07/10/2024
Baked Chicken, Fennel and Zucchini Orzo
If you have a pot that goes from stovetop to oven to table, well this perfect one-pot meal is a must-have in your recipe repertoire.
Serves:
6
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1.2 kg boneless chicken thigh fillets
- 50g butter
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 1 bulb baby fennel, diced, fronds retained or 2 stalks celery, diced
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 250g orzo or risoni pasta
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 zucchini
- 6 thin lemon slices
- 1/2 bunch continental parsley
Method
- Combine lemon juice, oil, mustard and honey together and use to coat chicken. Remove the chicken, reserving the marinade, and brown on both sides in a large heavy based ovenproof pan* and remove.
- Melt half the butter in the pan and sauté onion, fennel and garlic until golden. Add remaining butter, stir in orzo and toast for 1 minute. Add stock and remaining marinade and bring to the boil. Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered at 200°C for 30 minutes.
- Cut zucchini in half lengthwise and in half again, into four. Slice into thin wedges. Stir into orzo and tuck lemon slices in between chicken pieces. Bake a further 10-15 minutes until the orzo is cooked to al dente, adding extra stock or water if needed.
- Chop half the parsley and stir into the orzo. Serve garnished with parsley leaves and fennel fronds.
Tips
- * You can do this in a large frypan and then transfer to a baking dish if you don’t have a suitable pan.
- STYLING Tease the orzo with a fork before garnishing.
- DRINK Pinot Grigio
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