Orzo, Summer Vegetables & Lemon Pepper Chicken

                 

 

Whew! It's too hot to cook. So, I make one of Steve's favorite pasta meals using a supermarket rotisserie chicken, and rice shaped pasta, orzo.

 

It's so easy. I break the rules a little bit with the orzo. I use less water than it calls for on the package. It still comes out just fine. I hope you will enjoy this summer dish as well as Steve does.

Serve chilled, at room temp, or warm.
 

 

 Orzo, Summer Vegetables & Lemon Pepper Chicken

Orzo:

1 quart water

2 chicken bouillon cubes

7 ounces orzo

Add water and bouillon cubes to a saucepan large enough to cook the pasta. Bring the water to a boil, add 7 ounces of orzo and cook until tender, following package directions for time. This will take only a few minutes. Remove from the heat and drain. Set aside.
 

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ onion, thinly sliced*

1 yellow squash, quartered and sliced thin*

1 zucchini, quartered and sliced thin*

½ red bell pepper, sliced thin*

1 clove garlic, minced

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh basil

2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, plus extra for garnish

1 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, plus extra for garnish

1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice or to taste

3 cups shredded or chopped (already prepared) lemon-pepper rotisserie chicken

1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesano or Romano cheese 

Add the vegetable oil to a large heavy skillet over medium high heat. Add the vegetables, and garlic. Sauté until the vegetables are crisp tender, or al dente.

Check for seasoning, add salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat.

Place the cooked vegetables into a large bowl.

Add the chicken, basil, parsley, orzo, lemon juice and lemon zest to the cooked vegetables, and mix well.   Check for seasoning, and add if needed.

Pour the mixture on a large platter to serve. 

Garnish the top with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, a few grates of lemon zest, and 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Optional, but it makes it even better- drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.
 

*Note: I used about 5 cups of vegetables mixed with the orzo and chicken.