French Onion Chicken & Orzo

A skillet with crispy roasted chicken thighs on a bed of golden orzo pasta, reminiscent of a French onion chicken dish. The creation is garnished with fresh herbs. A blue-striped cloth, knife, fork, fresh garlic, and green onions surround the skillet on a gray surface.

4.87 from 23 votes

French Onion Chicken & Orzo

French Onion Chicken & Orzo delivers rich, savoury, comforting flavours of French onion soup in a hearty, one-pan dinner. Made with jammy caramelized onions, pan-seared chicken thighs, tender orzo, baked in a savoury creamy broth.

Prep Time30

Cook Time25

Total Time55

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: french onion chicken, French Onion Chicken and Orzo, French Onion Chicken Recipe

Servings: servings

Author: Sammy Montgoms

Equipment

1 oven safe pan

Ingredients

Chicken Thighs:

6 chicken thighs bone-in, skin-on
3 tbsp olive oil 1 tbsp for frying the chicken, and 2 tbsp for the chicken marinade
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
6 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Onions:

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
2 large yellow onions sliced
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Remaining Ingredients:

1½ cups orzo uncooked
2 cups chicken stock salted
1 cup heavy cream 33%
fresh parsley optional to garnish

Instructions

Prepare the onions: bring a large oven safe pan to low/medium heat.
Add the butter and 1 tbsp of olive oil. Once the butter has melted add your onions.
Stirring every few minutes, cook the onions on low heat (about 20 minutes) until they're golden, soft, and jammy. If they start to stick to the pan you can add a splash of water or broth.
Once the onions are nearly done, preheat your oven to 425 °F.
Prepare the chicken: while the onions are cooking, prepare the chicken. To a large bowl add the chicken thighs, 2 tbsp olive oil (save 1 tbsp to fry the chicken), balsamic vinegar, garlic, dried thyme, salt and pepper.
Mix until well combined and set aside until ready to use.
Finish the onions: once golden in colour, add your balsamic vinegar, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Cook for an additional minute. Remove onions from the pan, and set aside.
Fry the chicken: to the same pan set to medium/high heat, add 1 tbsp of olive oil.
Fry the chicken thighs on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden brown.
Don't worry about cooking the chicken all the way through as it will finish cooking in the oven.
Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Prepare the orzo: to the same pan, add the uncooked orzo and lightly toast for 1-2 minutes on low/medium heat.
Add the caramelized onions, chicken stock and heavy cream. Bring to a light simmer, stirring often, then turn off the heat.
Next, nestle in the chicken thighs and cover with aluminum foil.
Bake: for 20-30 minutes, or until orzo and chicken are fully cooked.
Garnish: with fresh parsley or green onions if desired.

Video

Notes

Chicken variation: substitute bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for boneless chicken thighs or breasts. Just remember that any replacements may vary with cooking times.
Pasta variation: substitute the orzo for something similar in size. For example: rice, ditali, or small pasta shells. With that being said, keep in mind cooking times may vary.

Nutrition