Chicken and Orzo

It was time for my weekly one-potter last night.  I'd been craving orzo, probably because over the weekend the bro made Chef John Besh's Silver Queen Corn, Orzo, and Crab Macque Choux (with gluten-free pasta instead of orzo due to his girlfriend's very sad food allergies).  It was so good, but I was left thinking about orzo.  Sweet, tiny, delicious orzo!  Now, I've made my fair share of one-potters with just about every type of pasta since pasta = love.  I've also made my fair share of one-potters with all types of rice since the boyfriend loves rice.  But pasta shaped like rice?! Winning!

I knew I wanted chicken and orzo, but what else would taste good?  I almost always use onions and mushrooms.  Colorful food is important, so for some green I chose little green peas and the red was going to come from tomatoes.  What would hold it together?  I went old school family reunion mushy casserole style and grabbed a can of cream of mushroom soup and lots and lots of delicious Monterey Jack cheese.

TIP #1: As I was tearing apart the rotisserie chicken (aka chicken carcass), the boyfriend asked, "Why do you buy a chicken carcass instead of cooking your own chicken?"  Good question, Jason! You'll see that the chicken was on sale for $3.99.  Not only is that way cheaper, but the work is already done for you!  I mean, Big Brother was coming on at 8 and I didn't get started cooking until 6:30.  Rotisserie chicken usually equals money and time saved!

Step 1: Put a big pot of salted water on to boil while you get all of the chicken off the bone and chop your vegetables

Step 2: Saute the chopped onion in a tablespoon or two of butter or olive oil (I used butter last night) and season with salt, pepper, and whatever else you like.  I put a bit of seasoned salt because I felt like it.  Once the onions are soft and sweaty, add mushrooms and saute until those are soft and sweaty. After that, dump in a little chopped garlic and diced jalapeno for some spice.  Next add the tomatoes until they are warm and then the frozen green peas until they are warm.  Lastly, add the can of cream of mushroom soup and let the flavors meld while your orzo cooks.  Get your oven preheated to 350, too!

TIP #2: I always cook my pasta slightly under the al dente recommendation on the box.  You're going to bake it in the oven for a while and reheat it for leftovers later and the last thing you want is mushy pasta!

Step 3: Drain the pasta and mix it in with the vegetable concoction.  Stir in the chicken.  Add in a few handfuls of Monterey Jack cheese, leaving enough in the bag to top your casserole with.  Pour into your casserole dish (I'll blog about *that* topic later), top with the remaining cheese, and bake at 350 until nice and bubbly!

Since I realize that a big dish of ooey gooey cheesy pasta deliciousness isn't exactly the healthiest of dinners, I always throw together a salad.  Jason and I need our veggies and I always hope that if I eat a giant salad first, my portion of ooey gooey cheesy carby deliciousness will be less than Olive Garden size (it doesn't always work, but hey, I try).

I also roasted some asparagus to serve alongside the chicken and orzo.  Jason's dumb oven only has one rack, so I couldn't put it in the oven like I wanted.  Instead I sauteed it with olive oil, salt, and pepper until nice and tender.  Dinner time!

I think this one pot shot of chicken and orzo was a success.  If I make it again, I think I'll add more tomatoes and Jason requested less onions, but that's a common request of his.  Onions aren't his fav, but I continue to try to sneak them in because they add so much flavor!