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Orzo With Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes And Chicken – simple, nutritious and tasty weeknight meal, perfect for a quick family dinner.
I keep saying that I struggle with breakfast ideas, but I’ve been having difficulty with dinner recipes. I never know what to cook. Often times, my days are so busy, that I don’t even have time to think about what I’ll be cooking.
Then I get tired and dinner needs to be cooked quickly. This is where dishes like this Orzo With Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes And Chicken come in.
Don’t get me wrong, I love to cook. I just don’t always have the time to cook fancy dinner and make everything from scratch.
I’ve always loved Orzo pasta. I actually prefer it to rice. No, they are not interchangeable, but I’ve been cooking with Orzo a lot lately and leaving rice behind.
Orzo cooks quickly. The rest of the ingredients for this Orzo With Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes And Chicken cook pretty quickly, too. This dish is quick to make and still full of flavors and super delicious!
You get the idea – fresh, crunchy zucchini, sun-dried tomatoes, Kalamata olives (optional), feta cheese and perfectly cooked chicken breast. Another dish with a Mediterranean twist.
The best part is the there is no sauce! By sautéing the zucchini with garlic in olive oil and then adding sun dried tomatoes, oregano and lemon juice, you create a light sauce which is perfect for this kind of pasta dish.
Oh no, this is not a “one pot recipe”! I know these recipes are super popular lately, but pasta needs to be cooked in a separate pot and drained, before you combine it with the veggies. This way the textures of the different components of the dish could be distinguished.
Weeknights shouldn’t be stressful! Everyone at home should be able to enjoy delicious dinner! Hope you like this Orzo With Zucchini, Sun Dried Tomatoes And Chicken Recipe.
ORZO WITH ZUCCHINI, SUN DRIED TOMATOES AND CHICKEN
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- two 6-7 oz boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup olive oil, reserve 1 tbsp for cooking
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp paprika
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
For the pasta:
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium zucchini, quartered and sliced thin
- 1/4 tsp salt or more to taste
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 cup sun dried tomatoes, chopped
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup Kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Instructions
FOR THE CHICKEN:
- If the chicken breasts are too thick, cut then in half horizontally, so they cook quickly and properly. Season with all ingredients, reserving 1 tbsp olive oil for cooking.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Add chicken and cook for 5-7 minutes per side, until nicely browned and cooked through (165 F internal temperature).
- Transfer to a cutting board and slice.
FOR THE PASTA:
- Cook Pasta according the directions on the package.
- In the mean time, heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Be careful not to burn it.
- Add zucchini and cook for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Season with salt and pepper. Add oregano.
- Add sun dried tomatoes and cook for 1 more minutes.
- Add lemon juice.
- Stir in cooked and drained orzo. Top with Kalamata olives and feta cheese.
- Add cooked chicken on top. Serve.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Orzo With Meaty Sauce, Zucchini And Mushrooms Recipe
Zucchini Noodles With Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Sauce And Shrimp
Dinner can definitely be a struggle at times, especially when you’re cooking all day for the blog! I absolutely LOVE this orzo dish! The addition of sun dried tomatoes and zucchini sounds perfect for the summer. And I love how easy this is to make, too! Can’t wait to try this!
Wow, this is a very detailed instruction of this recipe. Just what i was looking for. I would make this orzo with zucchini for my family. Thanks for sharing it.
Mira, I could have written this post. That’s exactly the problem I’m having right now. I still want to cook something nice, but it has to be very very easy. It’s so hard to find the time to squeeze in dinner these days!!
This recipe is just my kind of dinner, too. I love orzo, and I love the fact that it makes its own simple sauce while cooking. Delicious!
Tried this yesterday. My family loved it!