Diana Henry’s stuffed Greek chicken with cayenne, oregano & orzo

This is the perfect recipe for a summer Sunday lunch, with everything you need all in one dish.

Stuffed Greek chicken. Picture : Laura Edwards

This is the perfect recipe for a summer Sunday lunch, with everything you need all in one dish. You have double carbs with the stuffing and orzo – a small pasta also known as risoni – but it works: the bread becomes deliciously soft and soggy with the juices from the tomatoes. Serve it with a green salad or roasted peppers, and open a rosé.

STUFFED GREEK CHICKEN WITH CAYENNE, OREGANO & ORZO

1.8kg chicken

75g feta cheese, crumbled

115g tomatoes, chopped

75g coarse country bread, torn into small pieces

4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more to drizzle

2 garlic cloves, finely grated

3 teaspoons dried oregano

Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper

½ teaspoon cayenne pepper

225g orzo (risoni)

500ml boiling chicken stock

1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves

Preheat oven to 190ºC (fan). Put chicken into a 30cm diameter ovenproof dish (I use a cast iron one). Mix feta, tomatoes, bread, olive oil, garlic, half the dried oregano and some seasoning in a bowl, then stuff into the chicken cavity. Rub chicken breast and legs with cayenne, sprinkle with the rest of the dried oregano, then season the bird and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven for 50 minutes.

Sprinkle orzo around chicken and pour over boiling stock. Return to the oven for a final 20 minutes. Check during this time to make sure the orzo isn’t becoming dry: top up with boiling water if you need to.

To check the chicken is cooked through, pierce it deeply between the leg and the body. The juices that run out should be clear, with no traces of pink. The orzo should be tender and the stock absorbed.

Stir chopped parsley into the orzo and serve the chicken straight from the dish. A green salad or a dish of roasted red peppers is all you need on the side. Serves 6

Diana Henry is a British food writer. Edited extract from her cookbook From the Oven to the Table: Simple Dishes That Look After Themselves (Hachette, $39.99). Photography: Laura Edwards