One Pot Thai Curry Chicken Orzo

Thai curry meets pasta bake? Unusual yet delicious! This one pot Thai curry chicken orzo combines juicy roasted chicken thighs with perfectly cooked orzo simmered in a rich aromatic Thai red curry sauce. Everything comes together in one pot making it the perfect choice for a busy weeknight dinner or a quick yet impressive meal for guests. Let’s explore what makes this dish so irresistible starting with a breakdown of the ingredients.

Table of Contents

• Ingredient Breakdown
• Why Chicken Thighs Are Simply The Best
• Chicken Fat = Liquid Gold
• Avoid Shop-Brand Curry Pastes
• Quality Coconut Milk is Key In This One Pot Thai Curry Chicken Orzo
• Rinse Your Orzo!
• Why One-Pot Meals are a Game-Changer
• Sourcing Specialty Ingredients For This One Pot Thai Curry Chicken Orzo
• Cooking and Assembly
• Serving and Storage
• Love A One Pot Recipe?

Ingredient Breakdown

• Chicken Thighs: Bone-in, skin-on for extra flavour and juiciness.
• Thai Red Curry Paste: This is the flavour base of this one pot Thai curry orzo, bringing the bold spicy and aromatic qualities of Thai cuisine. My favourites Thai curry paste brands are Mae Ploy and Thai Taste.
• Coconut Milk: Adds creaminess and a subtle sweetness that balances the heat of the curry paste. Look for tins that have minimum 70% coconut extract.
• Chicken Stock: enhances the savoury profile of the sauce, cuts through the creaminess of the coconut milk and helps cook the orzo to perfection.
• Palm Sugar or Light Brown Sugar: Adds a touch of sweetness to balance the spicy and savoury elements.
• Fish Sauce: Brings umami and a distinct depth of flavour that is characteristic of Thai cuisine.
• Ground Turmeric: Adds earthiness and a beautiful golden colour to the dish.
• Fresh Ginger: Adds a fresh zesty kick and complements the other flavours.
• Dried Orzo: This small pasta absorbs all the flavours of the sauce while cooking, becoming tender and delicious.
• Thai Basil Leaves: Its unique anise-like flavour adds a fresh herbaceous note that brightens the dish.

Why Chicken Thighs Are Simply The Best

Chicken thighs are the ideal choice for this one pot Thai curry chicken orzo for several reasons:

• Dark Meat Tastes Better: Chicken thighs are dark meat, which is naturally more flavourful than white meat. The higher fat content in dark meat adds richness and keeps the meat moist and tender during cooking.
• Braising Perfection: because of their higher fat content, chicken thighs can stand up to being braised and won’t dry out. They basically have an inbuilt anti-dryness mechanism, so they’re perfect for a dish like this where you’re cooking it for a long time both on the stove and in the oven, ensuring the meat remains juicy and delicious.
• Cost-Effective: Chicken thighs are often cheaper than breasts, making them a budget-friendly option without compromising on taste or quality.

Chicken Fat = Liquid Gold

Rendering the chicken skin is a crucial step in this one pot Thai curry chicken orzo, so it’s not something you should rush. But what does rendering actually mean? Rendering the chicken skin essentially means cooking it slowly to melt away the fat. By starting with a cold pan and cooking the chicken skin-side down, the fat slowly melts and renders out resulting in crispy skin and delicious flavourful fat left in the pan. This chicken fat (also known as schmaltz) is often referred to as liquid gold because of its rich flavour. In this recipe, the rendered fat is then used to sauté the curry paste infusing the dish with even more flavour.

Avoid Shop-Brand Curry Pastes

Because the red Thai curry paste is the flavour backbone of the flavour in this dish, it’s important you opt for a good-quality one. Good-quality pastes are made from fresh, natural ingredients like Thai chillies, lemongrass, galangal, kaffir lime leaves and shrimp paste. When buying Thai curry paste, look for products with a high percentage of these natural ingredients and avoid ones with artificial additives or preservatives. Opt for reputable brands that prioritise traditional recipes and ingredient integrity, like Mae Ploy and Thai Taste.

Quality Coconut Milk is Key In This One Pot Thai Curry Chicken Orzo

Coconut milk is a key ingredient that adds creaminess and a subtle sweetness to the dish. It’s important to choose a brand with a high coconut extract content—look for ones with more than 70% coconut extract. This ensures a rich, thick consistency that will enhance the overall texture and flavour of your dish. Avoid brands with too many additives or low coconut content, as they tend to be watery and less flavourful.

Rinse Your Orzo!

Rinsing the orzo before adding it to the dish is an important step. Orzo is a type of pasta that can release a lot of starch when cooked. By rinsing it, you remove excess starch that can make the dish too thick or gummy. This ensures that the orzo cooks evenly and maintains a nice, tender texture without clumping together.

Why One-Pot Meals are a Game-Changer

One-pot meals are incredibly convenient for several reasons:

• Ease of Cooking: Everything cooks together, which means less time spent monitoring multiple pots and pans.
• Minimal Cleanup: With only one pot to clean, you save time and effort on washing up.
• Enhanced Flavours: Cooking everything in one pot allows the flavours to meld together beautifully, creating a cohesive and delicious dish.

Sourcing Specialty Ingredients For This One Pot Thai Curry Chicken Orzo

• Thai Red Curry Paste: Available in most supermarkets Asian supermarkets or online. Brands like Mae Ploy and Thai Taste are recommended for their authentic flavour.
• Coconut Milk: Look for a high-quality brand with 70% or more coconut extract. This ensures a rich creamy consistency.
• Fish Sauce: Essential for authentic Thai flavour. Available in Asian supermarkets or the international aisle of most nationwide supermarkets.
• Thai Basil: Adds a unique, aniseed-y flavour and can be found in Asian grocery stores or some large nationwide supermarkets. If unavailable, regular basil can be used as a substitute, though it won’t taste the same.

Cooking and Assembly

Once you have your ingredients prepped, it’s time to bring everything together:

• Preheat and Season: Heat your oven to 220°C / fan 200°C and season the chicken thighs with salt.
• Render and Brown: Arrange the chicken thighs in a cold Dutch oven, skin-side-down, and cook until the skin is browned and crispy. Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, then transfer to a plate.
• Sauté and Combine: Add the Thai red curry paste to the rendered fat, cook until fragrant, then add the coconut milk, chicken stock, palm sugar, fish sauce, ground turmeric, and fresh ginger. Stir to combine and add the rinsed orzo.
• Bake: Nestle the chicken thighs into the orzo, skin-side-up, and bring to a simmer. Transfer to the oven and bake uncovered for 20 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through.
• Finish and Serve: Remove the chicken thighs, stir the Thai basil into the orzo, and serve. For extra-crispy skin, you can pop the chicken under the grill for a few minutes.

Serving and Storage

This dish is best served immediately, garnished with additional Thai basil if desired. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat gently to avoid drying out the chicken.

Love A One Pot Recipe?

If you love this one pot Thai curry chicken orzo, here are some other one pot dishes you might enjoy!

• Creamy Lemon Courgette Orzo: This one-pot creamy lemon courgette orzo is so incredibly delicious, which is surprising given how short the ingredient list is. It gets a big boost of flavour from caramelised lemons. The resultant lemon-infused olive oil is then used to fry the courgettes, which develop some caramelisation of their own. The rest of the dish comes together with garlic, parmesan and mascarpone for an easy midweek dinner.
• Golden Brothy Pasta with Beans: Saucier than your average pasta dish but not quite brothy enough to be a soup, this one-pot pasta makes for a delicious midweek dinner. Inspired by pasta e fagioli, it’s both hearty and healthy, largely thanks to the protein-packed beans and fibre-dense green beans.
• One-Pot Nduja and Chicken Rice: A tasty, easy one-pot chicken and rice recipe that’s bursting with flavour! It comes together in less than 40 minutes, making it a great midweek dinner.
• One-Pot Saffron Chicken & Rice: An aromatic one-pot chicken and rice recipe perfumed with saffron and other aromatics. If you’ve got the time, marinate the chicken overnight – it’ll help the flavours penetrate through to the bone.