Chicken and Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo

Sun-dried tomatoes and Romano cheese pack a lot of flavor into this simple rustic Italian-inspired dish. You can substitute whole wheat pasta for orzo in this recipe. This orzo dish is perfect for dinner. Served with sautéed fresh spinach or steamed broccolini.

Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

(Make 4 serves)

Amount Per Serving: 457 Calories, 36 g. Protein, 54 g. Carbohydrates, 10 g. Dietary Fiber, 12 g. fat ( 3 g. sat , 6 g. mono ), 68 mg. cholesterol, 372 mg. sodium, 546 mg. Potassium
Nutrition Bonus: Folate (34% daily value), Iron (25% dv), Potassium (16% dv), Calcium & Vitamin C (15% dv).
Carbohydrate Servings: 3
Exchanges: 3 starch, 1 vegetable, 3 lean meat, 1/2 fat

Ingredients:

• 8 oz. of orzo, preferably whole-wheat
• 1 cup of water
• 1/2 cup of chopped sun-dried tomatoes, (not oil-packed), divided
• 1 plum tomato, diced
• 1 clove garlic, peeled
• 3 tsp. of chopped fresh marjoram, divided
• 1 Tbsp. of red-wine vinegar
• 2 tsp. of plus 1 Tbsp. of extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (1-1 1/4 lb.)
• 1/4 tsp. of salt
• 1/4 tsp. of freshly ground pepper
• 1 can (9 oz.) of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed
• 1/2 cup of finely shredded Romano cheese, divided

Preparation:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse.
• Meanwhile, Blend 1 cup of water, 1/4 cup of sun-dried tomatoes, plum tomato, garlic, 2 tsp. of marjoram, vinegar and 2 tsp. of oil in blender until just a few chunks remain.
• Heat remaining 1 Tbsp. of oil in large-size skillet over medium-high heat.
• Season chicken with salt and pepper on both sides and add in skillet, cook, adjusting the heat as necessary to prevent burning, about 3-5 min per side, until golden outside and no longer pink in the middle. Transfer to a plate; tent with foil to keep warm.
• Pour tomato sauce into pan and bring to a boil. Measure out 1/2 cup of sauce to small-size bowl.
• Add remaining 1/4 of cup sun-dried tomatoes to pan along with orzo, artichoke hearts and 6 Tbsp. of cheese. Cook, stirring, about 1-2 min, until heated through. Divide among 4 plates.
• Slice chicken. Top each portion of pasta with sliced chicken, 2 Tbsp. of reserved tomato sauce and a sprinkling of remaining cheese and marjoram.
• Tip: Since the pasta is so small, it can easily slip through the cracks of a pasta strainer. A fine sieve can be used to drain orzo, or you can line a regular colander with cheesecloth.
• Note: If you use sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil you should rinse the tomatoes under the sink and pat them dry. Although it doesn’t take out all the oil, it cuts down on a lot of the fat.

Source : EatingWell

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