Orzo is a pasta I don't tend to cook with too often, but I really enjoy its texture. It's similar to rice, but in pasta form. I've made this dish several times and keep adjusting the recipe to my liking. Overall it's a very light meal, which is often not the case for pasta dishes. It's full of a well-balanced combination of flavors; from the fresh marjoram to the sun-dried tomatoes. Serves about five people.
Chicken & Sun-dried Tomato Orzo
INGREDIENTS
- 9 oz. orzo
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil, chopped & divided
- 2 plum tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup vegetable juice, low sodium
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled
- 2 1/4 tsp. fresh marjoram, chopped & divided
- 1 tbsp. red-wine vinegar
- 3 tsp. oil from sun-dried tomato jar
- 1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (1-1 1/4 pounds)
- 1/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper
- 9 oz. artichoke hearts, from jar, chopped
- 1/2 cup finely shredded Romano cheese, divided
- DIRECTIONS
- In a large saucepan of boiling water, cook orzo until tender, 8—10 minutes or according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
- Place 1/2 cup water, 1 cup vegetable juice, 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, garlic, 1 1/4 tsp. marjoram, vinegar and 3 tsp. sun-dried oil in a blender. Blend until just a few chunks remain.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Heat 1 tbsp. oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle, 5 to 7 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
- Pour the tomato sauce into the pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup sauce to a small bowl. Add the remaining 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes to the pan along with the orzo, artichoke hearts and 6 tbsp. cheese. Cook, stirring, until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes.
- For each serving, slice chicken and place on pasta with 2 tbsp. of the reserved tomato sauce, a sprinkling of the remaining cheese and marjoram.
- Serves 5.
- Source: Adapted from Eating Well
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I have never made that. I want to try though. I love how it looks. Very pretty. Orzo.
I have missed visiting you Amy! Hoe you are well!
Looks healthy yet yummy ;-P
That looks very good! I may borrow this recipe real soon.
Yummy! This is right up my alley!
Do you need anyone to taste-test this for you? I'm available, if need be.
This looks delish! Does it work well as leftovers? It's just me so any meal I make has to be good as lunch the next day and dinner and so on...
found you on for the love of blogs, btw
I think it works well as leftovers. I need it to be more than a one time meal too. :)