Cider-Braised Chicken with Apples & Orzo

This cozy one-pot chicken pairs crisp, golden skin with tender apples and orzo simmered in a savory hard cider and Dijon broth. Toasting the orzo first gives it extra depth before it cooks alongside the chicken, soaking up the flavorful braising liquid. Everything comes together easily in the Le Creuset 7.5 Qt. Round Dutch Oven, with plenty of room to roast the whole chicken and cook the creamy orzo right alongside it.

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

2 cups orzo

1 whole chicken

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 medium shallots, peeled and halved

3 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 large apple, cored and cut into wedges

1 (12-ounce) can dry hard cider, preferably Basque cider

1½ cups chicken stock

3 tablespoons Dijon mustard

5 sprigs fresh thyme

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 cup labneh

Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

Heat the oven to 450°F.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a 7.5 qt. Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the orzo and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly toasted and golden, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the orzo to a bowl and set aside.

Pat the chicken dry and season generously with salt and pepper. Add a little more olive oil to the Dutch oven, if needed, and place the chicken in the pot. Arrange the shallots around the chicken, then drizzle everything with olive oil. Transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered, until the chicken is deeply golden and the shallots are beginning to caramelize, about 25 minutes.

Add the garlic and apple to the pot. Pour in the hard cider and chicken stock, then stir the Dijon into the braising liquid around the chicken. Add the thyme sprigs. Cover the Dutch oven and return it to the oven for 30 minutes.

Remove the lid and stir the reserved toasted orzo into the braising liquid around the chicken, making sure the orzo is mostly submerged. Return the pot to the oven, uncovered, and cook until the orzo is tender, about 12 minutes.

Remove the pot from the oven and let stand, uncovered, for 10 minutes before serving. As it rests, the orzo will continue to soften and melt into the cider-mustard sauce.

Discard the thyme sprigs. Finely grate the lemon zest over the chicken and orzo, then squeeze in lemon juice to taste. Spoon the labneh into a small serving bowl and drizzle generously with extra-virgin olive oil. Carve the chicken and serve with the creamy orzo, apples and shallots, with the labneh alongside.