Stuffed Greek chicken with cayenne, oregano & orzo from From the Oven to the Table: Simple Dishes That Look After Themselves (page 175) by Diana Henry

Ingredients

ground cayenne pepper
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whole chicken
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Where’s the full recipe - why can I only see the ingredients?

Always check the publication for a full list of ingredients. An Eat Your Books index lists the main ingredients and does not include 'store-cupboard ingredients' (salt, pepper, oil, flour, etc.) - unless called for in significant quantity.

Notes about this recipe

vero_a0kzed on March 26, 2026

So delicious! I added fresh tarragon at the end and squeezed some lemon on top
joanne761994 on February 13, 2026

One of our favourite recipes. I sometimes add chopped up roasted red peppers to the orzo pasta. It goes well with peppery radishes.
ClaireJ55 on January 14, 2026

I never normally stuff a chicken, but made an exception & it was perfect. Though I did give the chicken an extra 15 minutes!
Countesschicklington on November 01, 2025

Fantastic. I like to make extra stuffing and bake it in a baking dish alongside the chicken.
sarahj22 on February 17, 2024

I'm now obsessed with this recipe and make it nearly every week. I make it in an air fryer (chicken goes breast-side down) and reduce the cooking time. The leftover orzo makes great cold packed lunches with added salad, baby plum tomatoes, olives and the rest of the pack of feta.
SpatulaCity on November 16, 2023

We loved this. Due to the comments saying it makes a lot of orzo, I halved the amount of pasta and stock. But the orzo was SO GOOD having soaked up all those chicken juices and fat! So scrumptious that I removed the chicken and orzo from the pan, but kept the drippings, and used that (along with the other half of the stock) to cook the entire amount. The stuffing was not our favorite because of the sourdough, but next time will try a French or rustic bread. I get nervous about undercooked chicken juices so used Kenji Lopez’s method of putting stuffing in a cheese cloth, microwaving to 180 degrees, then stuffing the chicken. No worries about undercooked juices then!
Jebbers on April 27, 2023

It is now a beloved favorite in our house. I've used blue cheese instead of feta with great success. It does make a lot of orzo but leftovers are fantastic at room temperature!
averythingcooks on January 18, 2021

This was a really nice Sunday dinner with juicy chicken and we absolutely devoured the stuffing (I used a hunk of homemade focaccia from the freezer). The orzo was tasty with lots of fresh herbs (parsley, oregano and basil) but with a dry measure of 1 1/4 cups, there is a LOT of it leftover. We are currently "discussing" whether little potatoes scattered in the pan and a smoky paprika instead of cayenne would be better choices next time.
Vibou on October 27, 2020

This chicken was delicious. The stuffing is one of the best we ever had. Easy, simple and perfect. FYI, On the last page of the index of the book (239) it specifies the temperature and oven Diana uses for all her recipes.
Indio32 on August 30, 2020

Really enjoyed this. Splurged a bit on a really good quality chicken. Eaten with a farmers market salad mix dressed with a basic vinaigrette. Would use slightly less boiling stock for the orzo next time. Will definitely make this again.
sarahj22 on July 10, 2020

Very easy and tasty. It doesn't quite beat my go-to roast chicken recipe, but it made a nice change. The stuffing is delicious. My chicken was smaller than the one specified in the recipe but took a little longer than the cooking time, so in future I'd check on its progress before adding the orzo and stock. I used the leftover orzo to make a variant on arancini.