Chicken and Orzo Skillet Dinner
Photo: Johnny Autry; Styling: Cindy Barr
Combine 4 cups romaine lettuce with 2 tablespoons chopped red onion and bottled vinaigrette for a quick side.
How to Make It
Step 1
Heat a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken. Sauté 6 minutes, turning to brown all sides. Remove chicken from pan; keep warm.
Step 2
Bring 8 cups water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add orzo; cook 8 minutes or until orzo is al dente. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/4 cup cooking liquid.
Step 3
Add reserved cooking liquid, chopped tomato, tomato paste, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and peppers to skillet; cook over medium-high heat for 2 minutes. Add chicken, pasta, and 3 cups spinach leaves, stirring until spinach wilts. Remove from heat; sprinkle with cheese.
KathleenLee's Review
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jgray88's Review
Like other reviewers said- this is a bit bland. I did add a few things to spice it up a little bit, including: frying garlic (2 cloves) before adding tomatoes (stolen from another reader), adding red wine to the tomato mix, adding some dried basil at the end- but the orzo-tomato ratio was just way off! Next time I would do an extra tomato and tomato paste, as well as spinach. I think this recipe does have a lot of potential and is great for busy nights (it took me less than 30 minutes)
mae4181's Review
This one is just okay. It's not bad, but it's also not great. I didn't have a problem eating it, or its leftovers, but it's also not one that just stands out with me as being fantastic. Will not make again, especially when there are so many other recipes to try.
I made this as the recipe directed, and I will say that my 4-year-old niece really liked it.
Karen243's Review
Only used about 1/2 of the recommended orzo. Yummy though.
MaryTuerk's Review
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acopeland's Review
I didn't understand how this recipe would work without garlic, so I added it. I haven't had the recipe as is - but with the garlic (sauteed with the chicken) my whole family (even a finicky toddler) enjoyed it. So I would recommend it - but with the added garlic because it did seem that it could be a bit bland without it. I also cut down on the red pepper flakes to make it less spicy to a child. But it was a really easy weekday dinner that was good for the whole family - and that's what I look for (tasty & easy recipes.)
LizzieKat's Review
This was very easy and tasty. I really wonder about your tastebuds, folks, when you describe a dish like this as "bland." Plain reduced fat feta and the salt & peppers gave this dish great flavor, in my (not so) humble opinion. I am always unsure about measuring spinach. I bought a 5 oz prewashed package and could have used all of it. I will make this again for a weeknight dinner.
jayric's Review
I'll make this again but I'll add garlic. When making this I added dried basil as well as some left over tomato sauce. It was definately lacking flavor even with the added basil.
cheerios019's Review
Definitely bland, even with the red pepper flakes. Feta was the only bit of flavor in the dish. If you like to tinker & experiment, this is a good base recipe.
**No Way** do you need this much orzo!