Slowcooker Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Orzo
Dive into a bowl of bliss with our Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Orzo! This delightful dish combines tender chicken, zesty chorizo, and sun-dried tomatoes, all simmered to creamy perfection. Perfect for warm evenings, this recipe makes dinner a breeze while packing a punch of flavor!
Prep
15
min
Cook
150
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 1 tbsp basil or mixed herbs (15 ml)
- 4 garlic cloves
- Handful of spinach or basiloptional
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 3 x chicken breasts
- 100ml of chicken stock (3.38 fl oz)
- 100g cooked chorizo (3.53 oz)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 200ml double cream (6.76 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 230g of dry orzo (8.12 oz)
- 700ml for pasta (23.7 fl oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Salt and pepper
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 2 tbsp red pesto (30 ml)
📦Other(2)
- Handful of Sundried tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the chorizo briefly for 1 min.
- 2
Add to the slowcooker with chicken, pesto, Sundried tomatoes, garlic, basil, 100ml of stock & salt and pepper.
- 3
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for double that.
- 4
Add in 230g of dry orzo, 700ml of stock & the peppers. Cook for a further 50 mins.
- 5
Stir in spinach and cream, top with Parmesan as an option.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Render the chorizo in a dry pan for exactly 60 seconds before adding it to the slow cooker so its paprika-tinted fat renders out and coats the pan, giving you a flavorful base to deglaze into the stock rather than dumping raw fat into the pot.technique1 minute
- ✓Add the dry orzo only in the last 50 minutes of cooking, not at the start, because orzo's starch granules gelatinize and turn mushy if exposed to prolonged low heat for 4+ hours, while a 50-minute window on high lets it hit al dente at roughly 190-200°F.timing50 minutes
- ✓Stir the cream in only after the slow cooker is off heat or on the lowest setting, since dairy fats and proteins can break or curdle above 180°F, especially in acidic environments created by the sundried tomatoes.ingredientbelow 180°F
- ✓Use a slow cooker with a tight-fitting glass lid and resist opening it during the 2-3 hour high-heat phase, since each lid lift drops internal temperature by roughly 10-15°F and can add 15-20 minutes to total cooking time.equipment10-15°F loss per lid lift
- ✓Fold in the spinach whole rather than chopped and let residual heat wilt it for 2-3 minutes off heat, as its high water content (about 91%) will release excess liquid and dilute the sauce if cooked directly in the simmering orzo.technique2-3 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
150
min
Serves
4
people
Level
intermediate
Share this recipe
Slowcooker Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Orzo
Dive into a bowl of bliss with our Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken and Chorizo Orzo! This delightful dish combines tender chicken, zesty chorizo, and sun-dried tomatoes, all simmered to creamy perfection. Perfect for warm evenings, this recipe makes dinner a breeze while packing a punch of flavor!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(3)
- 1 tbsp basil or mixed herbs (15 ml)
- 4 garlic cloves
- Handful of spinach or basiloptional
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 3 x chicken breasts
- 100ml of chicken stock (3.38 fl oz)
- 100g cooked chorizo (3.53 oz)
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 200ml double cream (6.76 fl oz)
🫙Pantry Staples(2)
- 230g of dry orzo (8.12 oz)
- 700ml for pasta (23.7 fl oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- Salt and pepper
🍯Sauces & Condiments(1)
- 2 tbsp red pesto (30 ml)
📦Other(2)
- Handful of Sundried tomatoes
- Sweet peppers
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
Cook the chorizo briefly for 1 min.
- 2
Add to the slowcooker with chicken, pesto, Sundried tomatoes, garlic, basil, 100ml of stock & salt and pepper.
- 3
Cook on high for 2-3 hours or low for double that.
- 4
Add in 230g of dry orzo, 700ml of stock & the peppers. Cook for a further 50 mins.
- 5
Stir in spinach and cream, top with Parmesan as an option.
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Render the chorizo in a dry pan for exactly 60 seconds before adding it to the slow cooker so its paprika-tinted fat renders out and coats the pan, giving you a flavorful base to deglaze into the stock rather than dumping raw fat into the pot.technique1 minute
- ✓Add the dry orzo only in the last 50 minutes of cooking, not at the start, because orzo's starch granules gelatinize and turn mushy if exposed to prolonged low heat for 4+ hours, while a 50-minute window on high lets it hit al dente at roughly 190-200°F.timing50 minutes
- ✓Stir the cream in only after the slow cooker is off heat or on the lowest setting, since dairy fats and proteins can break or curdle above 180°F, especially in acidic environments created by the sundried tomatoes.ingredientbelow 180°F
- ✓Use a slow cooker with a tight-fitting glass lid and resist opening it during the 2-3 hour high-heat phase, since each lid lift drops internal temperature by roughly 10-15°F and can add 15-20 minutes to total cooking time.equipment10-15°F loss per lid lift
- ✓Fold in the spinach whole rather than chopped and let residual heat wilt it for 2-3 minutes off heat, as its high water content (about 91%) will release excess liquid and dilute the sauce if cooked directly in the simmering orzo.technique2-3 minutes