One Pan Red Pepper Chicken and Orzo
You all love one pan meals as much we do! They are easy, delicious and they cut the mess! One of our favorite red pepper sauces makes this a hit! And, the addition of broccolini for some color and vitamins is a great one. Enjoy!
Serves 4-6
Ingredients:
Red Pepper Sauce:
16 oz jar roasted red peppers, drained
28 oz can crushed tomatoes
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 cup heavy cream
Chicken and Orzo:
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
4-6 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, roughly 2 lbs.
Kosher salt
Black pepper
1 shallot, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2-3 Tbsp broth or white wine
2 cups orzo
3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
2 heads broccolini, tough stems removed
Olive oil
To Serve:
Fresh thyme or basil
Freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Make red pepper sauce by combining all ingredients in a blender. Mix until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Heat a large cast iron or oven safe skillet over medium high heat. Add butter and allow to mostly melt and then add seasoned chicken. Cook chicken 3-4 minutes. Flip chicken and cook 3-4 minutes on other side. Note, if chicken doesn’t easily flip or sticks to pan, it’s not yet ready to flip.
Remove chicken from heat and set aside (note, chicken is not fully cooked at this time). Add shallots and garlic to pan. Reduce heat to medium. Cook 4-5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Deglaze pan with a few tablespoons of chicken broth or white wine, scraping off brown bits. Add orzo and slightly brown, roughly 2-3 minutes.
Add red pepper sauce, Parmesan cheese and mozzarella cheese. Mix well. Gently nestle chicken back into pan.
Toss broccolini in a small bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper to lightly season.
Add broccolini to pan, nestling around chicken and orzo. Cover pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Note, if sauce gets too thick while baking, add some chicken broth to loosen.
Serve and garnish with fresh herbs and Parmesan.