This is one of those recipes that when I looked at it I thought it would be ok. It turned out to be delicious. The chicken is moist and tender which is always a good thing, but the rice and vegetables are definitely the highlights of this dish. This recipe does take a little while to put together, but it is well worth the effort. This recipe was adapted from Cook’s Country with a few minor changes. Like with most of their recipes, they are a little extra work, but they usually turn out pretty good.
This one will go on my favorites list – give it a try it’s really good. Enjoy
Chicken with Rice and Spring Vegetables Recipe
Recipe Type: Main
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Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4
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Chicken with Rice and Spring Vegetables Recipe
Scale
Ingredients
- 3 – 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 1 ½ pound)
- ½ cup orzo
- 4 tablespoons vegetable oil (divided)
- 1 pound asparagus (trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces)
- Salt and pepper
- 1 cup long grain white rice
- 1 medium onion (finely chopped)
- 4 garlic cloves (crushed and minced)
- 2 ¼ cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup Marsala
- 1 cup frozen peas (thawed)
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil (chopped)
- ½ teaspoon lemon zest – optional (grated)
Instructions
- Prepare vegetables and set aside. (I found it handy to measure out all the ingredients before I started this recipe.)
- In a Dutch oven or large kettle over medium-high heat cook the orzo until deep brown. Pour in a bowl and set aside.
- Add one tablespoon of oil to the same pan and cook the asparagus until starting to brown and al dente. Remove the asparagus from the pan to a dish and set aside.
- Add the remaining oil to the pan, salt, and pepper the chicken and cook chicken until browned on both sides. Remove the chicken to a platter, and set aside.
- Place the rice, onion, and ¾ teaspoons of salt into the same pan and cook until onion and rice start to brown. Add ¾’s of garlic and cook until fragrant. Stir in the broth, Marsala, and orzo, bring to a high simmer and arrange chicken into broth adding any juices that were left on the platter. Cover and cook until chicken is done. (165F.)
- Remove chicken to a platter and quickly cover with aluminum foil to keep warm. Stir rice mixture; cover the rice and continue cooking until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed. (If the rice does not get done by the time the broth is evaporated, add chicken broth a little at a time, and continue cooking until rice is done.)
- Mix in the peas, asparagus, basil, remaining garlic, and zest. Cover and let sit until vegetables are warmed through.
- Served topped with the chicken breasts.
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