Easy Spring Vegetable Chicken Orzo

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 35 minutes

Ingredients

500 g (1lb) chicken breasts

2 tbsp olive oil

500 g (1lb) orzo pasta

1 shallot

3 fresh garlic cloves (crushed)

2 cups frozen peas

200 g (7 oz) fresh asparagus (stalks chopped)

1 cup heavy cream

4 cups chicken stock/chicken broth

1 lemon (zest and juice)

1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

fresh basil (to serve)

Directions

Heat a large, deep pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, resulting in two thin cutlets.

Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Sear the chicken in the hot pan until golden brown on both sides then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil or a knob of butter and allow to melt.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add all the vegetables. I like to add the asparagus tops later on to prevent over-cooking.

Add the orzo, lemon juice, stock and cream and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and allow to simmer for 7-8 minutes until the orzo has absorbed most of the liquid.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Add the seared chicken and asparagus tops then cover and cook for another 5 minutes until the orzo is tender and the chicken is fully cooked.

Remove from the heat, garnish with fresh basil and serve.

Nutrition

• Calories: 529 kcal
• Total Fat: 23 g
• Saturated Fat: 11 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0.01 g
• Cholesterol: 105 mg
• Sodium: 1660 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 45 g
• Dietary Fiber: 6 g
• Total Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 35 g