Chicken, black olive and orzo

Nestled in Thyme's 'village within a village,' you will find The Ox Barn restaurant. Under the direction of Head Chef Charlie Hibbert, Thyme curate amazing dishes inspired by their rural surroundings. As we enter a cold and dark winter, the team have provided the perfect recipe for you to cook at home and transport yourself to the Mediterranean...

Recipe for chicken, black olive and orzo

A Greek-inspired baked orzo dish, soaked in the juices of the chicken, fennel, olive and lemon. One to truly transport you to a Mediterranean island.

Serves 2

Prep & cooking time: 35 minutes

Difficulty: easy

Ingredients

2 organic chicken legs, separated into thigh and drumstick

50ml white wine

½ small red onion, diced

¼ head of fennel, sliced from root to tip

5 black olives, pitted and halved

1 bay leaf

½ lemon zest and juice

100g orzo

200ml chicken stock

1 tsp salt

½ tsp cracked black pepper

A handful of chopped parsley

Method

Preheat the oven to 180°C (normal) | 160°C (fan) | gas mark 4.

Fry the chicken pieces in an oven-proof pan over a medium heat until browned and crisp on all sides.

Remove from the pan and set to one side.

Pour in the white wine and scrub off any brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Scatter in the onion, fennel, bay, lemon and orzo in the pan and stir together.

Place the chicken back in the pan and pour over the chicken stock.

Season with salt and pepper and bake in the oven for 20 minutes, until the liquor has been absorbed by the orzo.

Put the chicken onto a plate, stir through the parsley and serve.

Wine Pairing

Andrea, who owns and leads Last Drop Wines on the King's Road in Chelsea, recommends a sustainable Pinot Noir from Cordaillat. Read her advice here.

About Thyme

Thyme includes 32 bedrooms situated throughout the Georgian rectory, The Lodge, The Tallet and the buildings around the courtyard and gardens. Ox Barn (seats 62) offers a wonderful dining experience, with its own twist on seasonal British food.

Thyme also offers the Baa bar, meadow spa, pool, orchid house and botanical bothy. The piggery and balcony room boutiques stock Bertioli by Thyme's range of silkwear, tableware and bespoke homeware.

If that's not enough, their 'village within a village' also contains a cookery school, floristry and drawing classes, farm, kitchen gardens, orchards and water meadows. Cottages are available for private hire and you can also book the Tithe Barn for private events.

You can view our collection of Thyme recipes and our interview with Charlie Hibbert on L-Shaped.

Thyme’s room rates currently start at £335 (midweek) / £395 (Fri, Sat) per night. These are room rates include breakfast.

Thyme, Southrop Manor Estate, Southrop, Gloucestershire, GL7 3PW