze as the risoni changes texture and turns mushy.Recipe source:
My source of inspiration for this recipe was Kale Junkie. You can view the original recipe here. I made adjustments to the seasoning, liquid to risoni (orzo) ratio and also chose to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which I find stay juicier and more tender throughout the cooking process.Nutrition Facts
Marry Me Chicken Risoni (Orzo)
Amount per Serving
Calories
790
% Daily Value*
Fat
44
g
68
%
Saturated Fat
20
g
125
%
Trans Fat
0.02
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
4
g
Monounsaturated Fat
16
g
Cholesterol
204
mg
68
%
Sodium
873
mg
38
%
Potassium
1356
mg
39
%
Carbohydrates
58
g
19
%
Fiber
5
g
21
%
Sugar
13
g
14
%
Protein
42
g
84
%
Vitamin A
1557
IU
31
%
Vitamin C
10
mg
12
%
Calcium
220
mg
22
%
Iron
5
mg
28
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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