Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo - Nigella Lawson/NYT

[MaryIsobel]

Life in the zoo continues here. Our nephew lives with us, another nephew (first nephew's brother) is crashing here for a bit to escape the evacuation alert at home. My daughter, her boyfriend and their dog Freckles, will be moving in tonight for two weeks until the tenant vacates the home they just bought. Long story short, I am looking at/planning meals that will serve 6 - 3 of whom are pretty hearty eaters. Tonight I'm making Chicken in a Pot with Lemon Orzo, a Nigella Lawson recipe. I have made it at least twice in the past. Scrolling throught the more recent reviews, I see people saying the amount of water (I use low-sodium chicken broth instead) is too much. I don't recall if that was the amount I used previously. Our gang is pretty easy going and if I have to serve it with a slotted spoon for the orzo, so be it. Just wondering if anyone else has made it with these proportions or has any input on the amount of liquid. https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/chicken-in-a-pot-with-lemon-orzo

 

Edited August 30, 2023 by MaryIsobel (log)

[Okanagancook]

You can always add four cups of liquid first and check at various times during cooking to see if it needs more.  You can then microwave some stock before adding especially when adding the orzo.  I would cook the chicken breast side down to help keep it moist but if you have made it before just disregard this.

[MaryIsobel]

33 minutes ago, Okanagancook said:

You can always add four cups of liquid first and check at various times during cooking to see if it needs more.  You can then microwave some stock before adding especially when adding the orzo.  I would cook the chicken breast side down to help keep it moist but if you have made it before just disregard this.

That's what I ended up doing regarding the broth. We shall see. I have never found the breast to be dry as it is cooked with a lid on. I'll post my results as well as adding them to my notes so I don't have this dilemma six months from now!

[FeChef]

Reminds me of this Greek Diner had the best Chicken Orzo soup with a hint of lemon.

[MaryIsobel]

Appears that 4 cups of broth (along with the acculated chicken juice) was just the right amount. It was heartily inhaled by all. And I have made notes for next time!

[blue_dolphin]

I'm glad that worked out!  In my experience, brands of orzo can vary a fair bit in size so recipes that measure it by volume can end up with different amounts.  I weighed a cup of 2 different brands and one weighed 5 oz and the other 8 oz.  I've also seen cooking times ranging from 5 - 12 min.  Add that to variations in the geometry of a pan, how tightly the lid fits, the exact oven temp and I can see why reviewers report different outcomes!