Chicken risoni bake

Chicken risoni bake recipe

So, what is risoni exactly? Sometimes called orzo, it’s a type of pasta that resembles rice (‘risi’ means rice in Italian). It’s a common addition to soups because of its scoopability, but is also great in salads, stews and pasta bakes, like in this recipe. This oven baked chicken risoni is what you need if you’re craving something comforting and nourishing. With each forkful, you get tender, succulent chicken and a beautiful umami flavour borne out of a combination of chicken stock, parmesan and tomatoes. Make this one pan chicken risoni today and experience its magic for yourself.

How to cook chicken risoni

Before you get started, follow our tips for cooking risoni and this risoni bake recipe: 

• Make sure you choose a deep roasting pan when making this recipe, to avoid any liquid overflowing. A 6L (36-cup) pan will be ideal.

• Risoni will absorb all the flavour of the liquid you cook it in, so choose flavourful liquids like stock instead of just plain water.

• While our recipe uses a variety of vegetables, you can use virtually any veggie you enjoy or that you have to hand. This is what makes this recipe so great for using up anything you have in your fridge. 

• In step 2, you’re going to bake the chicken and onion first with some oil. The aim of this is to brown the chicken, so keep an eye on it to ensure you don’t overcook it.

• How long to cook risoni? The beauty of cooking risoni and other smaller sized pastas is that the cooking time is shortened. Risoni doesn’t need to be pre-cooked like other pasta bakes. Simply add it to your baking tray once the chicken has been browned, and place it back in the oven to cook. 

How to serve chicken risoni 

With this chicken and risoni bake, you’ve got protein, veggies and carbs in a one-pot meal. There’s no need to prepare extra sides, so this is the recipe to choose when you’re after something easy to cook that will satisfy everyone. If someone is feeling under the weather, why not make a batch for them, as a nice alternative to chicken noodle soup for their recovery. If you’re only cooking for yourself or two people, you’ll have plenty leftover to pack as a work lunch that will be the envy of your coworkers.

Love this recipe?

If you’re keen to get adventurous with more risoni recipes after trying our chicken with risoni dish, check out our Greek-style meatball and risoni tray bake, risoni salad with asparagus and fetta-stuffed olives and Curtis Stone’s pasta soup with beans and greens.