Sour Cream & Onion Chicken Thighs with Orzo

These flavorful Sour Cream and Onion Chicken Thighs are so satisfying, and surprisingly simple. Inspired by a bag of sour cream & onion potato chip flavor, this is all made in 1 pot, with juicy chicken thighs, a homemade spice blend, and creamy orzo! This one pot meal is the perfect weeknight dinner addition, and everyone will love it!

My all-time favorite potato chip flavor has always been sour cream and onion potato chips (specifically, pringles). I've just always loved the salty, savory, and slightly tangy flavor of a crispy sour cream and onion chip. This recipe is totally inspired by that flavor profile, but placed onto the blank canvas of bone-in skin on chicken thighs. In this sour cream & onion chicken recipe you'll be making your own spice blend, but don't worry -- its easy! I'll give a few options to elevate it as well!

TIP: Use the spice blend from this recipe to make other variations, such as a sour cream and onion dip! To do something like this, increase the amounts for the spice blend, add to sour cream, add scallions or chives, and stir to combine.

A lot of other recipes with similar titles as this one use things like panko bread crumbs and a sour cream mixture / sauce, which usually involves frying or baking a piece of chicken. I think this recipe emulates the sour cream and onion chips a bit better by using a seasoning blend instead.

Table of Contents:

🎥 Watch the video of this recipe
🥘 What you need for this recipe
📋 How to make Sour Cream & Onion Chicken
Variations
Storage
Top Tip
Recipe FAQs
Related
Pairing
📖 Recipe
⭐ Reviews

🎥 Watch the video of this recipe

@legallyhealthyblonde
sour cream & onion chicken with orzo🫶🏻🧅🍗 recipe below! ingredients: - 4 skin on bone in chicken thighs - 1 cup orzo - 2 cups chicken broth - seasoning blend - 1/2 tablespoon onion powder - 1/2 teaspoon ranch powder - 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt - 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder - 1/4-1/2 cup sour cream in orzo (depending on preference) - 1 large green onion, sliced thinly, separated by green parts and white parts. - olive oil method: - pat chicken dry and season with a pinch of salt and black pepper on the skin side - season skin side with pinches of seasoning blend. there should be about 1/2 teaspoon left in the bowl after seasoning the chicken. - heat oil over medium high heat. sear seasoned chicken, skin side down. cook for about 5 minutes, until crispy. - while chicken is skin side down, sprinkle the other side with salt and pepper. - flip chicken and cook most of the way through (about 90% cooked) - set chicken aside on a plate. - in the pan, add 1 tbs butter - add sliced white parts of the green onion, stir to saute. - add orzo and lightly toast until golden - add broth and stir. bring to a boil. - simmer until orzo is cooked through. - add remaining seasoning mix and 1/4 - 1/2 cup sour cream, depending on preference. - Taste & add more seasoning as needed. - add chicken thighs on top of the orzo, skin side up - simmer until all broth is absorbed and chicken is cooked through to about 160-165°F - garnish with remaining green onions.
♬ original sound - emily eggers

🥘 What you need for this recipe

Ingredients and Substitutions

Skin-on Bone-in Chicken thighs
Sour Cream
Orzo pasta
Green Onions
Chicken broth
Onion Powder
Ranch Powder
Garlic Powder
Kosher Salt

See Recipe Card for Quantities and details.

Substitutions

Chicken - I really think chicken thighs work best here, but it could work with any chicken variety. Just ensure it has the skin, even if using chicken breast. Meatless chicken could work in this as well!

Orzo - Feel free to use another small pasta shape or even rice. Note that cooking times and liquid amounts may vary.

Sour Cream - Greek yogurt can work here as well. However, I recommend using a greek yogurt that has at least a little bit of fat, rather than nonfat.

Equipment

Sharp knife & cutting board
Large Pot (a dutch oven works great).

📋 How to make Sour Cream & Onion Chicken

About 1-2 hours before beginning the cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge, drain any liquid off and dry it off. Sprinkle the chicken heavily with kosher salt, being sure to get the back and sides of the chicken thighs, and leave out to come to room temperature. The salt will remove moisture from the chicken, which will help create a crispy skin.

In a shallow bowl, add the spice blend mixture and whisk until well combined. Set small bowl aside.

Begin by patting the chicken dry with paper towels. Season both sides with a pinch of kosher salt and black pepper. Season skin side with pinches of the spice blend. There should be about ½ teaspoon left in the spice blend bowl after seasoning the chicken.

In a large pot or large skillet with high sides, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add all four seasoned chicken thighs skin-side down. Sear the chicken skin. Cook for about 5 minutes, until crispy.

While the chicken is skin side down in the pot, sprinkle the other side with salt and pepper.

Flip the chicken after 5 minutes (or until skin is golden brown) and cook most of the way through (until about 90% cooked). Set chicken aside skin side up on a paper towel-lined plate or paper towel-lined tray.

In the same pot, add 1 tbs butter. Melt.

Add the white parts of the green onion, stir to saute until soft. Add orzo and lightly toast until golden, then add broth and stir. Bring to a boil. Simmer until orzo is cooked through.

Add the remaining seasoning mix (about ½ teaspoon) and ¼ - ½ cup sour cream, depending on your preference. Taste & add more seasoning as needed.

Add chicken thighs back to the pot on top of the orzo, skin side up. Continue to simmer until all the broth is absorbed and chicken is cooked through to about 160-165°F

Divide portions and serve in a medium bowl. Garnish with remaining green onions and/or fresh chives

Optionally serve with lemon wedges for extra tang.

Variations

Spice blend options - I chose to include ranch powder because it is usually easy to find and it contains milk powder. However, you could also go the extra mile and get plain milk powder, then add onion powder, garlic powder, etc. Additionally, the Onion Salt from Trader Joe's would work very well in this blend or even on its own.

Spicy - Kick this up a notch by adding some red peppers flakes or fresh chilies.

Storage

I recommend store this all together in an airtight container. Store for up to 3 days. Re-heat in the microwave or stovetop.

Top Tip

Be sure to get the chicken skin really golden and crispy! However, don’t heat it too high that the spices burn. Often, cooking chicken skin on low heat can create a better result, but it will take longer.

Recipe FAQs

How do you know when the chicken is cooked through?

I recommend investing in an electric meat thermometer. FDA guidelines say chicken can be eaten at an internal temperature 165º degrees F, but you can take it off the heat a little before that, as it will continue to cook off the heat.

Can I use a different cut of chicken for this?

While you definitely can, I highly recommend using chicken thighs over chicken cutlets or chicken tenders or even chicken breast. The thighs have a higher level of fat, which imparts a lot of flavor to the recipe. If you do want a lower fat option, try using bone-in skin-on breast pieces rather than boneless skinless chicken breasts. This way, there is still some fat to keep the chicken moist and flavorful.

Looking for other one pot recipes like this? Try these favorite recipes:

Pairing

These are my favorite dishes to serve with sour cream and onion chicken thighs with orzo!

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🎥 Watch the video of this recipe