Tomato Orzo with Crispy Chicken Thighs

Crispy-skinned chicken thighs nestled into creamy, tomatoey orzo is exactly the kind of dinner that looks impressive without requiring much work. The orzo cooks right in the skillet with tomato sauce and all those flavorful chicken drippings, while the thighs finish roasting on top. Finish it with basil, Parmesan and chili flakes and call it dinner.

Servings: 4-5

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Ingredients

• 4–5 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs

• Kosher salt

• Freshly cracked black pepper

• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 1 yellow onion, diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• Pinch of red pepper flakes, optional

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 cup dry orzo

• 1½ cups tomato sauce

• 1 cup water

• Extra virgin olive oil, for finishing

• Fresh basil, for serving

• Grated Parmesan, for serving

• Red pepper flakes, for serving

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400°F.

2. Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels and generously season both sides with salt and black pepper.

3. Heat the olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet, preferably cast iron, over medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken thighs skin-side down.

4. Cook, undisturbed as much as possible, for about 10 minutes, until the skin is deeply golden and crispy.

5. Transfer the chicken to a plate, keeping it skin-side up so that beautiful crispy skin stays crispy.

6. Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the onion and garlic to the skillet and cook for 3–5 minutes, until softened. As they cook, scrape up all those browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you like a little heat.

7. Add the tomato paste and stir until the onion and garlic are coated. Cook for 1–2 minutes.

8. Add the dry orzo and cook for another 1–2 minutes, stirring to coat the pasta in the tomato mixture and chicken drippings.

9. Pour in the tomato sauce and water and stir to combine.

10. Remove the skillet from the heat. Nestle the chicken thighs into the orzo skin-side up, keeping the crispy skin above the liquid as much as possible.

11. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake for 20–25 minutes, until the orzo is tender and the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.

12. Finish with a glug of good olive oil, fresh basil, grated Parmesan and additional red pepper flakes.

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Serving Suggestions

• A simple arugula salad with lemon and olive oil

• Roasted or grilled zucchini

• Garlicky green beans

• Crusty bread for scooping up the tomatoey orzo

• A simple tomato and cucumber salad in peak summer

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Storage

Store leftover chicken and orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

The orzo will continue to absorb liquid as it sits, so add a splash of water or chicken broth when reheating. For the best chance of reviving the chicken skin, reheat it in a 375°F oven rather than the microwave.

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Maddie's Tip

Dry chicken = crispy chicken. Don’t skip patting the thighs dry before they hit the pan, and once they’re in there, resist the urge to mess with them. Let the skin sit against the hot skillet and do its thing. And when you nestle the chicken back into the orzo, keep that skin above the liquid—you worked hard for that crisp!