Chicken, Lemon & Feta Orzo

📝 Ingredients

• 500 g chicken breast
• 300 g dried orzo (also called risoni, rice-shaped pasta)
• 1 brown onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 chicken stock cubes dissolved in 800 ml hot water
• 125 g baby spinach
• 1 lemon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 100 g feta
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• Salt, pepper

🍴 Utensils

• 28 cm sauté pan with lid
• Cutting board and knife
• Fine grater
• Wooden spatula
• Measuring jug

📖 Steps

1. Dissolve the stock cubes in 800 ml hot water. Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Cut the chicken into 2 cm dice. Wash the lemon, zest it with the fine grater (avoiding the bitter white pith), then squeeze the juice.
2. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in the sauté pan over a high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, then brown it for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring now and then, until the pieces are nicely coloured. Set them aside on a plate: they'll finish cooking later.
3. Turn the heat down to medium, add 1 tbsp oil, the onion and garlic, and fry for 3 minutes, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom with the spatula. Add the orzo and oregano, then stir for 1 minute to coat the pasta well, as you would for a risotto.
4. Pour in the hot stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 10 minutes over a medium-low heat, stirring every 2 to 3 minutes, as orzo tends to stick to the bottom. It should absorb almost all the liquid.
5. Return the chicken and its juices to the pan and add the zest and half the lemon juice. Cook uncovered for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the orzo is tender and the chicken is no longer pink at all in the centre.
6. Off the heat, stir in the baby spinach a handful at a time: the heat wilts it in 1 minute. If the mixture is too thick, add a small splash of hot water; it should stay creamy, like a risotto.
7. Taste, add the rest of the lemon juice to taste and season with pepper. Go easy on the salt: the stock and feta are already salty. Serve straight away in shallow bowls, with the feta crumbled over the top with your fingertips.