One Skillet, Crispy Tuscan Chicken Thighs with Creamy Orzo Pasta
This one skillet, crispy Tuscan chicken thighs with creamy orzo pasta is comfort at its finest. The chicken thighs are well seasoned and pan seared to crispy perfection on the outside; while remaining super tender and juicy in the center. Nestled into a bed of creamy sun-dried tomato and spinach orzo, this recipe checks all the boxes!
About Smart Chicken
For this recipe, I used Smart Chicken’s bone in, skin on chicken thighs, but their boneless skinless thighs would work perfectly too. If you’re new here, Smart Chicken is the reason I started eating chicken again after 9 years without. Their products are superior in every way.
In fact, Smart Chicken’s chickens are fed a high-quality diet, humanely handled, and never given antibiotics, hormones, or animal by-products. Smart Chicken is USDA Process Verified as pure air chilled, without added water and are hand-trimmed for your convenience. The result is the best-tasting, highest-quality fresh chicken on the market!
This post is sponsored by Smart Chicken. I was compensated for my time, but all opinions are my own.
How to Make One Skillet Crispy Tuscan Chicken Thighs with Creamy Orzo Pasta
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Add the chicken thighs to a mixing bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with one tablespoon avocado oil and add the spice blend. (dried oregano, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and black pepper) Make sure the chicken is well coated in the spice blend.
Add one tablespoon of avocado oil to a cast iron pan. Once it’s hot, add the seasoned chicken skin side down. Sear for 4-5 minutes over medium high heat. Turn the chicken over once it is golden brown and place the entire pan in the oven for 20ish minutes. You want to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees to ensure doneness.
Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the chicken from the pan placing it on a plate. If there is a lot of grease in the pan, remove some of the grease with a paper towel. You’ll want about 1-2 tablespoons of grease in the bottom of the pan. Place the same pan over medium heat and add the butter, diced onion, minced garlic, sprig of thyme and rosemary. Sauté until the onions are soft.
Next, add the orzo pasta and the drained and chopped sundried tomatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the orzo is lightly browned. Add Dijon mustard and chicken broth. Bring the entire dish to a boil for 2-3 minutes then reduce the heat to medium low. Season with a pinch of black pepper. Once the orzo is al dente, add the heavy cream. Mix well and simmer.
Once the orzo is cooked to your liking, add the grated parmesan cheese and spinach. Once the spinach is wilted, nestle the chicken and any juices back into the orzo. After the chicken is warmed through, serve and enjoy! Option to top this dish with a few red pepper flakes for a pop of spice.
Storage
Store any leftovers in an airtight container for three to four days. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through. Option to add a touch of broth to the orzo when reheating it. This will help reconstitute the pasta, so it is smooth and creamy versus lumpy. Looking for more recipes? Try my Oven Baked Crispy Chicken Thighs.
One Skillet, Crispy Tuscan Chicken Thighs with Creamy Orzo Pasta
Ingredients
Seasoned Chicken Thighs
- 1.5-2 lbs. chicken thighs, Smart Chicken, bone-in, skin-on about 4 thighs
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil, divided
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
Creamy Orzo
- 2 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup sweet onion, diced small
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced about 1 large clove
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 1 cup dry orzo
- ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 2 cups chicken bone broth, or broth
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups baby spinach
Equipment
- 1 cast iron pan
Instructions
How to Make One Skillet Tuscan Chicken Thighs with Orzo
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- Add the chicken thighs to a mixing bowl and pat them dry with a paper towel. Drizzle with one tablespoon avocado oil and add the spice blend. (dried oregano, garlic powder, paprika, onion powder, salt, and black pepper) Make sure the chicken is well coated in the spice blend.
- Add one tablespoon of avocado oil to a cast iron pan. Once it’s hot, add the seasoned chicken skin side down. Sear for 4-5 minutes over medium high heat. Turn the chicken over once it is golden brown and place the entire pan in the oven for 20ish minutes. You want to make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees to ensure doneness.
- Remove the pan from the oven, then remove the chicken from the pan placing it on a plate. If there is a lot of grease in the pan, remove some of the grease with a paper towel. You’ll want about 1-2 tablespoons of grease in the bottom of the pan. Place the same pan over medium heat and add the butter, diced onion, minced garlic, sprig of thyme and rosemary. Sauté until the onions are soft.
- Next, add the orzo pasta and the drained and chopped sundried tomatoes. Sauté for 2-3 minutes until the orzo is lightly browned. Add Dijon mustard and chicken broth. Bring the entire dish to a boil for 2-3 minutes then reduce the heat to medium low. Season with a pinch of black pepper. Once the orzo is al dente, add the heavy cream. Mix well and simmer.
- Once the orzo is cooked to your liking, add the grated parmesan cheese and spinach. Once the spinach is wilted, nestle the chicken and any juices back into the orzo. After the chicken is warmed through, serve and enjoy! Option to top this dish with a few red pepper flakes for a pop of spice.
6 Comments on “One Skillet, Crispy Tuscan Chicken Thighs with Creamy Orzo Pasta”
This was so delicious, easy to make, and the whole family loved it!
Yay! I am so happy to hear that!
Selling it as one-skillet made it seem like it was simpler than it really was to cook. In reality it took me about an hour not leaving the stove! It was delicious though. I needed about 3 cups of chicken broth to the one cup of orzo to ensure it was not crunchy! (Also I used skinless and and bake time was only about 9 minutes in the oven.
This was absolutely delicious! I just made this for dinner. I only had chicken breasts, and it worked just as well. I doubled the recipe and the measurements were perfect. I can’t wait to make this again!
Excellent dish, turned out great for my girlfriend and I for an easy Sunday night dinner. It did take a little longer than expected for the orzo to be cooked! But it tasted great.
Glad you enjoyed it!