Chicken with Orzo in a Clay Pot | One-Pot Oven-Baked Meal

Cut the thighs into 3-centimeter pieces and toss with 4 grams of the salt and the black pepper. Thinly slice the onion and dice the red bell pepper.

Melt 20 grams of the butter in a wide skillet. Over high heat, turn the chicken until the outside is no longer pink and the edges are lightly browned. Transfer it to a bowl; the inside is not cooked through yet.

Melt the remaining butter in the same skillet. Toast the orzo over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly golden. Add the onion and pepper and cook for 3 more minutes.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook until its raw aroma has dissipated. Add the hot water, remaining salt, and Turkish red pepper flakes, then bring to a boil.

Add the chicken and any juices collected in the bowl to the orzo mixture, then transfer everything to the clay pot. Make sure the chicken pieces are submerged in the liquid. Cover with the lid.

Place the clay pot on the middle rack of a cold oven, set the oven to 200°C / 390°F, and bake for 45 minutes; the clay pot should heat up with the oven. Carefully crack open the lid and check that the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is tender. Insert a thermometer into the center of the largest chicken piece. If it does not read 74°C / 165°F, cover and cook for 5 more minutes.

Remove the clay pot from the oven and let it stand on a dry wooden trivet without opening the lid. Open the lid, fluff and stir the orzo with a fork, and serve hot.