Preserved lemon is one of those powerhouse ingredients where you add a little to a dish and it completely transforms and makes the whole meal sing.
This one-pan chicken and orzo recipe is mighty flavoursome with zingy lemon, earthy olives and crumbly, salty feta, mixed through the bite-size orzo and meaty chicken pieces.
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Yields:
6 serving(s)
Prep Time:
20 mins
Cook Time:
55 mins
Total Time:
1 hr 15 mins
Cal/Serv:
611
Ingredients
2Tbsp.
olive oil
1kg chicken thighs and drumsticks, skin on
pinch of saffron
500ml
hot chicken stock
2
leeks, finely sliced
2
garlic cloves, crushed
100ml
white wine
300g
orzo
4
preserved lemons, washed, pips removed and chopped
75g
pitted green olives, halved
75g
feta, crumbled
small handful dill, roughly chopped
Directions
Step 1Heat 1tbsp oil in a large, deep frying pan (that has a lid) over medium heat and brown the chicken pieces well all over (do this in batches if needed). Meanwhile, add saffron to the hot stock and set aside to infuse. Transfer browned chicken to a bowl.
Step 2Lower heat under pan, add remaining oil and fry the leeks until softened and golden brown, about 8-10min, making sure to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add garlic and fry for 1min, then stir in wine and bubble for a few minutes. Add orzo, preserved lemons, olives and infused stock.
Step 3Lay chicken pieces (skin-side up) on top of orzo, season and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20-25min until orzo is tender and the chicken is cooked through. Scatter over feta and dill and serve with a salad, if you like.
Can I make this without wine?
Totally, just replace it with an equal amount of stock.
Could I add more veggies?
You could throw in some frozen peas, stir them in with the orzo at step 2. Or add some handfuls of spinach, stir them until they start to wilt in the hot stock before moving on to step 3.
Per serving:
Calories: 611
Protein: 41g
Fat: 29g
Sat fat: 8g
Carbs: 39g
Sugars: 3g
Fibre: 6g
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An experienced and highly skilled team of food writers, stylists and digital content producers, the Good Housekeeping Cookery Team is a close-knit squad of food obsessives. Cookery Editor Emma Franklin is our resident chilli obsessive and barbecue expert, who spends an inordinate amount of time on holidays poking round the local supermarkets seeking out new and exciting foods. Senior Cookery Writer Alice Shields is a former pastry chef and baking fanatic who loves making bread and would have peanut butter with everything if she could. Her favourite carb is pasta, and our vibrant green spaghetti is her weeknight go-to. Lover of all things savoury, Senior Cookery Writer Grace Evans can be found eating crispy corn and nocellara olives at every opportunity, and will take the cheeseboard over dessert any time (though she cannot resist a slice of tres leches cake). With a wealth of professional kitchen know-how, culinary training and years of experience between them, they are all dedicated to ensuring every Good Housekeeping recipe is the best it can be, so you can trust they’ll work (and if they don’t – we’ll have the answer for why*) every time (*90% of the time the answer is: “buy an separate oven thermometer”!).
