Monday 30 September 2013

Chicken and Orzo with Goat Cheese

So it's the Wednesday night before Dee's wedding (which was, by the way, a completely wonderful day - she looked perfect, and only the slightest hiccup of mis-placing her bouquet) and my brother turns to me and says "Watcha making for dinner on Sunday?".

Hmmmm.....  I had kind of an idea - but I had to look it over again.

And settled on this delightful looking recipe from Shawnda over at Confections of a Foodie Bride.

After a very busy weekend, I needed a fairly simple recipe that I could just whip up and this recipe looked like it would be really simple.

Especially when I read the word....  "low maintenance"

What?!! 

Let's do this.  It's going to be quick.


In a 2.5 - 3 quart casserole dish add the chicken.


Then add the orzo.


And the sun-dried tomatoes.


The goat cheese.


Thyme and lemon juice.  I gave everything a little stir.


In a large pot, mix together the chicken broth,



butter, water,


salt and pepper and bring to a boil.


I would just like to say that I tried out this PC Blue Menu chicken broth and I nearly dropped dead with excitement.  It actually smelled REAL.  I will be using that AGAIN.

Pour the broth mixture into the chicken mixture and stir a little to combine everything.


Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes.  I took the dish out and stirred it a little.



While the chicken is cooking, combine the parmesan and bread crumbs.  Then add in the melted butter and stir until well combined.

Sprinkle the panko mixture over the top of the chicken mixture, return to oven and bake for 7 minutes more until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling.


Two things you need to know here.

Number 1.  I'm terrified of salmonella.  TERRIFIED.

I suppose I could have dug out a piece of chicken to check to see if it was cooked through, but instead I left it in the oven for a few extra minutes, then a few minutes more because I thought it looked too soupy.

Then I topped it with the bread crumbs and baked it some more.

Secondly, I was kind of slow to start the oven and it took FOREVER to get to 400 degrees F.  I got ahead of myself and added the broth mixture to the chicken mixture and it kind of just sat together for like 10 minutes until the oven got to temp.  Which I think contributed to a lot of the liquid starting to go sooner than anticipated.

The end result wasn't as creamy or saucy as I had anticipated, but I definitely think that was my fault.
 

Please refer to item Number 1 in the list above.

And the second item.

However.  It was pretty darn good.  And healthy too!  No cream, no milk, the smallest amount of cheese.

And, like Shawnda said - low. maintenance. 

Okay - so it's two words.

Thanks to Shawnda for a healthy, easy recipe that everyone enjoyed!!!

And before I go I need to share a picture that my niece, Dannika, insisted I take.  And I feel obligated to share it here.


She's the sweetest thing.

xoxo - the Cane girl

Chicken and Orzo with Goat Cheese

1 pound orzo pasta
1 pound chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
6 ounces chevre, crumbled
2 teaspoons fresh thyme
Juice from 1/2 a lemon (about 2 teaspoons)
4 cups chicken broth
3/4 cup water
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup Panko bread crumbs
  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  2. In a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish, combine the chicken, orzo, tomatoes, goat cheese, thyme and lemon juice.
  3. In a large pot, combine the chicken broth, water, 1 Tablespoon butter, salt, and pepper.  Bring the mixture to a boil.
  4. Once the broth mixture has come to a rapid boil, pour over the chicken mixture and stir gently.
  5. Place the casserole dish in the oven and bake for 30 minutes.
  6. While the chicken mixture is cooking, melt the remaining 1 Tablespoon butter.  Combine the Parmesan cheese, Panko crumbs, and add the melted butter. 
  7. Top the chicken mixture with the Panko mixture and return to the oven.
  8. Bake for an additional 7 minutes or until the topping is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.
  9. Let stand for 5 minutes, then serve.
Source:  Confections of A Foodie Bride

2 comments:

  1. Soooooo - I really don't like goat cheese (I so wish I liked it but I just CAN'T - the taste is just - bleccchhh) but I like everything else in this recipe. Do you have a suggestion for a substitute for the goat cheese?? - what do you think about BRIE???!!!! Camembert???

    ReplyDelete
  2. I would say Ricotta cheese is a better choice.... Sorry you don't like goat cheese. How boring.

    ReplyDelete