Prep: 15 minutes mins

Servings4 – 5 people

Ingredients

• ▢ 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ 100g/ 3 oz salami stick , cut into 3mm / 1/8″ thick rounds then chopped into small batons (Note 1)
• ▢ 2 x 250g / 8 oz chicken breasts (large), each cut in half horizontally to form 4 thin steaks (Note 2)

Chicken spice mix:

• ▢ 1/2 tsp cooking salt / kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 tsp garlic powder
• ▢ 3/4 tsp paprika
• ▢ 1/4 tsp sage powder (optional)

Creamy tomato parmesan risoni (orzo):

• ▢ 2 garlic cloves , finely minced
• ▢ 1/2 onion , finely chopped
• ▢ 1/4 cup chardonnay or other dry white wine , optional (Note 3)
• ▢ 1/4 cup tomato paste
• ▢ 1 1/4 cups risoni/orzo , uncooked (Note 4)
• ▢ 400g / 14 oz canned chickpeas , drained (or other beans)
• ▢ 3 cups chicken stock , low sodium (or veg stock)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp cooking / kosher salt
• ▢ 1/4 tsp black pepper
• ▢ 3/4 cup thickened / heavy cream (low-fat ok)
• ▢ 1/3 cup parmesan , finely grated (I use store bought sandy type)
• ▢ 150g/ 5 oz baby spinach (or 4 cups kale pieces)
• ▢ 1/3 cup sun dried tomato , chopped (optional) (Note 5)

Optional garnish

• ▢ 2 tbsp roughly chopped basil (optional) (Note 5)

Instructions

• Spice Mix – Mix the ingredients in a small bowl then sprinkle both sides of the chicken.

• Crispy salami – Heat the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium high heat. Cook the salami for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until crispy and golden. Remove into a paper towel lined bowl using a slotted spoon, leaving the tasty salami fat in the pan.

• Cook chicken – In the same pan, cook the chicken for 3 minutes on each side until dark golden and just cooked through (internal temperature 67°C/153°F). Remove onto a plate and cover loosely with foil to keep warm.

• Sauté – Still on medium high, cook the garlic and onion for 1 1/2 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the wine and let it simmer rapidly for a couple of minutes until mostly evaporated, stirring to dissolve the fond (gold bits) on the base of the pan into the wine.

• Risoni (orzo) – Add the tomato paste and stir for 1 minute to cook out the sour raw flavour. Add the risoni and stir to coat in the tomato paste. Add the chickpeas, chicken stock, salt, pepper.

• Simmer – Bring to a simmer, then cook for 8 minutes, stirring every minute or so, until the risoni is just about cooked. Lower the heat to medium as it gets thicker so the base doesn't catch.

• Cream & spinach – Add the cream, parmesan, spinach and sun dried tomatoes (if using). Stir until the spinach is wilted then remove from the heat. The risoni should be oozy and tender. (Still firm? Note 6)

• Finish – Cut the chicken into thick slices. (Bit cool? Note 7) Spoon risoni into bowls. Top with the chicken, sprinkle with lots of crispy salami, parmesan and basil (if using). Dig in!

Recipe Notes:

1. Bacon and chorizo will both provide similar flavour pops in this dish as well as tasty oil to cook the chicken in. 2. Chicken – Skinless, boneless chicken thighs or tenderloins can also be used, around 500 – 600g / 1 – 1.2lb. 3. Wine – Deglazing the pan with wine adds a slight edge of extra flavour. But it’s still very tasty without. 4.  Risoni (aka orzo) – Small rice shaped pasta, find it in the pasta aisle. You’ll need half a standard 500g/1 lb packet, use the rest for another risoni recipe! Rice etc – Recipe as written won’t work with rice, quinoa or dried beans. However, it should work with other very small pasta, like alphabet or star pasta. 5. Basil and sun dried tomatoes – these do add an extra sparkle to this dish but don’t make a special trip to the store for either because it’s 100% great without. I only added them because I had an aging jar of sun dried tomatoes in the fridge and a few limp stalks of basil that needed using. 6. Risoni not cooked?  Add a splash of hot water and keep cooking. Risoni is so tiny, it cooks really quickly. 7. Warming chicken – If the chicken has cooled a bit too much for your taste, plonk it on top of the risoni and leave it for 30 seconds to warm through. Then take big scoops of risoni + chicken to serve into bowls. Leftovers will keep for 3 to 4 days in the fridge. Pasta is not the best for freezing but it does work (3 months). The risoni is really tasty to eat even without the chicken. Nutrition per serving. It’s a generous amount! 

Nutrition Information:

Calories: 623cal (31%)Carbohydrates: 49g (16%)Protein: 42g (84%)Fat: 28g (43%)Saturated Fat: 13g (81%)Polyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 126mg (42%)Sodium: 1497mg (65%)Potassium: 1372mg (39%)Fiber: 6g (25%)Sugar: 7g (8%)Vitamin A: 3847IU (77%)Vitamin C: 17mg (21%)Calcium: 174mg (17%)Iron: 4mg (22%)

Comment - 

1. Jannep

   June 25, 2025 at 3:44 pm

   This is so flavourful with lovely blend of textures…thanks Nagi😍 I searched through comments for ages to see if anyone else had tried GF penne pasta with no luck…so in case any other GF cooks are wondering… it actually worked really well…just watch cook times…was well and truly cooked at 8min!

2. Lisa

   April 18, 2025 at 8:55 am

   I never thought of many of these ingredients working together, but oh my goodness, they do! I chopped up the chicken and mixed it through the dish with the salami when adding the spinach, as kids were coming home at random times to eat. It’s an absolute winner and has been added to our meal plan on rotation! We make our salami, so it’s always great to have ways to use it! Used a venison salami for this one! I wouldn’t change a thing!

3. Nina

   March 27, 2025 at 10:41 pm

   Cooked this tonight. Exactly like it’s written with all the extras. Was so delicious. Will defs make again but will use yoghurt instead of cream to reduce the fat content but will still add the Parmesan. Yum!