French Onion Chicken & Orzo

Ingredients

• 1 lb boneless chicken thighs
• salt (to taste)
• black pepper (to taste)
• ground thyme (to taste)
• cayenne pepper (to taste)
• 4.5 medium yellow onions (sliced root to tip)
• 3.5 cloves garlic (minced)
• 300 g dry orzo
• 1 L stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable; reserve 1/4 cup for the onions and use the rest later)
• 0.25 cup unsweetened oat creamer
• 2.5 cups fresh baby spinach
• fresh thyme sprigs (a few sprigs)
• cooking oil (for searing chicken and a touch more for the onions)

Steps

1. 1

   Season the chicken thighs generously on all sides with salt, black pepper, ground thyme, and cayenne pepper.

2. 2

   Heat cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.

3. 3

   Sear the chicken until golden and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove it from the pan and set it aside.

4. 4

   In the same pan, add a touch more cooking oil, the sliced onions, and 1/4 cup of stock. Cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the onions have softened.

5. 5

   Remove the lid, reduce the heat to medium, and cook the onions for 15–20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until deeply golden and jammy. Add splashes of the remaining stock as needed, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

6. 6

   Add the minced garlic and dry orzo directly to the onions. Toss for 1 minute, until fragrant.

7. 7

   Pour in the remaining stock and add a few sprigs of fresh thyme.

8. 8

   Simmer for 8–10 minutes, until the orzo is tender. The chicken may be returned to the pan now or added at the end.

9. 9

   Lower the heat and stir in the oat creamer.

10. 10

    Fold in the fresh spinach and cook until wilted.

11. 11

    Remove the thyme sprigs and toss the chicken back into the pan. Serve warm.

Notes

The stock may be chicken, beef, or vegetable. The source gives no exact quantity for cooking oil or seasonings, and does not specify how many thyme sprigs beyond “a few.”

Nutrition per serving

• main
• dairy-free
• one-pot
• comfort food
• high-protein
• stovetop