Chicken, butternut squash and leek orzo
Comforting, cosy and perfect to spoon into bowls and share with friends, this creamy orzo is packed with golden roasted butternut squash, tender chicken thighs and lots of meltingly-good leeks, says Miranda Gore Browne.
Ingredients
You will need
Deep roasting tin, non-stick baking paper, large deep frying pan
- 3 leeks, washed and finely sliced
- ½ butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and roasted
- 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tbsp rapeseed oil
- Few tbsp water as needed
- 8 boneless chicken thighs
- 160g orzo
- 1 clove garlic
- 200g cavolo nero or kale
- 500ml boiling water and 1 chicken stock cube
- 100ml double cream
- Salt and pepper
- Fresh thyme
Method
- Peel, deseed and chop the butternut squash into chunks about 2cm x 2cm
- Pop the chopped butternut squash into a deep roasting tin lined with non-stick baking paper. Drizzle with oil and sprinkle over the chilli flakes, then roast in the oven at 180 degrees for about 35 mins.
- Peel, wash and slice the leeks and crush the garlic. Cook on a medium heat in a deep frying pan with a little oil and a few tablespoons of water until soft.
- Add the chicken thighs to the pan with the leeks and cook for about
8 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Add the chicken stock to the pan and bring to the boil. After about 15 minutes simmering, add the orzo and stir well, keep stirring and simmer on a low heat for another
15-20 minutes or until the orzo is tender and cooked. - Add the finely-chopped cavolo nero and stir in well, until it has cooked through.
- Stir in the roasted pieces of butternut squash, then stir in the double cream, season with salt and pepper and taste.
- Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve piping hot with crusty warm bread.
