I love ‘one-pan’ dinners. Easy to cook, no fuss, and minimal washing up. The chicken thigh fillets pack so much flavour, are a good source of protein, with very little fat and cook beautifully.

Top the dish with this crisp and crunchy gratin topping to make this a real family favourite.

Serves 4.

8 chicken thigh fillets
Seasoning
1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Low calorie butter cooking spray
1 lemon, thinly sliced
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
240g orzo
1 tsp thyme leaves
2 garlic cloves, minced
150ml dry white wine
500ml good chicken stock

For the topping
1/2 slice of wholemeal bread
2 tbsp freshly grated Parmesan
2 tsp dried thyme

Season chicken thighs on both sides with freshly ground pepper and sea salt.

Heat the olive oil, over a medium heat, in a large oven proof pan.

Cook the chicken, until starting to brown, then flip and cook the other side to the same colour. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

Decrease heat to medium, add the butter spray and lemon slices, and cook until the lemons release their juices and start to brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the chicken.

Add the broccoli, orzo, thyme, garlic and another good grind of sea salt to the skillet and stir to coat. Cook until the the broccoli is bright green and orzo is lightly toasted, about 5 minutes.

Deglaze the pan by adding the wine and cook until the liquid is mostly absorbed, 1 to 2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock and lemon slices to the pan, then add the chicken thighs along with any liquid from the plate. Cover and continue cooking until the orzo is tender, most of the liquid is absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through, about 15-20 minutes.

Meanwhile make the topping. Add the bread, torn into large pieces, to a food processor and pulse a few times to make breadcrumbs. Add the Parmesan and thyme and pulse again to blend.

Preheat the grill to medium hot.

Once the chicken is cooked and the orzo is soft, remove from the oven and scatter the breadcrumb mix over the top. Grill until the topping is toasted and crisp.

Serve with crusty bread and a side salad.