Tres Colores Orzo Summer Salad with Chicken
Nothing says summer like our humid 98-degrees making it feel over 100-degrees. Not a day to serve hot foods, but it IS a day to serve a chilled summer salad. Last evening I made a "three color" orzo salad with chicken. The prep is pretty quick, the colors of Italy, orzo, the rice shaped pasta, cheese and whatever dressing flavors you want! I added seared, chilled, chopped chicken to the mix. This recipe feeds six hungry appetites or up to 9 sorta-kinda hungry folks. Well, let's get to it, shall we?
Ingredients
1 box orzo (Italian rice-shaped pasta)
4 - 6 chicken thighs, prepped*
1 cup Flat-Leaf Italian Parsley, stemmed and chopped
2/3 - 1 cup crumbled Feta cheese (or torn mozzarella)
1 cup halved baby tomatoes
1 medium or large white onion, chopped
1/2 cup fire roasted red bell peppers, chopped
salt and pepper (for several steps)
1/4 cup fresh diced garlic
2 rounded tablespoons Italian seasoning
**Fresh thyme if you have it, otherwise, dried
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (evoo)
*Your favorite dressing!
Do you notice what is wrong with this photo? I put a red onion in the photo when it was supposed to be a white onion. I did change it.
The Chicken*
Lay out the four-six boneless/skinless chicken thighs. Use a paring knife to open the thighs up further and cut off "dangly bits". The idea is to cut off excess pieces and shape the chicken to make it easier to slice after cooking.
Season the chicken simply with salt, pepper and thyme. Drizzle a skillet or stove top grill pan or plate with three tablespoons evoo over medium-high heat. When the oil begins to ripple, add the chicken thighs. Cook the chicken four minutes per side. Remove the chicken promptly and allow the thighs to rest. After about fifteen minutes, slice the chicken into half inch rectangular pieces. Place the chicken into a bowl and place it in the frig for now.
*After cooking the thighs, I cooked the pieces I'd cut off and saved them for my dogs' dinner times. You can do that with steak and pork, as well, for future reference.
The Veg and Greens
Wash and halve the baby tomatoes. I had on hand a pint of tomato medley, but used only the red ones. The theme of the salad is three colors: red, white and green. Next, slice the fire roasted red bell peppers into half-inch cubes or rectangles, whatever you can do. They are not a regular shape, so you must work with you've got. 😃
Next, wash, de-stem and chop the Italian Flat-Leaf parsley. Chop it a bit less than coarsely. Set both the tomatoes with the red peppers aside, and separately, set aside the parsley.
The Orzo
Bring four quartz of water to a roiling boil in a pot. Liberally salt the water, as it is the only time you get to season the pasta. Once boiling, add the box of orzo to the water and stir vigorously. You do not want the pasta to stick to the bottom. Repeat, stirring every three minutes until the orzo is done, which is about twelve minutes. Do a texture/taste test to make sure it is soft and not hard nor gooey. If the pasta is hard or gooey, let it cook another two or three minutes, then do the test again. Depending on your stove top, the orzo should be done in about twelve minutes, tops.
Use a colander to drain the orzo. I know, it has holes in it and a minute bit may be lost, but you are also going to rinse the pasta to remove most of the starch. Once rinsed, pour or scoop the pasta to a large bowl. Place the bowl into the frig for as long as you can (an hour or more, if possible). Afterward, use a spoon to turn the pasta over. Smooth over the top and add the chicken, tomatoes and peppers and the parsley. Add the feta as well. I sectioned off my large bowl into fourths to equal it all out. Place the bowl back into the frig till serving time.
*Note: If you do not have an hour or two to chill everything, that's okay! When you have to, add the chicken, greens, red items and cheese even if it is warm. This salad is great warm, too!
When you are ready to serve, add your favorite dressing. I used a store-bought Italian vinaigrette and garlic vinaigrette. I hate when people say: "To taste", but in this case, it holds true. I like more dressing than most folks, so add some, stir and taste test. When it is to your liking, great! Stir all of the ingredients into the orzo, making sure all of those ingredients are coated with the dressing and as evenly distributed throughout the salad as possible. I like to add some grated or granulated Parmesan to the salad for a little more of salty bite, as well as a sprinkle of coarse ground back pepper and fresh or dried thyme. That's just me. Now serve and enjoy a colorful combination of tastes and colors of Italy!
As I am known to do, I garnish with a sprig of fresh basil. Great flavor to top it all off.
Use a big spoon to stir all of the ingredients together thoroughly. It looks harden than it really is.,
This can be served family style or in bowls. As I mentioned in my previous post, I like to use bowls unless I have three more people for dinner other than my spouse and I.
Remember, this dish serves six people easily. It can serve up to eight or nine, especially if there is something else served with it. In addition, this can,obviously, be served without any meat, particularly if you are having a different meat dish along with this orzo salad.
Now, as always, I fully and happily appreciate your visit and your consideration! Go Cook For Someone You Love! ❤
Until next time! Bon Appetit!
~Martin
In-House Cook
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