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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Chicken Giouvetsi

[heart_this] · Apr 2, 2009 · 68 Comments

Chicken Giouvetsi

I was craving some good home style comfort food and one of the top recipes in my bookmarks was this one for chicken giouvetsi from Kalofagas . Giouvetsi is a one pot Greek dish where the meat is baked along with the pasta. The recipe for giouvetsi is quite simple and I realized immediately that the
secret was that while the meat is cooking its juices drip right into the pasta where its flavours are absorbed. I really like one pot meals like this because they generally required very little preparation and then you can relax while the whole meal cooks all at once. For the pasta I used some whole wheat orzo to make it a touch healthier. The chicken giouvetsi was pretty easy to make and the hardest part was quartering the whole chicken though you could easily just use chicken legs and or breasts to save some time. The simple sounding recipe really belies the amazing flavour of this dish! While baking, all of the flavours have plenty of time to mingle and become good friends and every bite right down to the last piece of orzo on the plate was tasty and full of flavour. For even more flavour feel free to garnish the meal with some grated kefalotyri or pecorino romano cheese.

Chicken Giouvetsi

Chicken Giouvetsi

Cook Time: 1 hour Total Time: 1 hour Servings: 4
ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 1 cubanelle pepper (chopped) (or banana pepper or green bell pepper)
  • 1 1/2 cups orzo (I used whole wheat) (gluten free for gluten free)
  • 6 cups chicken stock
  • 1 cup tomato puree
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 whole chicken (separated into pieces)
directions
  1. Heat the oil in a pan.
  2. Add the onion and pepper and saute until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
  3. Add the orzo and toast for a few minutes.
  4. Add the stock and tomato puree and season with salt and pepper.
  5. Bring to a boil and transfer to a baking dish along with the chicken.
  6. Bake in a preheated 375F/190C oven until the liquid has been absorbed and the top is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
Similar Recipes:
Chicken Cacciatore (Hunter Style Chicken)
Osso Buco
Lemon Roasted Chicken
Fish a la Spetsiota
French Onion Chicken

6 Ingredients, Chicken, Food, Gluten-free, Greek, Main Course, One-Pan, One-Pot, Pasta, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. taiyyaba says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:04 am

    Kevin, that looks amazing. Would you recommend searing the chicken first, or just putting it atop the pasta raw? I think I’ll try it this weekend with leg/thigh quarters I have.

    Reply
  2. Sharon says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:33 am

    I love dishes I cannot pronounce! In all seriousness, this looks delicious.

    Reply
  3. mikky says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:36 am

    wow… looks quite interesting and tasty… seems like i have lots of reading to catch-up here… 🙂

    Reply
  4. Donna-FFW says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:50 am

    This sounds fantastic Kevin!! Love all the ingredients..

    Reply
  5. Elle says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:57 am

    Kevin, this looks fabulous–so comforting!

    Reply
  6. Ruth says

    April 3, 2009 at 1:12 am

    This looks great. I am also curious would you sear the chicken to get the color on it. Or did your just get that color in the oven. I am so making this

    Reply
  7. Chef Fresco says

    April 3, 2009 at 1:44 am

    Mmm looks delicious Kevin – I love orzo!

    Reply
  8. Yasmeen says

    April 3, 2009 at 2:04 am

    awesome luscious one pot meal.I tried your cinnamon bread last week and posted about it too.thanks for the delicious recipe:)

    Reply
  9. Foodie with Little Thyme! says

    April 3, 2009 at 2:35 am

    I wish I would have seen this before I cooked dinner. YUM!

    Reply
  10. Sharon says

    April 3, 2009 at 2:46 am

    Oh my gosh, yum!!!!

    Reply
  11. Mrs Ergül says

    April 3, 2009 at 2:58 am

    This is great when there is a big company! It looks so good! Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Elizabeth says

    April 3, 2009 at 3:01 am

    OMG this looks soooo yummy! I’m so happy to hear you say you found and used whole wheat orzo! I have been hoping it existed. Can’t wait to try this one.

    Reply
  13. Nina Timm says

    April 3, 2009 at 3:28 am

    Great job, Kevin this looks so incredibly good!!!!

    Reply
  14. Kerstin says

    April 3, 2009 at 4:00 am

    I love one pot meals – this looks super yummy!

    Reply
  15. Rita says

    April 3, 2009 at 4:30 am

    I never heard of this, it sounds interesting, I may try it for Andrew. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  16. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    April 3, 2009 at 5:09 am

    Orzo is felicious… A great dish!

    Have and nice weekend and cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  17. Peter M says

    April 3, 2009 at 5:51 am

    Kevin, glad you enjoyed the Giouvetsi. Practically every Greek home makes a version of this.

    Thanks for the shout-out and you made the dish wonderfully…cheers!

    Reply
  18. Koruklu says

    April 3, 2009 at 8:24 am

    Looks amazing!!! It’s definitely on my weekend menu!!!

    Reply
  19. Y says

    April 3, 2009 at 10:10 am

    Not familiar with giouvetsi but the dish sounds and looks tasty. Love one-pot-wonders 🙂 I take it you seared your chicken before adding it to the pot? Am wondering how you managed to get it so golden brown otherwise.

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    April 3, 2009 at 10:19 am

    So much eyeappealing..hope mouthwatering too Kevin..

    Reply
  21. BMK says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:08 pm

    I love recipes like this! This looks wonderful!

    Reply
  22. Jeff says

    April 3, 2009 at 12:21 pm

    I am going to have to give something like this a shot because it looks amazing.

    Reply
  23. lisaiscooking says

    April 3, 2009 at 1:25 pm

    This looks so good. I have to make this!

    Reply
  24. Judy says

    April 3, 2009 at 1:30 pm

    This looks delicious, Kevin. I used to make a chicken/rice dish that had loads of flavor too. I didn’t know orzo came in whole wheat.

    Reply
  25. TaGa_Luto says

    April 3, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    I also love one pot meal. These looks fantastic.

    Reply
  26. Strauch Family says

    April 3, 2009 at 3:05 pm

    This looks great, I am just wondering about the garnish that you choose. Is it cilantro, flat leaf parsley?

    Reply
  27. Laura P. says

    April 3, 2009 at 4:36 pm

    wow this looks and sounds amazing!

    Reply
  28. Helene says

    April 3, 2009 at 5:12 pm

    Kevin, you still amaze me with all the great recipes that you make. Do you ever go out for dinner? You probably eat better at home.

    Reply
  29. Karen says

    April 3, 2009 at 5:21 pm

    So easy… and it sounds so delicious. I’m going to give it a try.

    Reply
  30. The Duo Dishes says

    April 3, 2009 at 5:40 pm

    It looks like that recipe would have a million ingredients, and it totally doesn’t. How nice to know you can make this in a snap.

    Reply
  31. steph says

    April 3, 2009 at 6:50 pm

    I’ve been reading your blog for a while…

    This looks amazing! If I had any orzo on hand, I’d so make this today. Unfortunately, I used it all recently… 🙁

    Reply
  32. emily says

    April 3, 2009 at 6:51 pm

    It’s beautiful Kevin!

    Reply
  33. Dishesdone says

    April 3, 2009 at 8:01 pm

    Looks delicious! Definitely comfort food!

    Reply
  34. Hillary says

    April 3, 2009 at 8:44 pm

    Kevin – this looks amazing! Thanks for the recipe and have a great weekend!

    Reply
  35. Leah says

    April 3, 2009 at 9:37 pm

    Awesome! And you always have wonderful photos!

    Thanks for the post. Happy Friday!

    Reply
  36. MJ says

    April 3, 2009 at 10:02 pm

    I just found you and have to say that you have one of the nicest food blogs. Everything looks so yummy.

    Reply
  37. tamilyn says

    April 3, 2009 at 10:53 pm

    It looks delish. Wondering like some of the others if you brown the chicken pieces first?

    Reply
  38. Anonymous says

    April 3, 2009 at 11:00 pm

    Djuvec, haha!

    Reply
  39. Kevin says

    April 4, 2009 at 12:42 am

    Helene: I rarely have the time to eat out any more…

    Reply
  40. Kevin says

    April 4, 2009 at 1:05 am

    taiyyaba, Ruth, Y, tamilyn: I did not sear the chicken first. All I did was place it on top of the pasta and liquid and it turned a nice golden brown as it baked in the oven. I did end up splitting the recipe between 2 8 inch square baking dishes so the liquid did not go very far up the chicken and thus a lot of the skin was exposed.

    Reply
  41. Kevin says

    April 4, 2009 at 1:15 am

    Strauch Family: the garnish in the photo is flat leaf parsley.

    Reply
  42. [email protected] says

    April 4, 2009 at 2:16 am

    This looks so good, similar to something my mom makes, except she puts in olives also. I love one-pot dishes too.

    Reply
  43. Pam says

    April 4, 2009 at 2:37 am

    I love one-pot dishes! I’ll have to look for whole wheat orzo! I didn’t know it came in whole wheat!

    Reply
  44. Laila says

    April 4, 2009 at 10:10 am

    Awesome! I’m so glad I found your blog, you have some really good looking recipes. I might just try this one soon.

    Reply
  45. Jamie says

    April 4, 2009 at 12:22 pm

    Yet another fabulous looking dish, but this one I printed out and plan on making. I love when the pasta soaks up the sauce!

    Reply
  46. Anonymous says

    April 4, 2009 at 9:02 pm

    Cannot wait to make this. Looks similar to a dish I always get when I go to the Greek festivals in the summer. You are on a roll lately…I see tons of your pics on Tastepotting. That’s how I found you. Keep up the amazing work!

    Reply
  47. Sweet Bird says

    April 5, 2009 at 3:02 pm

    This looks delish – I might even make it for dinner tonight!

    Reply
  48. Tia says

    April 5, 2009 at 6:45 pm

    I always love your photos! This one made my mouth water! lol

    I can’t wait to try this recipe- it looks so simple, and anything that uses 1 pot is always a winner in my book. 😀

    Reply
  49. Hendria says

    April 5, 2009 at 8:37 pm

    Great photo…. 🙂

    Reply
  50. Muneeba says

    April 7, 2009 at 1:11 pm

    Going to the grocery store today to get these ingredients Kevin! I already have skinless chicken in pieces, so I hope that works too .. will let you know how it turns out. Am excited about it!

    Reply
  51. Muneeba says

    April 7, 2009 at 6:06 pm

    Kevin … I did it. That’s right – I didn’t delay, I made it! What can I say? It’s easy, it smells divine, and I just had my first taste – YUMTASTIC! Made a few changes (added a couple extra spices). This dish is going into my “party pleasers” file! Thks again!

    Reply
  52. The Food Hunter says

    April 9, 2009 at 1:07 pm

    This looks like the perfect meal.

    Reply
  53. Jan says

    April 11, 2009 at 12:12 am

    This looks absolutely delish, you’ve got to love those one pot meals. I guess it would work great with chicken thighs.

    Reply
  54. Jaime says

    April 19, 2009 at 9:31 pm

    i am bookmarking this!

    Reply
  55. jose nazario says

    April 25, 2009 at 10:09 pm

    smells great, kevin, thanks for the post. we’re waiting for it to cool a bit before digging in. needs some bread on the side to sop up the sauce.

    Reply
  56. Sarah says

    May 15, 2009 at 12:39 am

    Yum!! Where did you find the wholewheat orzo?? I haven’t seen it anywhere in the GTA. Thanks!

    Reply
  57. Kevin says

    May 21, 2009 at 1:15 am

    Sarah: I found it a small shop in the St. Lawrence Market. It is the shop just north of the grain and rice shop that is out in the open on the basement level.

    Reply
  58. Angi says

    June 5, 2009 at 3:04 am

    very easy to make and delicious!

    Reply
  59. The Hot Plate says

    June 27, 2009 at 4:12 pm

    It is just pouring outside today and while surfing for comfort food I came across this beauty! Can't wait to give it a try, but have you considered searing the chicken first?

    Reply
  60. Kevin says

    June 27, 2009 at 4:17 pm

    The Hot Plate: Searing the chicken first to give it a nice caramelized skin would also be nice. Though I find that as long as the chicken is not submerged and the skin side is up then the skin gets nice and golden brown as it bakes.

    Reply
  61. Nicole says

    July 20, 2009 at 9:00 am

    Oooohhh that looks great, I love risoni pasta. My Grandmother is Greek so I will have to ask her if she's had something like this before. I think she cooks something similar, but she uses potatoes instead of the pasta.

    Reply
  62. Edith Han says

    September 3, 2009 at 4:20 pm

    I've been silently stalking your blog for a while now, but I just made this last week, and it was amazing and I had to say something! It was simple to make, and tasted amazing… even my friend who doesn't eat much kept on going back even after he was full. 🙂

    Reply
  63. Melpy says

    December 31, 2009 at 7:14 pm

    Hey Kevin! I just made this…unfortunately I wish I saw the comment about splitting between two dishes because my chicken didn't really cook the way we wanted. In one dish I would reduce the liquid to maybe 4 cups. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
  64. Pat says

    October 26, 2018 at 4:12 pm

    What changes for the Crock Pot or Insta Pot?

    Reply
    • kevin says

      October 27, 2018 at 9:39 am

      For the slo cooker you can optionally do steps 1-5, place everything except the orzo into the slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hours or high for 3 hours, mix the orzo into the liquid and continue to cook on low for another hour or on high for another 20 minutes. Enjoy!

      Reply
  65. Andrea says

    December 10, 2019 at 7:14 pm

    I made this using 8 bone-in chicken thighs in my roasting pan. It’s been 45 minutes, and there is still a lot of liquid. Should I have allowed it to reduce first a bit on the stove top? I am thinking next time I am going to lesson the amount of chicken broth to 4, maybe 5 cups. It really is delicious!

    Reply
  66. Helen L Brockman says

    December 20, 2021 at 6:11 pm

    What is a cubanelle pepper? Is there a substitute?

    Reply
    • kevin says

      December 27, 2021 at 9:25 am

      It is a mild pepper and you can replace it with a banana pepper, or your favourite mild chili pepper, or even a green bell pepper. Enjoy!

      Reply

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