Creamy Chicken & Chorizo Pasta | One Pot One Portion
This creamy chicken and chorizo pasta is the perfect single-serve, 20 minute weeknight dinner when you're cooking for one but want it to feel a bit more special. I think we should all be romanticising solo cooking because it really is such a joy! Put on your favourite playlist, set aside some time and make something delicious for yourself, starting with this chicken and chorizo orzo.
Hello readers! I'm Eleanor..
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About this dish
It’s time we started romanticising cooking for one. We all know the joy of making food and sharing it with others but not enough people are talking about, or experiencing the joy of solo cooking. I think it’s often labelled with the narrative that cooking for one is laborious, time consuming and generally not worth the time or effort, but I want to show you that it doesn’t have to be any of these things. It can be quick, easy, completely delicious and worth every minute. If you’re not sure where to start then try making my one pot one portion creamy chicken and chorizo pasta. It only takes about 20 minutes to cook, and I think you deserve to carve out those minutes for yourself and for this dinner.
If you like this recipe you might also like my Squash Gnocchi with Crispy Chorizo, Sage & Garlic, my Chorizo, Corn & Courgette Gnocchi or my Creamy Boursin Pasta.
Why you want to make this recipe
20 minute meal
This recipe only takes about 20 minutes. This is a 20 minute one-pan meal that you make on the hob, so requires as little effort as you could possibly imagine.
One Pot Recipe
As with all of my recipes, this only needs one pot or one pan so there are minimal dishes, which makes every meal time easier and more enjoyable.
Single-Serve
Again, as always, this recipe is for single-serve tacos so you can make this just for yourself! Though it would be very easy to scale up to serve multiple people if needed
Ingredients and Tools
Chorizo
- Chorizo is a powerhouse of flavour that adds so much to a dish. It's full of spices like garlic and paprika and in this dish you begin by rendering out the pork fat (by adding the chorizo to a cold pan before heating) which adds depth and more flavour to the pasta.
Orzo
- You can use any pasta shape for this dish but my preference is orzo, which is a rice-shaped pasta. It's tiny which means that you get a bit of everything in each bite. It also cooks evenly and, as this is a one-pan dish, the orzo cooks in the sauce which releases the starch from the pasta contributing to the silky, creamy sauce in a similar way to risotto. The result is a creamy chicken and chorizo orzo.
Chicken Thighs
- I prefer chicken thighs to chicken breast for this pasta dish because thighs retain more moisture when being cooked in the pasta, plus chicken thighs have a higher fat content than chicken breast which adds more flavour and keeps them juicy. You could use chicken breast if you wanted to, it will just need to be cooked for less time.
Cream Cheese
- Cream cheese is what makes this chicken and chorizo pasta creamy! You could also use creme fraiche, or double/heavy cream too- the choice is yours!
Step by step instructions
Add the chorizo to a cold pan then place over a medium-high heat and cook until the fat has rendered out of the chorizo, and the chorizo is slightly crispy.
Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
Add the chicken thigh and tomato puree, smoked paprika and mixed herbs and cook for 4-5 minutes before adding in the orzo, water and stock cube.
Stir in the cream cheese/creme fraiche and some fresh parsley.
Serve into your bowl and top with more fresh parsley and chopped chillies, if you like it spicy!
Variations, substitutions or modifications
Gluten-Free: To make this gluten-free, use gluten-free pasta.
Vegetarian: To make this vegetarian, you could use vegetarian chicken and chorzio alternatives. You could also substitute both of these things for vegetarian sausages, cut into pieces and you'd want to double the paprika and mixed herbs.
Vegan: To make it vegan, do the above and substitute the cream cheese for a vegan alternative.
FAQs
What is Orzo?
- Orzo (also called risoni) is a short, rice-shaped pasta. It is made of wheat so is not gluten-free and cooks in the same way as other pasta. When cooked in a one-pan dish like this one, the starches get released into the sauce giving a silky, creamy result.
What is a good substitute for Orzo?
- If you can't find orzo you could use any short pasta for this dish. Rigatoni, penne or fusilli would work well, and you may just have to alter the quantity of water you add as you cook the pasta.
Is Chorizo Gluten-Free?
- Chorizo is made from pork, pork fat, garlic, paprika and salt and therefore most chorizo is gluten-free. Check the packaging though if you're not sure.
Can I make a double portion?
- You can easily double up this single-serve recipe just by doubling the ingredients.
If you like this recipe you might also like my Squash Gnocchi with Crispy Chorizo, Sage & Garlic, my Chorizo, Corn & Courgette Gnocchi or my Creamy Boursin Pasta.
Ingredients
For one serving, you need:
- 35g chorizo, sliced into 1/2 cm semi-circles
- 1/2 white onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 red bell pepper. chopped into 1cm pieces
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1 chicken thigh, cut into 1/2 inch pieces
- 1/4 tsp smoked paprika
- 1/4 tsp dried mixed herbs
- 1 tsp tomato puree
- 70g orzo
- 300ml water
- 1/2 vegetable stock cube
- 2 tbsp creme fraiche/cream cheese
- Juice of 1/2 lemon (optional)
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- Salt
- Black Pepper
To serve:
- Handful of fresh parsley, finely chopped
- 1/2 red chilli, finely sliced or chopped (optional)
Instructions
- Add the chorizo to a cold pan then place over a medium-high heat and cook until the fat has rendered out of the chorizo, and the chorizo is slightly crispy.
- Add the onion, pepper and garlic and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken thigh and tomato puree, smoked paprika and mixed herbs and cook for 4-5 minutes before adding in the orzo, water and stock cube.
- Simmer with a lid on for around 15 minutes, stirring frequently and adding more water if it dries up (this will depend on the pasta you use and the shape and size of your pan.
- Once the orzo is al dente, stir in the cream cheese/creme fraiche. Taste and season with salt and pepper as well as lemon juice, if you like (I've done it with and without lemon juice and think both are delicious!). Stir through some fresh parsley.
- Serve into your bowl and top with more fresh parsley and chopped chillies, if you like it spicy!
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"A genius approach to bringing joy to every meal, Eleanor gets that good food is the best form of self-love."
I buy a lot of cook books and this is genuinely one of the best l've ever bought. I've tried 6 or 7 recipes so far and they're all winners. I'm well used to scaling recipes down to one portion, but not having to calculate measurements as l go along feels like a little luxury. One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up! Highly recommended.
I have been following Eleanor on IG for a while and have made several of her dishes before the cookbook came out. I was thrilled to see so many new things to try and have already made about 6 of them. Her recipes are approachable, the dishes are delicious, and they make me feel like I can cook! Highly recommend.
If you love eating good home cooked food but can't be bothered to cook just for yourself, then this is the book for you. Using ingredients that are easy to find, then mixing, cooking and eating from the same pan or dish means a minimum of washing up. Every recipe I have tried so far has been delicious and have all turned out well which isn't always the case with many cookery books. Definitely recommend!
Following Eleanor on Instagram and seeing her recipes come to life is one thing but then having them in my own kitchen is quite another. Not only are the recipes easy to follow and delicious she also help you not to waste food. This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?
Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This is perfect, as far as influencer chefs go, I find this book refreshing in what has become a cohort of lauded influencers who really aren't doing much more than the bog standard meals most people make anyway, or making googled recipes and adding their own "flair". This book is different as it's your normal fare you'd likely make yourself, given a little bit of a twist to speed up the process / use less utensils / ingredients / food waste, in really creative and tasty ways, all perfectly portioned for one.
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you eating!
Great present! Bought this for my sister who cooks for one. She absolutely loved it finding it inspiring! So many great recipes to motivate and keep you cooking when it's just you
Follow Eleanor on socials and knew I NEEDED this book immediately! SO glad I paid extra and had it shipped from the UK (to US). Eleanor's voice is loud and clear in every recipe. The pictures are beautiful, the instructions are perfectly clear, and I want to make EVERYTHING. I cannot recommend this book enough!
This recipe book is stunning and fulfils its role brilliantly in catering for individuals who want to eat delicious meals, but don't want to prepare family sized portions or devote their entire evening to cooking. Who'd believe you could make an entire roast for one person and only use one pan in the process! She is a genius and I couldn't recommend this book any more highly.
One of the best things about the book is that all the recipes are actually cooked in one pot - in a lot of other so-called books you still have to make your side dish in a separate pot. With these recipes, even if they include rice or pasta, it's all cooked together. No mountains of washing up!
This is the book I've been waiting for! I (very happily!) live alone, love to cook and read cookery books, but every recipe is for two people or more. This gorgeous book contains recipes perfectly proportioned for one person (and I'm always a very hungry one person!) which ensures more variety, less food waste, and pure, gluttonous joy.
It's so nice to finally have a recipe book that I can go to if I want a quick easy meal with minimal cleaning up required! Everything l've tried so far is delicious. And I salivate at the thought of everything in there!
Totally reignited my cooking mojo which had been MIA for a while. I'm going to buy my daughter a copy to take back to Uni too as everything is simple and delicious - perfect for a student!
Best cookbook for somebody single!
The fact I know I won't have loads to wash up really feels motivating and l've earmarked so many of the recipes already.
This book is like having all your favourite foods in one place with the added bonus of an old friend showing you the ropes. Congratulations Eleanor when can I pre-order the next one?