Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Broccoli Orzo

I recently bought broccoli crowns that I ended up not cooking, so when Tara posted this recipe for Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Broccoli Orzo it sounded like a great way to use them up. It was also perfect because I've had half a box of orzo lurking in my pantry forever.

As I was reading over the recipe I realized two things - (1) a full pound of orzo would make way too many leftovers and (2) there's no mention of cooking the broccoli before adding it to the orzo so I decided to cook it with the tomatoes before tossing everything together.

The result was amazing. This was a great dish, light from the substitution of Greek yogurt for heavy cream and bright, fresh flavors. I don't know why I don't cook with orzo more often. Baby Girl absolutely loved this, practically shoveling the orzo and chicken into her mouth. A winner all around.

Herb Grilled Chicken with Creamy Broccoli Orzo
As seen on Smells Like Home

8 oz orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
Extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut in half lengthwise
2 teaspoons herbes de Provence
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2 cups fresh broccoli florets
6 oz plain fat-free or low-fat Greek yogurt
1/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan plus extra for sprinkling
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.

Drizzle the olive oil over the chicken and season with herbes de Provence, salt and pepper; set aside.

Heat a grill or grill pan over medium-high heat.

While the grill heats and right after you drop the orzo in the water, heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallot and garlic, and saute until tender and fragrant, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the broth and tomatoes and scrape any bits off the bottom of the pan. Simmer the tomatoes for 2 minutes, then add the broccoli. Cook until broccoli is tender, about 8-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Start grilling the chicken while the broccoli cooks, turning after 4-5 minutes and grilling for another 3-4 minutes. Remove the chicken from the grill and allow to rest for 5 minutes, then cut into slices.

Stir the yogurt and cream into the tomato and broccoli mixture. Add the drained orzo and toss to coat. Remove the skillet from the heat. Add the Parmesan and toss until the sauce coats the pasta thickly. Season the orzo with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle on extra Parmesan, if desired. Serve with the grilled chicken.

Garlic Lemon Shrimp and Orzo with Broccoli

I saw this recipe for Garlic Lemon Shrimp and Orzo with Broccoli on my friend Colleen's blog. SP is a huge fan of orzo and I had some shrimp I wanted to use up.


Broccoli is usually one of my favorite veggies but I haven't made it in awhile. I know tastes change in pregnancy and I didn't realize I was off the broccoli until we sat down to eat. The original recipe doesn't call for it and I should have left it out. Other then that the recipe was delicious. Next time I think I'll add a little cream to make the sauce a little richer.

Scallops and Asparagus with Cheesy Orzo

I saw this recipe on Elly Says Opa! and thought I'd make a variation of it using scallops and orzo.


My dish turned out to be a far cry from Elly's, but it was still delicious. I seared the scallops and made the cheesy orzo with pecorino instead of goat cheese (which would have been better but I was trying to use up ingredients, not buy more).

Ladies Lunch

Back in May we had another ladies lunch. Unfortunately Jenn was unable to make it, but Brooke, Lauren, Colleen and I all got together at Brooke's since she's on bed rest.

Colleen brought a delicious orzo salad:


... with arugula, goat cheese, dried cranberries, basil and pine nuts. I can't wait to make this salad for SP. He loves all things orzo. I made my grilled corn salad (thanks again to Brooke's husband Joe for showing me how to use their gas grill):


Since Brooke couldn't do any cooking she ordered sandwiches from a local Italian restuarant for us to share. I loved the eggplant sandwich:


... and also the chicken with roasted peppers:


Here's my plate with two sandwich quarters and the salads:


I'm not ashamed to admit I had two helpings of everything. It was all so incredibly delicious. I was so full I didn't eat dinner that night. Lauren was in charge of dessert and she made ice cream brownie cupcakes:


... that were sinfully delicious. As always, we missed Jenn tremendously. This might be our last ladies lunch for quite awhile. Lauren is due with baby #2 in July and then Brooke, Colleen and I will follow shortly thereafter. The next time we get together might be with a few extra little ones.

Holiday Party

For the past year or so I've belonged to a cooking board. It's a national board so many of the members are spread throughout the country. I've connected with tons of wonderful people and participated in fun gift exchanges, but the best part of the board is the get-togethers. A few of us live in the same area and have become very good friends off the boards, so we decided to do a holiday potluck yesterday afternoon. We each brought a dish so Brooke, the host, didn't have to do all the cooking. It was a leisurely lunch with lots of great conversations. I can't wait to do it again!

We started the lunch off with pizza pockets made by Colleen:


The little pockets of dough are stuffed with sausage, spinach and cream cheese. She served them with pizza sauce for dipping.


These were so good I'm pretty sure I had a few too many. I stopped counting after four. Absolutely delicious and the perfect start to the meal.


Jenn was in charge of the main course and she brought chicken marsala:


The chicken was incredibly moist and look at all those delicious mushrooms. So, so good! Lauren decided to stick with the marsala theme with a wonderfully creamy baked orzo:


... that was a great way to use orzo, which is one of my favorite pastas. I love that it could be made ahead like a casserole. Initially I was planning to make green bean casserole but the beans have been a little lackluster at the store, so I went with the zesty broccoli casserole instead:


This time I added the water chestnuts and used plenty of broccoli and it was delicious. I loved the crunch from the water chestnuts and onion and the broccoli still had a little bite to it. Here's my plate with some of everything:


A close-up of the delicious chicken marsala:


... the broccoli casserole:


... and the yummy baked orzo:


After we were stuffed silly Brooke served us some delicious hot apple toddies:


... before she brought out the dessert, a gorgeous pumpkin trifle:


Just look at those layers of cake, pudding and whipped cream:


It was nice and light, with great flavors:


I had a fantastic time hanging out, eating good food and laughing with everyone. I can't wait to do it again. I hope this becomes a regular thing. Thanks again for a fantastic time!

Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Caramelized Onion and Blue Cheese Orzo

In keeping with my week of trying recipes from Mary Ellen's blog, last night I made Buffalo Chicken Tenders with Caramelized Onion and Blue Cheese Orzo. The orzo was the recipe I got from Mary Ellen and the chicken tenders were a recipe I've made before.


I love these chicken tenders:


... because they're so easy to make and taste fantastic. I even made my own blue cheese dressing by mixing 1/3 cup mayo, 1/3 cup sour cream, blue cheese crumbles, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice. It was super creamy and really cut the heat from the tenders. The orzo:


... was the real winner, though. I absoluteley loved this recipe. It was super simple to make and the flavors were great.

Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes

I saw this recipe for Orzo with Sausage, Peppers, and Tomatoes in the Serious Eats Newsletter a few weeks ago. Since we had a pound of sausage in the freezer I figured I'd give it a try.


It was a very, very easy recipe that came together in less than 30 minutes. It had good flavor, but neither of us thought it was craveable. I like sausage, but I've never found myself saying, "Wow, I'm really craving some sausage right now." That being said, this meal was very good. I used spicy Italian sausage and added red pepper flakes as well, so the dish had a nice kick. I've always been a fan of the creaminess of orzo and it didn't disappoint. My only real complaint was that I couldn't quite taste the roasted red peppers or the tomatoes. And I added way more then 2 plum tomatoes. I had about 6 whole peeled tomatoes leftover from a can I opened earlier this week and I used them all, but unfortunately they got lost in the shuffle.

Grilled Chicken, Orzo and Grilled Zucchini

On Wednesday SP grilled up some chicken for dinner:


... that we had along with grilled zucchini (a current favorite) and some orzo. I had some tomatoes from my garden that needed to be used, so I diced them and mixed them with some balsamic vinegar, chopped basil, salt and pepper. SP said he prefers the cheesy orzo to this version, but it was still decent. My only problem is the hot orzo caused the skin on the tomatoes to separate from the flesh. I hate that more then anything. I don't like loose skin on peppers or tomatoes. It always gets caught in my throat and I have to remove all of it from whatever I'm eating or I can't enjoy the meal.

Grilled Pork Chops, Cheesy Orzo and Grilled Zucchini

After the success of the grilled pork chops we had last week, we decided to have them again. SP manned the grill and turned out moist, flavorful chops:


We also grilled some zucchini I'd gotten at the farmers market near my office:


... and I made some cheesy orzo:


To make the orzo I cooked some onion and garlic in a pan, then I added 2 cans of chicken broth and brought it to a boil before adding 2 cups of orzo. As the orzo cooked I chopped some herbs from my garden (basil, chives, rosemary and parsley). Once the orzo was cooked I mixed in the herbs, a splash of heavy cream and seasoned it with salt and pepper. Just before serving I added a generous amount of shredded Pecorino cheese. This stuff is so good we just kept eating and eating.

Grilled Chicken and Cheesy Orzo with Tomatoes and Basil

We love orzo, but it isn't usually on my radar for weeknight dinners. I had a box of it in the pantry, ripe tomatoes and basil in the garden and no idea what to make. Then I remembered a dish my friend C Laz turned me on to called Bruschetta Chicken. I didn't follow the recipe exactly, but it was the same basic idea.


After cooking the orzo with the onions and garlic, I added it to a bowl where I'd tossed chopped tomatoes from my garden with basil, salt, pepper, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I added in some grated cheese and cubes of mozzarella. SP manned the grill and dinner was served.

You might be wondering what sliced avocado is doing on the plate in the above picture. Well, we bought 4 avocados on Saturday, put them in a paper bag on the counter and promptly forgot about them. Until last night, when SP encouraged me to see if they were ripe before they went too far. One of them was almost overripe, so I cut into it last night:


Isn't it gorgeous? We both love avocado plain so we each had half the avocado sliced, drizzled with lemon juice, salt and pepper. It didn't quite go with the theme of the meal, but it was certainly tasty.

Spicy Chicken, Cheesy Orzo and Roasted Green Beans

This is one of those meals that looks fantastic on the plate (just look at all those pretty colors!) but the flavors just weren't there. To be fair, I took this recipe and completely butchered it in an attempt to make it using ingredients we had on hand.


Our first complaint was that the main dish wasn't spicy at all. The original recipe calls for shrimp and chorizo - I used only chicken. I'm sure the chorizo would have added some much-needed spice and overall flavor. It ended up being very mild, almost bland, and too watery:


I figured the cheesy orzo would be a winner, but unfortunately it didn't turn out the way I'd hoped. For starters, the name is cheesy orzo but the recipe didn't actually say to add the cheese to the orzo. I figured that's where it went because of the name, but I didn't feel like buying manchego cheese so I subbed plain old cheddar. It was fine, but it didn't wow either of us:


The roasted green beans were really the highlight of the meal. Like all roasted veggies, this couldn't have been simpler - just trim the beans and toss them with oil, salt and pepper and roast them at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes:


All in all this was not a winner, but I can't really blame the recipe since I made so many changes.

Balsamic Chicken with Mushrooms

SP was a huge fan of this meal the last time I made it and it didn't disappoint last night either:


I used chicken breasts this time. I was never a fan of dark meat, but the thighs are so cheap I figured I could live with it. Once we went through the family pack from the wholesale club I decided it was back to breasts. I really enjoyed the flavors from the shallots, thyme and balsamic. Definitely a winner.

Chicken and Mushrooms with Balsamic Cream Sauce

I got this recipe for Chicken and Mushrooms with Balsamic Cream Sauce from a girl on a cooking board I frequent. It looked (and sounded) so yummy yet so simple:


It couldn't have been easier to make and SP was a huge fan. He said anything I want to make in the future that involves orzo and a cream sauce is OK in his book.


I served some sauteed spinach on the side. For some reason it was very bitter. It was spinach we got from my parent's veggie box, but I don't see why that would matter.

Chicken with Wild Mushroom and Balsamic Cream Sauce
As seen on Erin's Eats, adapted from Rachael Ray

Salt
1/2 pound orzo pasta
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenderloins
Pepper
2 tablespoons butter
1 package of white mushrooms, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 tablespoon thyme leaves, a couple of sprigs, chopped
2 large shallots, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, eyeball it
3 tablespoons heavy cream or half-and-half, a couple turns of the pan

Heat a large pot of water to a boil. Salt the water and add orzo pasta. Cook to al dente.

Preheat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and add extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan. Season chicken liberally with salt and pepper and add to the hot skillet. Cook the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

Return the skillet to the heat, turn heat back a bit, and add the butter. Once the butter melts add the mushrooms and brown stirring occasionally for about 4 to 5 minutes. Once the mushrooms are brown season with salt and pepper then add the garlic, thyme and shallots. Cook stirring occasionally for about 2 minutes or until the shallots are wilted. Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook 2 minutes more. Whisk in the stock, balsamic vinegar and the cream. Turn the heat up to high and simmer for about 2 minutes or until thickened. Slice the chicken on an angle. Add the chicken back to the skillet to heat up, about 1 minute.

To serve, pile orzo on dinner plates and top with the sliced chicken and sauce.

Cheesy Orzo and Tomatoes

Sometimes I need to listen to my gut (literally!) With SP at band practice tonight and me having to work late I was going to stop off and get some takeout for dinner. But then a horrific storm passed through our area, knocking out our work server, and I ended up leaving work early with plenty of time to make dinner. We had been planning to have cheesy orzo sometime soon so I figured I'd make that.


While the dish itself was fine, it wasn't at all what I wanted for dinner and just generally seemed doomed from the start. First off, we were almost completely out of chicken stock so I had to make this using half chicken stock and half water, resulting in bland orzo. Then I went to chop the basil I was planning to mix in and all of it had gone bad. Water had somehow gotten into the sealed plastic bag and the basil was mush. And when I got out the mozzarella I discovered that the pound and a half we had in our fridge (one brick wasn't even open) expired almost 2 weeks ago.

In addition to the orzo I shallow-fried the pork chops SP was going to cook last night. I breaded them in egg and bread crumbs and then fried them in some vegetable oil. Since the chops were on the thick side they took awhile to cook through. I had half a chop with my dinner and it was dried out. I know SP will eat them, but by this point I just gave up on the hope of having a satisfying dinner.

I think the lesson here is that I shouldn't have cooked tonight. While I usually enjoy cooking when I'm stressed, inevitably the end result isn't very good. Sometimes you just need someone else manning the stove.