Pesto Orzo with Chicken
This incredible satisfying pesto orzo with chicken couldn't be any easier than five ingredients, and takes no time to make!
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 260kcal
Equipment
- 1 pot large enough to cook the orzo
- 1 frying pan
- 1 cutting board
- 1 slicing knife
- mesh strainer I like using a mesh strainer to catch orzo so that we don't lose any pasta in the holes of a regular pasta strainer.
Ingredients
- 2 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts diced into cubes
- 2 tablespoon adobo seasoning or salt and pepper
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 jar pesto or you can make your own!
- 1 ½ cups dry orzo
- parmesan cheese optional, for garnish
Instructions
- Pat dry the boneless, skinless chicken breasts and dice into small pieces then add to a medium bowl. Season with either adobo or salt and pepper, then set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the orzo until al dente.
- While the orzo cooks, sauté the chicken with olive oil on medium heat, cooking on all sides until the pieces of chicken begin to lightly brown and are cooked through, approximately 10 minutes.
- Once the orzo is finished cooking, strain the cooked orzo and add back to the pot. Dollop a few spoonfuls of the pesto directly into the cooked orzo. Stir to combine the orzo with pesto, adding in more pesto as desired.
- Add the cooked chicken to the pesto and orzo, then stir to incorporate the chicken and coat with pesto. Transfer to a large bowl, then top with fresh parmesan shavings and serve.
Notes
When stirring in the pesto, be sure to use enough to coat the pasta and keep it creamy. You might think you are adding in too much of the sauce, but trust me, you want it creamy and you want the pasta to be coated well and not dry out.
Don't rinse the drained orzo, as rinsing the pasta will wash away starch which actually helps the sauce stick to the pasta.
Cook the orzo al dente. This prevents the pasta from breaking and becoming mush when mixing with the chicken and the pesto sauce.
Nutrition
Calories: 260kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.004g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 235mg | Potassium: 203mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 437IU | Vitamin C: 0.4mg | Calcium: 44mg | Iron: 1mg
