Chicken and Chorizo Orzo
A perfect weeknight dinner option, Chicken and Chorizo Orzo is a family friendly meal made in under 30 minutes and in one pot. If you want an easy, crowd-pleasing recipe in your meal plan rotation then you need to try this.
Orzo is a great option for family meals – it is cheap, versatile and kids love it. Orzo lends itself really well to one pan recipes too, like my One Pot Beef Orzo. Cooking orzo directly in the sauce means it sucks up all that delicious flavour.
Similarly to my Chorizo Orzo with Peas and Sweetcorn, this one pan orzo with chicken and chorizo is a bit like a cheats version of risotto as you don’t need to stir it constantly!
Ingredients
Full ingredients list with quantities is included in the recipe card below. These are some helpful notes about the main ingredients including some swaps and substitutes where applicable.
- Chicken – I use chicken breast but you can also use thighs. This is a great recipe to use up leftover roast chicken (or turkey) too.
- Chorizo – The Spanish style cured sausage. Use mild or spicy to suit your taste preference.
- Orzo – Also known as Risoni. A little pasta shape which looks a bit like a large grain of rice.
- Garlic – Fresh diced garlic is best, but you can definitely sub in a teaspoon of garlic granules or garlic paste to save some time and effort.
- Onion – If you really hate chopping onions then try using frozen – you can add them directly to the pan without defrosting. Or I highly recommend one of these box choppers.
- Bell pepper – any colour. Leave out or swap for diced carrot or courgette/zucchini.
- Peas – Use frozen peas, no need to defrost. Swap for sweetcorn – frozen or canned.
- Chicken Stock Cube – adds tons of flavour to the sauce. Use a low salt stock cube or just omit if serving to babies and little kids.
- Paprika – regular (sometimes called ‘sweet paprika’), not smoked.
- Tomato Puree/Paste – to flavour the sauce.
- Parmesan Cheese – finely grated, to stir through the orzo and as an optional garnish.
Serving Suggestions and Variations
My family love a side of green salad with this one pot orzo dish. You could serve with some bread as well to make the meal go a little further.
To make this dish dairy free you can omit the cheese or use a dairy free version.
Stir in a dash of cream or soft cheese for a more decadent option.
Prepared as per the quantities in the recipe card, this makes 2 adult and 2 child portions (depending on age etc) or 3 adult portions.
Make This Dish Baby Friendly
I served this to my weaning baby with great success! If you want to make it suitable for baby, simply switch up the stock for a low salt version and don’t add any additional salt until you have dished up baby’s portion.
You may wish to mash or chop some elements based on baby’s current skills. I really recommend checking out Solid Starts for more information on serving solids to your baby.
Got Leftovers?
Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Freeze for up to 3 months. This dish is best served freshly cooked as freezing can affect the texture. However if you reheat carefully then frozen leftovers can still be tasty and convenient. Make sure to defrost thoroughly before reheating.
Reheat slowly on the stove or in the microwave with a splash of water, stirring regularly.
More Easy One Pan Recipes
- Creamy Sausage and Pepper Pasta
- Easy Bacon and Mushroom Risotto
- Bean and Chorizo Stew
- Baked Vegetable Orzo
- Cheese & Tomato Orzo
I hope you like this recipe as much as I do!
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Chicken and Chorizo Orzo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast sliced in bite-sized pieces
- 100 grams (3.5 oz) chorizo sliced
- 1 onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic diced (or 1 tsp garlic puree or granules)
- 1 bell pepper diced
- 1 cup peas
- 200 grams (1 cups) orzo
- 1 chicken stock cube I use low salt
- 600 ml (2.5 cups) boiling water
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- 2 tbsp tomato puree/paste
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- Generous handful grated parmesan cheese optional, plus extra to garnish
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a large pan with a lid and add the chicken. Once browned all over (not cooked through) add in the chorizo, onion, pepper and garlic. Cook for a few minutes until the veg is softening and the chorizo has released its oil.
- Stir in the tomato puree and paprika. Crumble in the stock cube.
- Stir in the orzo (uncooked) then pour in the water.
- Stir well then bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer then cook for 9-12 minutes with the lid on, stirring occasionally (the orzo likes to stick to the bottom of the pan so make sure to scrape it off) until the pasta is al dente. You may need to add a splash more water.
- Stir in the peas and give them 1-2 minutes to cook, then stir in the cheese.
- Season, if needed, with salt and pepper.
- Add some chopped herbs if you fancy – parsley or basil would work well.
