Chicken, cinnamon and sweet tomato orzo

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200C/180C Fan/Gas 6.

2. 2

   Pour the olive oil into a wide casserole pan and add the chopped onions and garlic. Place on a medium-low heat and fry for 10 minutes, or until starting to soften. Add the cinnamon stick and tomato purée to the pan and stir for a minute.

3. 3

   Coarsely grate in the large tomatoes, give everything a stir, then stir in the orzo and hot stock.

4. 4

   Toss the chicken thighs with the allspice and a generous pinch of sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. 5

   Place the chicken on top of the orzo, skin side-up, and dot around the vines of tomatoes and the sprigs of oregano. Drizzle everything with olive oil and place in the oven for around 30 minutes.

6. 6

   When 30 minutes is up, remove the casserole pan from the oven. Carefully pour 150ml/5fl oz of boiling water all around the orzo (avoiding pouring the water on the chicken skin) and return to the oven. Cook for a further 20-25 minutes, or until the chicken skin is crisp and golden-brown, and the meat is tender. 

7. 7

   Remove from the oven, leave it to rest for 5 minutes, then grate the cheese over. (You can pop it under the grill if you'd like it a little browned.)

8. 8

   To make the salad, put all the ingredients into a large bowl and mix together.

9. 9

   Serve a generous helping of the orzo with a piece of chicken and the salad served alongside.

1 serving ≈ 308 g

Nutrition values are estimates. - means data is unavailable.