Orzo, also known as risoni, is a form of short-cut pasta that is shaped like a large grain of rice. If you’re on a strict diet, this should definitely be counted as a cheat meal as orzo is fairly high in calories. Rest assured that this mouth-watering Mediterranean Orzo with chicken thighs recipe is well-worth the extra calories.
How to make Mediterranean Orzo chicken thighs
Ingredients:
- Aegean Gold Olive Oil for drizzling
- 6 free-range chicken thighs
- 1 large red pepper, sliced
- ½ C (125 ml) Aegean Gold Olive Oil
- a small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- a small handful of chives, chopped
- a small handful of fresh basil, chopped
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 10 g kalamata olives, pitted
- fresh basil leaves for garnishing
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Method:
- Preheat the oven to 200 ºC.
- Season the chicken with salt and pepper and drizzle generously with olive oil. Then do the same with the red peppers and tomatoes.
- Place the chicken onto a baking tray on one side and place the peppers and tomatoes on the other side. Bake for 35-40 minutes keeping an eye on the peppers and tomatoes.
- If some start to get a little too charry just remove them from the oven and set aside until later. The chicken is cooked when it registers 75 ºC on a digital thermometer.
- While the chicken is cooking, pop the orzo into a large pot of boiling salted water. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.
- While the orzo is boiling, mix the olive oil with the parsley, chive, basil and garlic and mix well to combine. Strain the orzo and toss immediately with the olive oil and herb mix. Mix in the peppers, tomatoes and olive.
- Spoon the orzo into a serving dish and place the cooked chicken on top. Dress with fresh basil leaves and serve. Yum!
*This recipe was found on crushmag-online.com
