Not long ago, I turned to the over-burdened cookbook shelf for motivation and inspiration and happened upon my almost vintage collection of Cooking Light Annual Recipes. I used to be a loyal subscriber to the Cooking Light magazines and would buy the annuals at the end of the each year. It was a great way to have all the monthly recipes in one place without having to deal with stacks and stacks of magazines lying around the house. But somewhere along the way, I lost interest. I'm sure it wasn't any fault of Cooking Light, but rather that I began cooking for a living and that just didn't allow for the luxury of lounging around reading magazines.
Either way, I remembered why I enjoyed the magazines so much when I ran across this recipe for Chicken Fricassee with Orzo. An easy recipe that is pretty much a full meal all by itself ~ meat, starch and vegetables. I served this with a green salad and had dinner on the table in no time!
Chicken Fricassee with Orzo
Serves 4
4 (4-ounce) skinned, boned chicken breast halves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons butter (I used olive oil)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1/2 cup diced carrot
1/2 cup diced ham
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1/2 cup Chardonnay or other dry white wine
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 cups hot cooked orzo (about 1 1/2 cups uncooked rice-shaped pasta)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
Parsley sprigs (optional) Preparation
Sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. Melt butter in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove chicken from pan.
Add onions, carrot, ham, and garlic to pan; sauté 4 minutes or until lightly browned. Stir in broth and wine, scraping to loosen browned bits. Return chicken to pan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until chicken is done. Remove chicken from pan with a slotted spoon; keep warm. Add whipping cream; cook, uncovered, over medium heat 8 minutes. Spoon 3/4 cup orzo onto each of 4 plates. Top each with 1 chicken breast half, 1/3 cup sauce, and 1 tablespoon parsley. Garnish with parsley sprigs, if desired.
2 comments:
Sometimes the simplest dishes, like this one, are the very best. I get so caught up in being creative and different that I forget less is more, and often more delicious. This is a great reminder!
Oh, yeah, this looks like a keeper...you can't beat the ease of a one dish meal!
PS...I'm delighted your going to make my cookie dough brownies. I bet the girls will love them :)
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