Vegetable Medley Orzo with Chicken
I bet this Vegetable Medley Orzo with Chicken is going to become your new staple. Imagine juicy chicken thighs seasoned to perfection and enveloped in delicate rice-shaped pasta and a medley of vibrant vegetables. Every morsel is infused with flavor and every bite a delicious experience of textures. And guess what, it is all made in one pan! I cannot speak more highly of this dish. You know you want the recipe!
And to think that this recipe came out of a need to use up ingredients! I had gotten a bag of produce from my favorite place in Reading Terminal (OK Produce) through the app Too Good to Go. By the way, let me plug in that this is great app if you want to get some discounted foods while reducing food waste. But back to my story. What I love about these produce bags is that everything is a surprise. So what I make from it is always a surprise too. Well, I grabbed the saddest looking veggies from the bag and my fridge. And with orzo and chicken in mind in a one-pan meal, I cooked everything while recording the process.
This turned out so good! Plus it really is so easy to make. I was going to just make it a video on my social media platforms but the peoples of instagram voted I make it a recipe. Which I am actually glad I did so I can come back to it myself 😁. Now this Vegetable Medley Orzo with Chicken can also be very versatile. You can swap out some veggies for others you like and even use salmon or some other protein instead of chicken. But I still think you should try it once just as is before going there. There is something about this mixture of vegetables and the warm juicy cherry tomatoes that burst in your mouth that you need to experience at least once before going off with this lol. Anywho, I have said enough. Now go make it!
Vegetable Medley Orzo with Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or cut of your choice
- ½ tsp smoked paprika
- ½ tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp ginger paste or minced
- 2 tsp thyme
- 2 tsp rosemary
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 tbsp butter
- 1/2 a medium sized onion chopped
- 2 carrots chopped
- 2-3 jalapeños chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes
- 1⅓ cups orzo
- 2⅔ cups broth
- 2 handfulls of chopped kale
- salt and black pepper to taste
- cayenne to taste optional
Instructions
- Add chicken pieces to a large bowl and season with salt, white pepper, smoked paprika, ginger, thyme and rosemary. Mix them around until each piece of chicken in covered in seasoning. Set aside as you prepare your vegetables or let marinade for about 15 minutes to an hour in the fridge.
- Heat a large skillet or pan over medium high heat then add your olive oil.
- When olive oil is hot, add chicken to the pan. Let chicken cook until it browns on each side (about 5 minutes per side), then remove chicken and set aside.
- Add your butter to the pan if needed then add your onions followed by the carrots then jalapeños. Sautée until veggies begin to get tender (about 3 to 5 minutes).
- Next add your garlic and stir until it begins to get fragrant, followed by your cherry tomatoes.
- Add salt and pepper, and if needed some rosemary, thyme, smoked paprika or cayenne at this point to your liking.
- Once the tomatoes have began to blister and soften, add your orzo. Stir until orzo is completely incorporated then pour in your broth.
- Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan to make sure nothing sticks. Add your kale, mixing it in until it wilts.
- Return your chicken to the pan making sure it is buried in the mixture. Let it cook for another 12 to 15 minutes or until the orzo is tender and the chicken is cooked through (you can cover it to help it cook faster).
- Taste for salt and adjust if needed. Take it off the fire and serve hot.
2 Comments
Rebecca+Amin
July 25, 2023 at 7:05 pm
Yummy!
fuajia
July 26, 2023 at 12:23 pm
Thank you! 🙂