Fiona O'Sullivan
Orzo is a pasta grain that takes about 9 minutes to cook. It’s the most comforting pasta to eat and soaks up any flavours you add. It’s very easy to digest.
Serves 4
Ingredients
One tablespoon of olive oil
Two chicken breasts sliced into strips
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
400g orzo
110g frozen peas
100ml chicken stock (or half stock and half white wine)
Four mint leaves, chopped finely
Four tablespoons Parmesan, freshly grated
Instructions
1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a non-stick frying pan. Season the chicken with salt and black pepper and fry in the oil for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is almost cooked through and golden on both sides.
2. While the chicken is cooking, cook the orzo in plenty of salted boiling water until it is cooked (check the packet instructions for the cooking time, but it will take about 9 minutes – it should be al dente). Drain.
3. Add the frozen peas and chicken stock (or stock and wine) to the chicken in the pan. Turn the heat to high and cook until the liquid is reduced by half. Add the cooked orzo and stir. Toss through the mint and grated Parmesan and serve immediately.
Is orzo healthier than other kinds of pasta?
Orzo is precisely the same as spaghetti, penne, tagliatelle or any other pasta made from durum wheat. It is pasta shaped like a grain, it is not actually a grain itself. If you want to make a pasta dish healthier, whether you use orzo or another other pasta, use wholewheat pasta.
