Orzo à la Me!

I have been trying to get better at using up ingredients in our pantry before buying all new things at the grocery store. The problem is that I love to cook, and I love to try new recipes - which often require new ingredients. Yesterday as I was preparing my grocery list and wondering what to make for dinner, I stumbled onto a box of orzo in the pantry. I have never made orzo and was unsure what to do with it! (I probably bought it initially because it was on sale, figuring I would use it eventually!) Well, I Googled orzo recipes and found a few different recipes which sounded yummy, so I set off for the grocery to, of course, get more ingredients. Thankfully, the only ingredient I was missing was fresh lemon juice! I could probably have gotten away with using the bottled lemon juice I already had, but it worked out for the best because Kroger charged me too much for the lemon, so per Kroger policy, it ended up being free!

So, after experimenting with different seasonings and techniques, my tasty Lemon-Basil Orzo emerged - and was a hit! Tim and I both loved it, and I served it with crunchy, sauteed chicken (see below). I am very proud of myself for inventing a new recipe, so to celebrate, I wanted to share it with you! It's very simple and has a wonderful lemony taste to it. During the summer I will probably make it with fresh basil instead of dried, which I'm sure will be wonderful! The recipe is super easy and is a good base to change around the ingredients to try new ideas - I've already got several I want to try out! Enjoy!

Lemon-Basil Orzo

1. Melt ~1 TBSP butter in pan over MED heat. Add 1 cup uncooked orzo. Stir to coat orzo with butter and cook until orzo is lightly browned.
2. Add 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth and zest of 1/2 a lemon. Bring to a boil. Simmer 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
3. As liquid begins to be absorbed, add another 1 1/2 cups of low-sodium chicken broth, ~1/2 TBSP (more or less to taste) dried basil (fresh basil would taste better, but I didn't have any!), juice of 1/2 a lemon, 1/2 tsp onion powder, and 1/2-1 tsp garlic powder (or to taste). Stir.
4. Cook until orzo is creamy (roughly 8-10 minutes). Before serving, add 1/2-3/4 cup of grated parmesan cheese and stir.
5. Orzo will be creamy and cheesy and so yummy!

~This dish would also be delicious by adding fresh veggies, or by sauteeing minced garlic and onions with the butter and orzo. (Since Tim doesn't like any of those things, I eliminate the veggies and use onion/garlic powder for most things.) I served this with sauteed chicken breasts which is not very healthy, but very tasty and simple!

Crunchy Chicken

- Pound out chicken breasts until thin (1/2-1 inch). Salt and pepper both sides of chicken breast. Dredge in flour.
- Crack one large egg in a bowl - beat lightly. Dip chicken into egg and coat.
- Coat chicken in bread crumbs. Let sit for up to 2 hours. (Letting the chicken sit for awhile gives it more crunch later!)
- Heat skillet over MED heat and pour EVOO in bottom of pan (~2-3 TBSP - you may need more/less depending on the amount of chicken you are cooking). Once pan is heated, sautee chicken in oil ~6 minutes per side or until juices run clear. Serve over warm orzo. (I sprinkled the chicken with lemon juice to give it a nice, last-minute touch. It was delicious!)
- ENJOY!