Orzo is the
perfect substitute for a risotto-like pasta dish. But note: Orzo comes in different sizes, like most pasta noodles,
so try to find the very small variety for this recipe. Some boxed varieties are
numbered, and here I used #74—small kernels, almost rice-like. Whatever the size,
orzo usually triples in size when cooked, so you don’t need much dry orzo to
start with.
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| Small Orzo |
For this recipe, I
made a creamy, rich sauce with milk, chicken broth, flour, and a little
sour cream, then added some broccoli for veggie love, and topped the dish off with a
fried egg. Break the runny yolk and enjoy that creamy goodness in every bite.
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked small orzo
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1-1/2 cups very small broccoli florets
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced, white and dark green parts separated
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 1 cup low-fat milk
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp sour cream
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 4 large eggs
Preparation
- Cook the orzo in a pot of boiling, salted water until tender, 11-12 minutes, depending on size. Drain.
- Meanwhile, heat a large skillet over medium heat and add the oil, swirling to coat. Add the broccoli, white parts of the scallions, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until the broccoli is crisp tender, 3 minutes.
- Whisk together the milk, broth, sour cream, and flour until well incorporated. Stir the milk mixture and cooked chicken into the skillet and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce begins to thicken, 2-3 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked orzo. Re-season with salt and pepper, if needed, and keep warm over low heat while the eggs cook.
- Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat and add 1/2 the butter. When the butter begins to sizzle, crack 2 eggs into the skillet and fry until the whites are set and the yolks are still runny (or until desired degree of doneness). Repeat with the remaining butter and 2 eggs.
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| Broccoli Mixture Beginning to Cook |
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| Milk Mixture and Chicken Added |
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| Thickened Orzo Mixture |
To serve, divide the orzo
mixture among 4 shallow bowls and top each with a fried egg. Sprinkle the eggs
with salt and pepper and garnish with the dark green parts of the scallions.
Serve right away.
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| Creamy Chicken Orzo with Broccoli and Fried Egg |
This looks delicious. What's the difference between orzo and risotto? I haven't made either before and it looks the same.
ReplyDeleteAlso, I like the medium heat and butter sizzle tip for the fried egg. I find my fire is always on high and it doesn't give much control. Sometimes I add a couple drop of water then cover it to cook the white completely and still have runny yolk.
Thanks much for your comment! Risotto is actually an Italian dish made with rice, broth, and meat and/or vegetables. The way you cook the rice in the broth makes it very creamy. Orzo is a type of wheat pasta, and some varieties are so small that they look like grains of rice, but they're still pasta. The variety of orzo I used here gives the dish a rice-like look. Yes, egg-frying is always a toss-up...sometimes it works, sometimes it breaks. :) Thanks again!
ReplyDelete