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(953)
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
953 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.

I think it’s just ok.

Not a bad recipe but I was surprised to see how popular it has been with others. Like some other slow cooker recipes, it didn’t have a lot of texture and it felt like a lot of ingredients that just blended together without a purpose. I thought certain flavors would have been a bit brighter. In general I’d suggest a little less garlic (a rare recommendation from me) and a bit more salt.

Amy

I did not use any cream - it didn’t need it. For whatever reason I could not find cherry peppers, so I used Calabrian peppers. It was spectacular. Spicy and garlicky in the best way. The orzo took maybe 10 more minutes, but well worth the wait.

Joey

My goodness this is just delicious.

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