Creamy Chicken with Mushrooms and Orzo

I’m all about quick, easy and one pot dinners. Here’s a recipe for all you busy people out there that want a home cooked meal but don’t have the time or energy to spend more than 30 minutes making it. This is a fun take on chicken and rice. Except we are using orzo pasta instead of rice. For my vegetarian friends out there, feel free to omit the chicken, substitute vegetable stock and add more veggies to this recipe.

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• salt, pepper and garlic powder to season chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 8 ounces sliced baby bella or cremini mushrooms
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 2 1/4 cups chicken stock
• 1/4 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups fresh baby spinach
• Parmesan or Romano grated cheese for garnish
• Italian parsley for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Sprinkle liberally both sides of chicken breasts with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
2. Heat large skillet over medium high heat.
3. Add olive oil and butter. Heat until bubbly.
4. Sear chicken for 2-3 minutes per side until a nice crust forms. (chicken will not be cooked through but will continue cooking with the orzo.)
5. Remove seared chicken to a plate.
6. Add mushrooms to hot skillet and saute until cooked about 2 minutes.
7. Reduce heat to medium.
8. Add garlic and orzo to pan and saute for 2 minutes.
9. Add chicken stock, cream and spinach.
10. Place chicken into orzo mixture.
11. Cover and cook for 20-25 minutes or until internal temperature reaches 165 F degrees.
12. Top with grated Parmesan or Romano cheese and Italian parsley leaves.

Makes 4 servings.

Advertisement

Easy Oven Baked Chicken Fajitas

Okay. I admit it. I am a picky eater. You will not find green bell peppers or yellow onions in my fajitas. I love every type of bell peppers except green. I will always substitute whenever a recipe calls for green bell peppers. As for red onions, they just happen to be my favorite type of onion. I always have them on hand. Don’t get me wrong, I like yellow onions too. But I ALWAYS have red onions. So feel free to substitute your favorite colors of the rainbow for this dish. You can even omit the chicken and use sliced portabella mushrooms and add other vegetables to make a fantastic vegetarian fajita.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 large onion sliced
• 1 red bell pepper sliced
• 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts sliced into strips
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 tablespoons Mexican seasoning (chili powder, crushed red peppers, cumin, garlic powder, oregano and paprika)
• 1 lime, juiced
• tortillas and your favorite fajita sides for serving
• lime wedges for garnish

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat oven to 400 F degrees.
2. Place onions, peppers and chicken in 9×13 baking pan or dish.
3. Drizzle and coat with olive oil. Sprinkle Mexican seasoning over dish. Top with lime juice. Toss to coat.
4. Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway.
5. Serve with tortillas and your favorite fajita sides. Add lime wedge to each plate for garnish and extra lime juice if wanted.

Makes 3-4 servings.