This is a delicious recipe for a greek style orzo and chicken. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts, but you could easily use boneless skinless thighs or bone in, skin on, breasts or things. I got the idea for this dish on the Rachael Ray Show. I am a loyal watcher of her daytime show. I started watching her on food network when she first started, but now only seem to have time to enjoy her daytime show. I record it on my DVR, and watch it when my son is napping. She is a great inspiration to me, I love that she is a very talented home cook that is not trained as a chef. She is also pretty, funny, and so normal. She actually had to beg to be on The Soup, I thought that was too funny. The Soup is another favorite show of mine, we record it on the DVR too. By watching The Soup, I don’t feel the need to watch any of those silly reality and talk shows, they just compile the best clips (of people being crazy) for us, its great!
This recipe isn’t exactly like Rachel’s. I used roasted red peppers instead of tomatoes. I also used 1 less lemon, and prepared the orzo by absorption instead of boiling like pasta. There were a few other minor variations, but the basic recipe idea is the same. My family loved this chicken and orzo. I thought it might have been to spicy for my little one, but he gobbled it up and begged for more. You can adjust the spice in this recipe by changing the amount of crushed red pepper flake you put on the chicken.
Yield: Serves 4
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
1 medium sweet onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup chopped olives
1/4 cup chopped banana peppers
1/4 cup chopped jarred roasted red peppers
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb bag orzo
1 lemon, sliced
4 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Melt the 2 tablespoons of butter in 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add garlic. Saute on low. Add orzo and cook over medium heat until orzo is golden brown. Add chicken stock to orzo and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 8-10 minutes. Turn off heat and let pasta rest, covered for 5-10 minutes.
Sprinkle chicken breasts with kosher salt, pepper, dried oregano, and red pepper flake. Preheat a large skillet. Drizzle with olive oil. Place chicken in pan and place lemon slices on top of chicken breasts. Brown chicken, being careful to place lemon back on top of the breasts after flipping them.
Remove chicken when done. Saute chopped onions and green peppers in the same skillet. Add chopped olives, roasted red peppers and banana peppers. Add orzo and mix well. Add to a serving platter and add feta cheese. Mix well. Serve chicken on top of orzo.