Slow-Cooker Chicken Diavolo With Orzo

By Sarah DiGregorio

Updated August 24, 2026

  • Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Monica Pierini.
Media 1 of 1
Ready In
5 hr 35 min
Rating
5(1,199)
Comments
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This pantry-friendly, one-pot meal is inspired by Italian chicken diavolo, a chile-slicked grilled chicken dish. But it’s most similar to the Italian-American invention fra diavolo, a spicy, tomato sauce often served with seafood. Here, chicken thighs braise in a rich, olive-oiled mix of tomato paste, peppers and sun-dried tomatoes. There’s no need to add extra liquid because all those ingredients give off their moisture as they cook, creating enough sauce to cook the orzo that’s added at the end. Enrich with a splash of cream to bring it all together and tame the heat, just a little. If your crushed red pepper flakes are fresh, one teaspoon will yield a medium spicy result. Feel free to adjust up or down, depending on your taste. 

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs 

  • 1 (12-ounce) jar sliced roasted red peppers, drained 

  • 1 red, orange or yellow bell pepper, chopped

  • 8 garlic cloves, smashed and chopped

  • 1 shallot, thinly sliced

  • ⅓ cup tomato paste

  • ⅓ cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes (plain or packed in oil and drained)

  • ⅓ cup jarred, drained sliced hot cherry peppers

  • ¼ cup olive oil

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

  • Black pepper

  • ¾ cup orzo

  • ¼ cup heavy cream (optional) 

  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

25 grams carbs; 153 milligrams cholesterol; 409 calories; 10 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 20 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 738 milligrams sodium; 35 grams protein; 7 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a 6- to 8-quart slow-cooker, combine the chicken, roasted peppers, bell pepper, garlic, shallot, tomato paste, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry peppers, oil, salt, crushed red pepper and several generous grinds of black pepper. Stir well. Cook on low for 5 hours. 

  2. Step 2

    Stir in the orzo and cook on low for 15 minutes more, until the orzo is plumped and just tender.

  3. Step 3

    Turn off the heat and stir in the cream, if using. Coarsely shred the chicken with two forks. Garnish with parsley to serve.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
1,199 user ratings
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Comments

D

I have a slow cooker, but rarely go to the trouble of digging it out of the back of the pantry; a dutch oven is much easier (for me at least). I always convert slow cooker low to 275 in the oven, and high converts to 350. Hope that helps.

Jan

I'm thinking that I would shred the chicken before adding the orzo for two reasons. One, so I won't have ozo clinging to the chicken thighs when I go to retrieve them and two, so that the ozo isn't sitting in the the pot getting softer during the time it takes me to shred the chicken.

kaela

Oh man, YUM. This recipe was the perfect combo of low effort, high reward, and maximum coziness that I really needed for dinner tonight! The only sub I made was using some pepperocinis instead of hot cherry peppers because I already had an open jar in the fridge. I might add a little more orzo next time, but otherwise this is going into the regular dinner rotation.

Lynne in NH

I live alone so I made a quarter of this in my 1-1/2 quart mini crock pot. I made a couple of minor changes. I do not like jarred roasted bell peppers so I roasted my own. I added 1/4 cup of water plus 1/4 teaspoon chicken better than bouillon. Otherwise I made the recipe as written. When I checked the chicken after 3-1/2 hours, it was done so I added whole wheat orzo which took longer than 15 minutes to cook. I am not a hothead so I added more heavy cream. I served it with fresh parsley and Parmesan. I thought it was good and I’d make it again. Maybe I’d reduce the amount of chili flakes. It was filling and comforting and flavorful. Works for me.

Tauna

I added a little leftover tomato sauce to the dish the second time I made this, but I missed that rich, deep pepper flavor, so no more adding bits of this and that to this great recipe. The cherry peppers had a tough skin, so they were a little disappointing. It's also tricky to get the right texture for the chicken before it seems a little mushy in the slow cooker. Next time will try bone-in thighs and cook a little less time overall, or maybe skip the chicken & toss in pre-cooked meatballs.

KB

Very good, very flavorful. Skipped the cream, and glad I did, didn't need it. While it was cooking I thought it was going to be fail, I didn't like the look of it. I was trying to think what I was going to do with the remaining ingredients I bought for this. But when it was all done I was pleasantly surprised. I followed the recipe exactly.

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