Best uses for Orzo???

This is great! Printable copy attached.

Chicken & Orzo with Lemon & Olives

8 chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
Salt, pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ cups orzo
3 cups chicken broth
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1 small lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 large bay leaf
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, divided

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Season the chicken legs well on all sides with salt and pepper.

3. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high
heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken well on all sides, about 5
minutes. Remove from the pan.

4. Add the orzo, chicken stock, garlic, lemon wedges and juice, olives,
bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of the oregano. Stir to combine all the
ingredients, bring to boil, return the chicken to the pan, bring to boil
again.

5. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the
chicken is done (the meat will be firm and its juices will run clear).
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

6. Sprinkle with the remaining oregano and serve.
 

Attachments

DS, Joe C posted a baked orzo that was excellent. I use it in lieu of noodles for chicken or turkey soup. Take care not to over cook though.
 
I love it as a side dish. Saute some onions in olive oil... throw in some garlic and then anything you have to use up. Raisins, dried cranberries, almond slivers, pistachios, black or green olives chopped up, feta, chevre, tomato paste, cream, oh, and the cooked orzo. Toss season and serve. Pick your add-ins to compliment your main meal.
 
take two cups Orzo and brown in saute pan. Remove when golden brown and cook as normal, then set aside. In same saute pan add 2Tbs butter, 1Tbs minced garlic, half an onion diced, a cup of mushrooms diced, and half a red pepper diced. Saute until soft and onions are clear. Add back in cooked Orzo and saute for another 5 minutes.
Kinda colorful and tasted good too! I like to add in some Cajun or Creol spices, or sometimes make the Orzo with some chicken stock.
 
Orzo is great as a side dish or even in soups. It is basically a pasta but bland by itself. I would follow what others have done with it as far as flavoring additives.
 
I like it as a pilaf-style side dish, using chicken broth to cook it, and some scallions, lightly seasoned. It's also great as a salad. It's quite versatile.
 
I love this copy cat recipe, Sushi. I adapted it from the recipe here:
http://www.recipezaar.com/near-East-Rice-Pilaf-Lowfat-293836
"Near-East" Rice Pilaf

serves 4 -6

Ingredients
1 tablespoon butter
1/3 cup orzo
1 cup rice, washed and dried
3 cups boiling water
3 tablespoons chicken soup powder
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 dash tumeric

Directions
In a non-stick pot, heat butter.

Add orzo and sautee until browned.

Add the rice.

To the 3 cups of boiling water, add the chicken soup mix, garlic powder, turmeric, black pepper, and turmeric and stir.

Add seasoned water mixture to the orzo and rice, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes until all water has evaporated.

Remove from heat after 20 minutes and allow to rest 5 minutes.

Fluff with fork.
 
even if you are making just plain white rice, you can use orzo (just a little bit to add flavor and nice look). Just oil a pot, brown the orzo for about 3-4 minutes, and throw in the rice and water. Once ready, you will have rice with a few pieces of orzo here and there, which adds a nice taste and appearance.
 
Tuscan Chef said:
You can also do a cake. Look for Pastiera recipe on the net.
Click to expand...
I've never heard of Pastiera before, but after looking around on the net, I'm dying to try it. I found lots of recipes, but none (yet) that specified orzo as an ingredient. Would it be used as the wheat or grain ingredient?
 
One of my favorite uses for Orzo is as a side dish. I simply cook according to package directions (I like the Barilla brand) & then toss with some chopped fresh herbs (anything that will match the main course I'm making) & a light drizzle of White Truffle Oil. Delicious!

Sometimes I'll add some chopped sauteed mushrooms & grated parmesan or romano cheese as well.
 
FryBoy said:
This is great! Printable copy attached.

Chicken & Orzo with Lemon & Olives

8 chicken thighs (or drumsticks)
Salt, pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1½ cups orzo
3 cups chicken broth
1 large clove garlic, pressed
1 small lemon, cut into 8 wedges
1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
¾ cup pitted Kalamata olives
1 large bay leaf
3 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano, divided

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Season the chicken legs well on all sides with salt and pepper.

3. In a Dutch oven or large stockpot, heat the olive oil over medium-high
heat. Working in batches, brown the chicken well on all sides, about 5
minutes. Remove from the pan.

4. Add the orzo, chicken stock, garlic, lemon wedges and juice, olives,
bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of the oregano. Stir to combine all the
ingredients, bring to boil, return the chicken to the pan, bring to boil
again.

5. Cover and transfer to the oven. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the
chicken is done (the meat will be firm and its juices will run clear).
Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.

6. Sprinkle with the remaining oregano and serve.
Click to expand...

Printed this one out to make next week! Sounds terrific - thanks, Doug!

Lee
 
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