Chicken and Orzo With Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette
Published Oct. 12, 2022
- Total Time
- 30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marinating
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 8sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus 6 tablespoons oil from the jar
- 2cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
- 2tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch cubes
- 1large tomato, cut into ½-inch dice
- 1pound orzo
- 1(4-ounce) block feta, cut into ½-inch cubes
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
843 calories; 34 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 91 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 789 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
In a food processor, blitz the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, the basil, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Transfer half of this vinaigrette to a medium bowl, add the chicken and turn to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.
- Step 2
While the chicken marinates, transfer the rest of the vinaigrette to a large bowl. Add the diced tomato and toss.
- Step 3
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain the orzo and transfer it to the bowl with the tomato; toss to combine.
- Step 4
Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken and all of its juices to the orzo. Add the feta and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered, and enjoy cold for up to 4 days.
Private Notes
Comments
Very tasty! However, I think the amount of orzo should be halved - I increased the chicken to 1.5 lbs and the feta to 6 oz, but still the orzo swamped it completely. The photo illustrating this recipe is not the balance of ingredients in my experience. I'll make this again, but with 1/2 lb of orzo.
This is good! And easy. Makes enough for dinner for 3 & lunch for one the next day. Toasted pine nuts would make a nice garnish! I like the fact that it can be served cold, hot, or room temp- very versatile & unfussy.
Variation, not improvement: I was very interested in this recipe, so I made it with what I had on hand--tofu, not chicken. It worked pretty well. I added artichoke hearts and green olives to the mix to get body that I would lose without the chicken. Right call. Overall, very happy, and will prepare again. But, I look forward to trying the recipe with chicken soon, also.
Upped the chicken to 1.5 lbs, did 3/4 lb of orzo. Throw in a bag of spinach at the end. ( roasted fennel). Was so good
Easy weeknight meal! As others noted, it’s a bit bland, even after an overnight marinade. But, inspired by Samin Nosrat’s book, we squeezed some cut lemon on the dish. What an amazing transformation! Really delicious meal.
This was delicious as written. I made a couple of changes based on other cook's comments: I added chicken bouillon to the water when cooking the orzo. I used almost a whole(small) jar of sundried tomatoes, as mine were very small & skinny and it was hard to tell what "6" was. I added two cloves of garlic to the marinating chicken and marinated it for 2 hours. There was plenty of chicken (almost one piece per bite) and it was tasty. Leftovers were even more tasty the next day! Totally recommend.