Saturday, October 1, 2016

One Pan Chicken & Orzo #Recipe @PegCochran

One Sunday, when it was too rainy to grill (I will grill until the last possible minute and even then I'll shovel the snow off the grill), I went looking for something that a) didn't require a trip to the grocery store and b) was easy to make and c) was a complete, one pan dinner.  I found a recipe for chicken with orzo. 

Of course I changed a few things (what else is new, right?)  I thought the proportions of orzo to chicken were way off--we would be overwhelmed with orzo.  I cut down on the quantity and correspondingly cut down on the broth.  I also increased the tomatoes because I hate having 1/4 of a can sitting in the refrigerator until mold grows on top and I can throw it out!

And I added the olives because I like them and I had them!  I thought they added a nice briny touch to the dish.


Ingredients


4 to 6 chicken thighs—with bone or boneless/skinless—whichever you prefer
a glug of olive oil – about 1 tablespoon
1 cup orzo pasta
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Italian seasoning or a blend of
oregano/thyme/basil
1 cup chicken broth
1 can diced tomatoes
several grinds of fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
a handful of Kalamata olives, cut in half



Heat olive oil in sauté pan and add chicken thighs, skin side down (if using thighs with skin.)   


Saute until skin is nicely browned (skinless thighs won’t brown as much and will take less time.)


Remove chicken and place on a plate.  Add orzo to pan and sauté until golden.





Add onion and garlic to pan and sauté until onion softens.


Put chicken back in pan, add broth, tomatoes, seasonings and olives.  Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat until chicken is done (approximately 20 minutes) and broth has been absorbed and orzo is al dente.





 Out Now!

8 comments:

  1. The recipe looks tasty, Peg. Chicken thighs are my preferred part of of the chicken. Tweaking the recipe you found by changing the amount of orzo and adding olives sounds great!

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    1. I like the thighs, too! And they've discovered the dark meat does not have significant more fat than the white.

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  2. I enjoyed your new book and gave it five stars on Amazon. I'm looking forward to see who she chooses. I am sorry that she had to go through all that teenage angst

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  3. i do love one pot cooking, but not so much frying. wonder if i could play around with this so i didnt have to do it, lol. i am the same and always play with recipes. my theory is they are suggestions to help you get started arent they. love this book and for that matter all of your books!

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    1. Well you're not actually frying the chicken--merely browning it in a bit of oil. You could use less oil or even spray the pan with Pam or another non-stick spray.

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  4. This looks wonderful and tasty.
    Kay-If you choose not to brown the chicken, it will work, but not look or taste quite the same.

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  5. This looks really delicious! I am definitely going to make this for my family.

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