Chicken and Orzo Pilaf

By cooking the orzo in natural homemade chicken broth and balancing the oil, this traditional pilaf delivers a hearty, high-protein meal.

Ingredients

Calories next to each ingredient are for that ingredient across the whole recipe (4 servings), not per serving.

• 550 g (1.2 lbs) chicken breast · 616 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1.5 cups orzo pasta (250 g) · 925 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 medium yellow onion (110 g), finely diced · 44 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 green pepper (50 g), finely chopped · 10 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 red bell pepper (50 g), diced · 16 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp tomato paste (17 g) · 17 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp butter (14 g) · 100 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tbsp olive oil (13 g) · 115 kcal in the whole recipe
• 1 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper, and water for cooking

Method

1. Boil the chicken breast in salted water until tender, reserve 3 cups of broth, and shred the chicken.

   

2. Heat the butter and olive oil in a wide pot, then sauté the onion, green pepper, and red pepper for 3-4 minutes.

   

3. Stir in the tomato paste until fragrant, then add the dry orzo pasta and toast for 2 minutes.

   

4. Add the shredded chicken, 3 cups of reserved hot chicken broth, salt, and black pepper; cover and cook on low heat for 12-15 minutes until absorbed.

   

5. Remove from heat, place a paper towel under the lid, rest for 10 minutes, then fluff gently before serving.

   

A Besly kitchen recipe — portions, macros and step photos by Besly.