Thursday, April 22, 2021

Creamy Lemon Chicken Spinach Orzo

I have a great lemon chicken orzo recipe for the crock pot, but today Lex asked for some for lunch, and he didn't want to wait.  So, after reading some recipes online, I invented this new way of cooking orzo and it was delicious.  Since I combined a few recipes, I thought it was time to write it down, so I can make it again.

First, all the chicken was frozen, so I cooked some frozen chicken breasts in the instant pot.

I put 1 TBSP of butter and 1 TBSP of oil in the bottom of the instant pot and set it to saute for 10 minutes.  I added enough frozen chicken breasts to cover the bottom of the pot, and seasoned them with salt, pepper, smoked Spanish paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.  I flipped them over after 5 minutes, and seasoned the other side.

Once the 10 minutes was up, I took the chicken out of the instant pot and added 1/2 cup of lemon juice and deglazed the pot.  Then, I put the chicken back in, and pressure cooked it for 10 more minutes.  When it was done, I diced the chicken.

I diced one small onion and 3 cloves garlic while the chicken was sauteing.

Then, I put 2 TBSP butter and 1 TBSP olive oil in the bottom of my big cast iron pot.  I sauteed the onion and garlic.  Then, I added 1 cup of orzo, Italian seasoning, and sauteed for about 3 more minutes.  Then, I added 2 cups of chicken broth, 2 TBSP lemon juice, and 1 cup heavy cream.  It cooked over medium heat, bubbling and cooking the pasta, while stirring often, for 10 minutes.  Once the pasta was cooked, I stirred in the chicken and 2 cups frozen spinach (thawed in the microwave and drained).  Top with salt, pepper, and 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese.  Put the lid on the pot and let it rest for about 5 minutes until creamy.

Fude

Winner winner, chicken dinner.

It took about 30 minutes, from start to finish.


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