Slow Cooker

Slow-Cooker White Wine Chicken With Orzo From Eleni Vonissakou

by:
September 25, 2019
4.5 Stars
Slow-Cooker White Wine Chicken With Orzo From Eleni Vonissakou
Photo by Eleni Vonissakou
Author Notes

Reprinted with permission from The Greek Slow Cooker by Eleni Vonissakou, Page Street Publishing Co. 2019. Photo credit: Eleni Vonissakou and Constantina Papageorgiou. —Food52

  • Cook time 6 hours 35 minutes
  • Serves 4 to 6
Ingredients
  • 1 cup (140g) finely chopped onion, lightly packed
  • 2 pounds (900g) boneless, skinless chicken thigh fillets
  • 1/2 cup (120ml) good-quality white wine
  • 1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil
  • 1/4 cup (15g) fresh parsley, finely chopped, tightly packed
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 8 1/2 ounces (240g) orzo pasta
  • 1 cup (240ml) boiling water, plus extra if needed
  • Grated Greek Gruyère or kefalotyri cheese, to serve
In This Recipe
Directions
  1. In the slow cooker insert, combine the onion, chicken, wine, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt, pepper and thyme.
  2. Cook on low for 5 to 6 hours, or until the chicken is tender and falling apart.
  3. Turn the cooker to high and add the orzo. Stir and cook on high until the orzo has absorbed most of the liquid already in the slow cooker. Start adding hot water, 1/2 cup (120 ml) to begin with and then 1/4 cup (60 ml) at a time, as needed for the pasta to cook through. Total cooking time for the pasta should be 25 to 35 minutes. Turn the slow cooker off when the orzo is al dente and the consistency is quite wet and “sloppy” looking, since the pasta will continue to absorb liquid as it rests.
  4. Serve immediately with the grated cheese.
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7 Reviews

Pam
Pam December 3, 2021
Solid recipe. I've made this a handful of times, and it's both super easy and delicious. For some extra veggies I added spinach at the end when the orzo was al dente. It wilted beautifully and added some nice color.
 
Ash
Ash June 2, 2020
Very tasty and simple recipe. Next time will serve with a lemon wedge on the side; the little bit of brightness would have been nice. Don’t miss the cheese at the end, it added great flavor!
 
Rachel M.
Rachel M. April 8, 2020
This recipe was delicious! so easy and very flavorful.
 
Mary E.
Mary E. April 2, 2020
Works well in the Instant Pot also, as long as you add half a cup of chicken broth before pressure cooking. (Or more wine. I won’t judge. Just get a cup of liquid in there.) I did the initial step on manual for 8 minutes, then made the orzo using the saute function on medium.
 
FrugalCat
FrugalCat March 18, 2020
I used whole wheat pasta and did not need extra cooking time. I also topped it with feta cheese, crumbled.
 
KatieBrooks
KatieBrooks January 29, 2020
Just looking for some help? If I do this with whole wheat pasta, do I change the cooking time?
 
glammie
glammie September 19, 2021
You may need an extra ten minutes or so but just cook until it's done. It's not an exact science. Just cook until the pasta is done.