Chicken and Orzo Bake

Ingredients

• 6 skinlesss boneless chicken thighs
• 0.5 teaspoons salt
• 0.25 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
• 3 tablespoons olive oil , divided
• 0.5 cups finely chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic , minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 pound dry orzo
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 package baby spinach , 5 ounce
• 4 ounces Parmesan cheese , shredded
• 0.5 cups sun-dried tomatoes , not oil-packed
• 1 tablespoon lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• lemon wedges , for serving

Instructions

1. 1

   Gather all ingredients, and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

2. 2

   Sprinkle chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.

3. 3

   Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the chicken thighs. Cook until seared and lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes each side. Transfer browned chicken to a plate. Repeat with remaining chicken.

4. 4

   Reduce heat to medium. Add remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to Dutch oven. Add onions. Cook until tender and lightly browned, stirring occasionally, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in minced garlic, cooking until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

5. 5

   Add butter to Dutch oven. Once melted, add orzo, quickly stirring until fully coated with butter. Carefully pour in chicken broth. Scrape bottom of Dutch oven with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat.

6. 6

   Bake, covered, in the preheated oven until orzo has absorbed most of the liquid, about 15 minutes.

7. 7

   Remove Dutch oven from oven. Stir in spinach, Parmesan, dried tomatoes, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

8. 8

   Nestle chicken thighs into orzo mixture. Cover, return to the oven, and bake until chicken is no longer pink at the center and an instant-read thermometer inserted near the center reads at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C), 10 to 15 minutes. Serve immediately with lemon wedges.