Chicken and orzo rat-a-tat bake

Ingredients

Scaled for your household (4 portions) · original serves 4

• Coconut oil1 tbsp
• Red onion1
  peeled and diced
• Zucchini250 g
  trimmed and diced
• Eggplant250 g
  trimmed and diced
• Dried oregano4 sprig
  fresh
• Fresh thyme4 sprig
  fresh
• Garlic cloves3
  finely chopped
• Tomato puree (paste)1 tbsp
• Orzo (risoni)250 g
• Tinned diced tomatoes400 g
• Chicken stock250 ml
• Chicken breast400 g
  cut into 1 cm slices
• Sweet smoked paprika1 tsp
• Salt1 tsp
  to season; basket purchase quantity
• Black pepper¼ tsp
  to season; basket purchase quantity
• Flat-leaf parsley1 bunch
  roughly chopped
• Chives1 bunch
  finely chopped

Method

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 200°C conventional, 180°C fan-forced.

   200°C
2. 2

   Melt half the coconut oil in a heavy-based flameproof casserole over medium-high heat. Add the diced red onion and cook for 1 minute.

   1 min
3. 3

   Add the zucchini, eggplant, oregano, thyme and two of the chopped garlic cloves. Fry for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until the vegetables are starting to soften.

   5 min
4. 4

   Stir in the tomato paste and orzo. Add the chopped tomatoes and chicken stock, bring quickly to the boil while stirring, then cover the casserole and transfer it to the oven.

5. 5

   Meanwhile, heat the remaining coconut oil in a large frying pan over high heat. Add the sliced chicken and remaining garlic and stir-fry until the chicken is well coloured and almost cooked through.

6. 6

   Sprinkle the chicken with the smoked paprika and season with salt and black pepper. Toss well to coat.

7. 7

   Carefully remove the casserole from the oven, stir the chicken into the orzo mixture, replace the lid and return the dish to the oven for another 10 minutes.

   10 min 200°C
8. 8

   Remove the bake from the oven, stir through the chopped parsley and chives and serve directly from the casserole.