Orzo Skillet
The original recipe: Shrimp & Orzo Skillet by Sweet Potato Chronicles
Pictured above with chicken as the protein instead of shrimp
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
300g 70/90 raw, peeled shrimp (see notes below for instructions if using chicken breast instead)
1 yellow onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp olive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
398mL low sodium diced tomatoes
Splash of sherry
2 cups low sodium chicken broth
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup orzo
1/2 cup goat cheese
4-5 large leaves of fresh basil
DIRECTIONS
1. Heat a large skillet with 2 tbsp olive oil to medium heat. Add in onions and garlic, cooking for about 1 minute, then reduce heat to medium low and cook for approximately 5 minutes or until the onion is translucent.
2. Add the dried oregano and cook for 1 minute.
3. Add in the diced tomatoes, sherry, chicken broth, vinegar, orzo, and a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir to combine.
4. Add the orzo and increase heat to medium high, bringing the mixture to a boil. Once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer and allow the flavours to meld for 15 minutes. STIR CONSTANTLY (see my added Note #5 below).
5. Add the shrimp (or cooked chicken) and cook until the shrimp is pink and cooked through.
6. While the shrimp is cooking, slice/chop the fresh basil.
7. Garnish the orzo with the goat cheese & basil.
My Changes & Notes:
1. The protein.
Pictured at the top is actually the first time I made this recipe using chicken breast instead of shrimp. I've made this many times before, normally with 300g of 70/90 raw, peeled shrimp. Shrimp can be expensive, and I had an extra chicken breast on hand, so that's what I decided to use. Going forward, I'll switch between the two (it is really good with shrimp though!) and when I make it again with chicken breast, I will probably opt for 2 breasts rather than just one.
For the chicken breast, I simply seasoned with salt & pepper, plus a pinch of garlic powder, and baked at 375F for 35 minutes (or until juices run clear). Once cooked, I cut the chicken into large chunks and set aside.
2. Garlic.
A common trend throughout my site is that I always use more garlic than the recipe calls for. Though to be fair, I used 5 cloves versus the 3 in the original recipe, which is probably the smallest increase I've made so far.
3. How does it smell?
I love how instructions on the original recipe tell you to sautee the onion & garlic until they "smell great." For those of you who haven't already done this a thousand times and would like more guidance, this is what I did:
1) Heat a large enamelled cast iron pan with 2 tbsp olive oil on medium heat.
2) Once at heat, at the onions & garlic, stirring for about one minute. Then turn the heat to medium-low and cook for another 5 minutes. The onion should start to look more translucent.
3) Add the dried oregano (I added 1 tsp rather than 1/2 tsp) and cook for another minute.
4. The liquids.
After you have added the oregano and cooked for another minute, it's time to add the liquids. Here's what I added:
1x 398mL diced tomatoes (low sodium, mine was Western Family)
A splash of sherry (I love the Capirete brand, aged 20 years - much cheaper than it sounds!)
2 cups of chicken stock (instead of vegetable stock)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar (just the Kirkland brand)
Once the liquids are in, give it a stir to combine and then add in the 1 cup of orzo and increase the heat to medium high.
5. Stick around so that your orzo doesn't!
Maybe it's just my choice of pan (yet to try a non-stick skillet - if anyone does, let me know how it goes), but I find that the orzo LOVES to stick to the bottom. To counter this, I stay close and stir frequently with a wooden spatula, scraping up any orzo bits that start sticking to the bottom. If you forget to stir for too long and find the bits have stuck, keep scraping and don't give up. Eventually it will come off and the liquids will help de-stick the orzo in no time, as though you're deglazing the pan as you go!
It took about 17 minutes (counting after the liquids and orzo were added) for most of the liquid to be absorbed. Then I added the chunks of cooked chicken and gave it a stir to combine.
6. The cheese.
The first time I made this, I used feta as per the original recipe, but we also had some goat cheese on hand and threw it in so it wouldn't go to waste. In doing so, we discovered that we actually preferred the goat cheese over the feta.
These days, I omit the feta entirely, as I find the dish is salty enough (perhaps more so because I use chicken stock rather than vegetable stock) and the goat cheese offers a creaminess that counters the acidity of the tomatoes and vinegar.