Thursday, November 17, 2011

{recipe} herb chicken with creamy orzo.

one week and counting until thanksgiving! yippee! next week i am planning on lots of thangiving geared posts to share with everyone. i am very excited to spend my first thankgiving in virginia (more on that next week).

before i get onto the most amazing weeknight dinner recipe, i have to tell you this morning was like christmas over hear, i have never had such great luck in a row. so as i mentioned in yesterday's post here i order a fabulous light for our dining area. after having some terrible experience with ordering from west elm in the past (our headboard and guest room sleeper sofa took months to arrive) i was mentally preparing myself for a long painful wait for my gem of a light fixture.

well, west elm has proven me wrong folks! i received a shipping confirmation this morning for my light, and i was shocked to see that the expected delivery date is TODAY! i almost wanted to race home from work just would wait for the beauty to be delivered!! but since i am a mature adult i am demonstrating a little bit of self control. since matt has class tonight i know what i will be doing... assembling!!!!!!!  not to mention doing tons of laundry....and i mean tons, i have been been ignoring our hamper for while now and i am going to pay the price tonight....i loath folding...if only buckley could do laundry... but even laundry can't stifle my excitement. the original plan was to paint the bathroom this weekend, but hanging a light too won't kill us : )

more on that to come.

i have made this recipe several times for matt and i after discovering is on annie's eats. it is that perfect recipe that is easy enough for a weeknight meal, contains pretty basic ingredients but would please any crowd. since last night was one of those cold, rainy fall evenings that just made you want to curl up on the couch it was the perfect comfort food we needed.enjoy!

                                       Source: annies-eats.net via Caitlin on Pinterest

Herbed Chicken with Creamy Orzo.

Serves: 2 hungry adults.


Ingredients
8 oz. orzo pasta, uncooked
2 chicken breasts, butterflied into halves
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
 
Directions
1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil.  Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes.  Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.


2. Season both sides of the chicken breast halves with salt and pepper.  Sprinkle evenly with the Herbes de Provence.  
 
3. Heat the olive oil in a 12- or 14-inch skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the chicken breast halves to the pan and cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown.  
 
4.Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallot to the pan and sauté 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute, until fragrant.  
 
5. (Optional remove chicken from pan and cut into smaller pieces, return to pan). Add the diced tomatoes with juices and the broccoli florets to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. 
 
6. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer over medium-low.  Cover and let cook until the broccoli florets are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.  
 
7. Stir in the cooked orzo, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.  Mix until well blended and the cheese has melted.   If necessary, add some of the reserved pasta water to smooth out the sauce.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve immediately.

*slightly adapted from Annie's Eats.

No comments:

Post a Comment