Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Creamy Orzo with Chicken & Red Peppers


Perfect summer dish. Light and airy, yet filling! The kids seem to tolerate it too!

1 tbl. olive oil
2 chicken breasts- in chunks
2 red bell peppers- 1/2 in. pieces
1 tea. dried thyme
3 cloves minced garlic
1 lb. orzo pasta
8 oz. cream cheese (softened)
1 c. reserved pasta water
1/2 tea. salt
1/2 tea. pepper
1/2 c. shredded parmesan cheese
3 tbl. chopped fresh parsley
The juice of 1 lemon

First, take out the cream cheese to soften. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook orzo and reserve 1 c. of the water. While orzo cooks, heat olive oil in a skillet and season the chicken with a pinch of salt & pepper. Cook chicken in the oil; brown on all sides, but not fully cooked through. Add red peppers and thyme. Stir and cook for about 5 mins. until peppers are soft and liquid has evaporated. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. On med. heat, cut in cream cheese in bite size pieces and stir to coat. Add pasta water (1 c.) bring to a simmer, and add 1/2 tea. salt & 1/2 tea. pepper, stir well. Let it cook down for a bit then remove from heat. Add orzo, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and parsley stir to combine and serve.

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