Chicken in a Pot - with Lemon and Orzo Pasta

This Mediterranean classic can be a one-pot meal and makes a great Sunday dinner regardless of the weather. While it's fantastic in the winter, it's also bright and light because of the lemon and ideal in the summer when you don't want a heavy pasta dish.

This version was originally from Nigella Lawson and published in Food & Wine. Over time I've changed it somewhat but the basic concepts are the same.

The simple instruction is to brown the breast of a small chicken in a heavy pot, add the vegetables and seasonings and fill the vessel with water until it covers all but the top of the breast. Cover and bake for an hour or so, and add the orzo (small rice shaped pasta) and cook for another 15-30 minutes. Then like magic, you have a fall-off-the-bone tender chicken that you can pull apart and mix with the pasta. It will be delicious. I provide more detailed instructions below but after you make it the first time, you won't need them again. 

Timing: Start this recipe about 3 hours prior to serving time. The first hour is just letting the chicken warm up on the counter. 

Ingredients

1 whole chicken (approx. 3.5 pounds)
3-5 large garlic cloves
2 medium carrots 

2 medium leeks or 1 large onion 

1-2 stalks of celery
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
2 lemons 
2 teaspoons dried thyme
2 teaspoons salt

10 grinds of freshly cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
6 cups cold water
1 1/2 cups orzo dried pasta
1/3 cup or a bit more of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

Freshly grated Parmesan (optional) 

Instructions

Untruss the chicken, if it comes trussed, and remove any giblets from the cavity. Rinse and dry the bird and let it sit on a cutting board for 40-60 minutes to warm up. Heat the oven to 350ºF during the last few minutes of the resting/warming time.

Prep the Vegetables: Peel the garlic cloves and chop finely. Peel and cut the carrots into three lengths across, and then into sticks. Wash and cut the celery into 1-inch pieces. Wash the leeks to remove any dirt and cut the white portions into 1-inch rounds. Save the green portion of the leeks for another use. Alternatively slice the onion into wide chunks. Zest the lemons and reserve the juice. 

Cooktop: Heat the oil in a large heavy-based Dutch oven with a tightly fitting lid. (I use an enameled cast-iron oval Dutch oven 12-inches long, in which the chicken fits neatly, leaving a small space all around it.)  Place the chicken in the hot oil breast-side down over high heat for 3–7 minutes, or until the skin is dark golden brown. When brown, turn the chicken so the breast side is up. Remove from heat.

Add zest from the 2 lemons, along with the garlic and dried thyme, stirring them into the oil as much as possible. Scatter the vegetables around the chicken, followed by the salt, black pepper and red pepper flakes (if using), and stir in the lemon juice. Pour in the cold water—covering all but the very top of the breast—and put back on high heat, then bring the pot to a boil. Once it’s bubbling, cover with the lid.

Bake: Transfer to the oven to cook for 1 hour 15 minutes. Check to make sure the chicken is cooked through (temperature at the thigh joint should be above 175F degrees) and the carrots should be soft. Take the pot out of the oven, and add the orzo all around the chicken, stirring it into the liquid. Put the lid back on, and return the pot to the oven for another 15-20 minutes, by which time the orzo should be soft and swollen and a wiggle of a leg or wing should make it fall off.

Rest: Let the Dutch oven stand, uncovered, out of the oven for 15 minutes before serving. The orzo will continue to soak up the broth as it stands and there should be just a little sauce remaining. 

Serve: While you’re waiting, chop the parsley. Place a cutting board next to the Dutch oven, and then using a meat fork or tongs, insert into the cavity and lift the chicken out very gently onto the board. The legs and wings will likely fall off. Retrieve those to the cutting board as well. Cut and set aside a few larger pieces of breast meat or a leg. Then pull the rest of the meat from the chicken with a couple forks. Discard any skin or bones and place the shredded chicken back in the pot and stir to combine with the orzo and vegetables. Stir in 1/4 cup of chopped parsley.  Ladle into pasta bowls, and add a larger piece of the chicken meat on the side and sprinkle with a bit more parsley. Some like to sprinkle on a little Parmesan cheese, although I prefer it without. Serve and enjoy!