Chicken Thighs & Italian Orzo

I really need to cook more often – but as of late I’ve been doing the coupon thing – and I’ll tell ya – couponing AND menu planning – oye – that’s a lot of work!

But last week I was cooking chicken thighs (my new favorite protein) and needed a side dish and came across a recipe on the side of a package of orzo. Shockingly enough – I even had all the ingredients!! It’s a Festivus Miracle!

Pretty sure I bought this orzo at Kroger – I’m not sure what brand “Private Selection” is other than Kroger’s store brand. Oddly enough – we went to Meijer last night and couldn’t find orzo ANYWHERE in the store!

What we’ve got here in the recipe (click on the image to enlarge) is:

1 1/3 cups orzo (half of this small package)
2 T olive oil
1 T flour
1 14.5 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t each salt & pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

First, you cook the orzo according to package directions & drain (simple enough).

Then in a skillet or pot – heat the oil and add the flour.

Then stir in the can of tomatoes, italian seasoning, salt & pepper. The sauce looked really good – I could have just had that over pasta! Mouth. Watering. You cook and stir this until it thickens – just a few minutes.

Lastly – mix in the orzo and then throw some Parmesan in and you’re done! I was really excited to dig in and try this out.

While the pasta was cooking – I started some boneless, skinless chicken thighs on my grill pan. I used some of the Buffalo Wild Wings seasonings in my cupboard to add some flavor. I love love love chicken thighs. They’re a small portion size – so I don’t eat too much. Plus they cook up quick and leftovers taste great! I buy the giant freezer bag of them and use them all the time!

And voila – dinner is served! This was very quick and easy – two things that are 100% necessity when it comes to me cooking dinner.

Since this was mainly about the pasta recipe – I really enjoyed it. I think I might use less orzo next time and have the mixture a little saucier – other than that – loved it! As far as the leftovers – I just cut up the extra chicken thighs and added them to the pasta and packaged them up. I had enough for a few lunches!

Italian Orzo

1 1/3 cups orzo (half of this small package)
2 T olive oil
1 T flour
1 14.5 oz can Italian style diced tomatoes
1 t Italian seasoning
1/4 t each salt & pepper
Grated Parmesan cheese

Cook orzo as directed on package, drain. In large skillet, heat oil over medium heat; stir in flour. Add tomatoes, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook & stir until thickened. Add cooked orzo, toss to coat. Heat through and top with Parmesan cheese.