orzo Archives - The Midnight Baker

Creamy Orzo Risotto

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 25 May 2021 23:00:35 +0000

Serve this creamy orzo risotto as a side or as a main dish. Delicious either way.

Versatile Orzo

Creamy orzo risotto is one of those recipes that prove how versatile this pasta truly is.

There’s just so many ways to use it. Since you had to buy some if you wanted to make my shrimp and zucchini with orzo, then here’s a way to use up what you bought!

If you haven’t used it, orzo is shaped like rice grains. In fact it’s used lots of times to stand in for rice. Mostly I use it in one-dish meals to add a bit of bulk and extend the meal. It’s texture is unlike rice in as much as it has a very silky texture and as a result, adds a nice textural component to those one-pot meals.

Easily Made Vegan

This orzo risotto uses milk, chicken stock and cheese. You can easily substitute vegetable stock and then it becomes vegetarian for those who include dairy in their diets.

However, it can easily be made vegan with further substitutions. Of course it stands to reason that you’d also use vegetable stock in place of the chicken. You can substitute one of the many plant-based milks for the regular kind. Personally, I think almond milk would be a terrific choice. As for the cheese, I know there’s many now on the market which are plant based. How good they melt, I can’t say. However, they should taste fine, even if they don’t melt. And another option is just to leave them out; the risotto will taste perfectly fine even without them.

Spinach: Fresh Or Frozen

Anyone who has hung around my site for any length of time knows I am a big advocate of fresh.

It’s no different in this recipe when it comes to the spinach. My choice is pre-washed organic baby spinach mainly because it can be used straight from the bag. You can, of course, use frozen. Because frozen is already wilted, just halve the amount of the fresh. Make sure you measure it after you’ve squeezed the water out of it. But I truthfully don’t measure it. I just toss in what looks about right. And don’t feel constrained to using less. If you love spinach, throw in as much as you like and make it the main ingredient–especially if you want more veggie than pasta.

The Recipe

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Creamy Spinach & Orzo Risotto

Serve it as a side or a main dish.

Prep Time10

Cook Time15

Course: Main/Side, Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: easy risotto, orzo side dishes, risotto using orzo, using orzo pasta, vegan risotto

Servings: 6

Calories: 463kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbs olive oil
1 small yellow onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
1 lb dried orzo pasta about 2 1/2 cups
2 cups low-sodium chicken stock
2 cups whole milk
2 cups packed baby spinach coarsely chopped
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
Salt & pepper to taste

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven or pot over medium-high heat until shimmering.
Add the onion and sauté until softened and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and orzo, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Stir in the broth and milk and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce to a simmer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed and has formed a creamy sauce, about 10 minutes. (If the orzo isn’t completely cooked once this has happened, you can add another splash or two of broth to the pot and continue to simmer until it has.)
Stir in the spinach and grated cheeses until the spinach has just wilted and the cheese melts, about 1 minute.
Taste and and add salt & pepper if necessary

Nutrition

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Finlandia™ Imported Butter Makes Everything Better

Judith Hannemann — Wed, 09 Nov 2016 00:00:12 +0000

Sauteed chicken and orzo made even more delicious and rich with Finlandia™ Imported Butter.

When It Comes To Butter, There Is a Difference

Butter is not just “butter.”

Since I use quite a lot of butter in my recipes, I had a chance to see the difference between ordinary butter and Finlandia first hand. The very first thing you notice with Finlandia is it’s texture. It’s velvety and doesn’t break apart when you slice it, even when it’s super cold.

Because of this wonderful texture, I knew it would be an excellent choice for a table butter. Finlandia tastes great on hard rolls, toast and anything else you’d add butter to at the table. This butter is truly amazing! It spreads smoothly and melts much better than what I was using.

If you’re concerned about chemicals added to your foods, then you’ll be delighted to know that the folks at Finlandia don’t add anything to their butter. It’s made from pure GMO-free milk produced on family farms in Finland.

These dairy farmers also own Finlandia, so it makes me feel good to use a product that directly benefits the people who produce it. These dairy farmers don’t mistreat their cows either and as an animal lover, that makes me like this even more!

I should also mention that Finland is one of the most environmentally conscious countries in the world. So this butter was produced by “green” standards for over 100 years. How can you not love it!

Start With Some Chicken

This terrific meal starts with humble chicken breast.

They can be bone-in breasts with skin or some thinly cut boneless skinless cutlets.

It’s important to season them with a bit of salt and pepper before you brown them.

The Source Of The Sauce is Finlandia

I love to serve chicken breast with a flavorful sauce. Since chicken breast can tend to be dry, a nice creamy sauce pairs well with this meat.

What I did here was try to combine my love of reductions because they are powerfully flavorful, with the simple French Beurre Blanc.

The major flavor is, of course, butter. Here’s where I take advantage of the superior flavor of Finlandia.

Once I brown the chicken, I add a bit of wine to deglaze the pan so the sauce picks up all the flavor of those brownie bits, they’re called fond, that remain in the pan. I reduce the wine till the pan is almost dry. Chicken stock, garlic and herbs are added at this point, and the sauce is then reduced by 50%.

Next, you whisk in cream and then a bit of butter until you have a nice smooth emulsification. This has to be done in small steps, but they’re not long steps nor are they difficult to do. You will love the flavor because it’s so worth it!

Finlandia For Perfect Flavor

Have you noticed that sometimes simplicity is better than complicated?

The orzo that accompanies this chicken is a near-perfect side dish for many meals. The key to it’s great flavor is simple–it’s butter!

What you do to enhance the flavor more is toast the orzo in the butter. The orzo is prepared in the same fashion as rice is in many north African countries. First you melt butter, then you toast the grains in the butter.

The flavors become so full-bodied, little, if any, additional seasonings are needed. Just add a rich chicken (or beef, depending on what meat you are serving) stock and cover until the liquid is absorbed.

Now Put Them All Together

Serve up that yummy chicken on top of a bed of buttery orzo then top it with some sauce!

I used fresh thyme to flavor my sauce, but rosemary or oregano would work just as well. If you like basil, that would probably be a good choice as well.

Get Social With Finlandia

Make sure to visit Finlandia on the web and on social media to keep up-to-date with products and great ideas!

Finlandiacheese.com (@FinlandiaCheese)
Facebook (@FinlandiaCheese)
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Pinterest (@FinlandiaCheese)
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Vote on your favorite recipe HERE for a chance to win $1000 (contest sponsored by Finlandia)

The Recipes

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Chicken with Herb Butter Sauce

This chicken dinner is perfect for a special Sunday supper but it's easy enough to make for a weeknight meal, too!

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Dinner

Cuisine: American

Keyword: butter sauce, chicken recipe

Servings: 6 people

Calories: 335kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

6 boneless skinless chicken breasts thinly sliced (see NOTES for bone-in breast)
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbs olive oil

Sauce:

1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken stock
2 cloves garlic minced
4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/2 cup cream
4 tbs butter Finlandia™ Imported Butter
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the oil and the chicken; brown on both sides
In the same pan, over medium heat, add the wine and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom off the pan. Let the wine reduce until there's only about 2 or so tablespoons left in the pan.
Add the chicken stock, garlic and thyme. Reduce this liquid 50%. This will take about 5-8 minutes.
For the sauce: whisk in 2 tbs cream. Add 1 tbs of butter and whisk until the butter is completely melted. Repeat until all the butter and cream are used.
Place the chicken back in the pan to heat through.

Notes

For bone-in breasts, brown as in recipe then bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes or until chicken juices run clear (165 degrees)

Nutrition

Buttery orzo… if there is a better rice side dish, I have yet to taste it.

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Buttery Orzo

Buttery orzo... if there is a more delicious or easier rice side dish, I have yet to taste it.

Prep Time5

Cook Time10

Total Time15

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: buttery orzo, orzo

Servings: 4

Calories: 222kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 tbsp Finlandia™ Imported Butter
1 cup orzo pasta uncooked
1½ cups chicken stock
Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Heat a small skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and let it melt until it bubbles.
Place the orzo in the pan and stir to coat it with butter. Continue cooking and stirring until most of the orzo looks toasted.
Pour in the chicken stock, bring to a boil then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer.
Simmer for 10 minutes or until most of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo is tender.

Nutrition

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Finlandia™ . The opinions and text are all mine.

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Three Cheese Orzo with Broccoli

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 12 Aug 2014 23:00:00 +0000

Three Cheese Orzo with Broccoli

Quite possibly the perfect side dish! This orzo is easy, cooks quickly and is flavored with asiago, fontina and parmesan cheeses!

If you need a quick and easy side dish, stop right here because this is it!

Easy and cheesy

I recently discovered fontina cheese, thanks to my friend Melissa G (aka Ms 7-Up) who made a spectacular and mouthwatering mac and cheese with it. She told me I MUST try fontina! So I did and I love it.

The asiago and parmesan here add the zing. Asiago is a pretty strongly flavored cheese which offsets the creaminess of the fontina. The parmesan is the balancing flavor. You can sub romano for it if you want.

Takes only minutes to prepare

You can also substitute half-and-half for the heavy cream but I strongly recommend using the heavy cream. There’s not much of it, but it goes a long way. I prefer it to lesser-fat creams since it’s thick and when it combines with the cheese you have instant rich cheese sauce.

The Recipe

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Three Cheese Orzo with Broccoli

Quite possibly the perfect side dish! This orzo is easy, cooks quickly and is flavored with asiago, fontina and parmesan cheeses!

Prep Time10

Cook Time8

Total Time18

Course: side dishes

Cuisine: American

Keyword: broccoli, broccoli and cheese, orzo, three cheese

Servings: 4 -6

Calories: 387kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

1 cup orzo uncooked
1 1/2 cups chicken stock*
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup frozen chopped broccoli
2 tbsp butter
1/2 cup cream I used heavy cream
2 tbsp grated parmesan
2 tbsp shredded asiago
2 tbsp shredded fontina
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

Instructions

*You may also use 1 1/2 cups water with 1 stock cube as a substitute
Steam broccoli until bright green and crisp-tender. Drain and set aside.
Place orzo, chicken stock and olive oil in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid is almost absorbed (about 5-8 minutes).
Uncover orzo and fluff. Add the broccoli, butter and cream. Stir until the butter is melted. Add the salt & pepper.
Add the cheeses, remove the pan from the heat and stir until cheeses are melted.
Serve immediately.

Nutrition

Three Cheese Orzo with Broccoli

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One-Pan Chicken & Orzo Skillet Dinner

Judith Hannemann — Tue, 13 May 2014 23:00:00 +0000

One-Pan Chicken & Orzo Skillet Dinner

Tasty chicken and pasta skillet dinner cooks in one pan and is ready in 30 minutes!

I’m not much into fussing anymore–I like quick, easy and of course, tasty. This chicken and orzo dinner fulfills every one of those requirements.

Cooks all in one pan!

Let me tell you about orzo–I have a boatload of it. Nope, not because it’s my personal favorite or anything. In fact, it happens to be the last pasta shape I think of using. I don’t dislike it, it’s just that it’s so much like rice because of it’s shape, I tend to use…well..rice.

I ended up with about a dozen boxes of it because of my sister. She lives in the UK and this was one pasta shape they didn’t sell there. Her family LOVES the stuff, so any time she came for a visit and pasta was on sale, she’d stock up. Of course she couldn’t get everything she bought back with her, so she’d leave it here to take back on her next visit–about 6 months away.

Anyway, last batch she bought and left here, stayed here because they started selling it in the UK. So, I was stuck with the stuff. She gifted me with it with the usual, “Use it in good health.”

Since I had to use the stuff, I filled up a big Lock & Lock container and left it in the cupboard. This was a time I figured I could put some of it to good use. Actually, it was perfect for this because it cooks and cooks fast. Plus it absorbed the flavor of the chicken and the stock.

I added some bacon here that I had left over from baking my Bacon and Cheese Dog Biscuits so I added that to use it up. As much as I love bacon, this dish doesn’t need it. So if you are iffy about adding it, just use bacon as a garnish to see if it improves the flavor for YOU. I don’t think it’s necessary, even though I added it.

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One-Pan Chicken & Orzo Skillet Dinner

Tasty chicken and pasta skillet dinner cooks in one pan and is ready in 30 minutes!

Prep Time15

Cook Time20

Total Time35

Course: Chicken, Comfort Foods, Everyday Meals, skillet dinners

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken, orzo

Servings: 2 -4

Calories: 740kcal

Author: Judith Hannemann

Ingredients

2 skinless chicken breasts medium boneless
2 tbs butter
2 pouches Swanson Flavor Boost*
2 tbsp instant onion flakes
2 strips crisp bacon diced (optional)
2 cups water
1 cup orzo

SEASONED FLOUR

1/2 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 tsp garlic powder
pinch curry powder

Instructions

*You may use 2 cups of very rich chicken stock in place of the Flavor Boost. If you do, omit the water.
Pound chicken breast to about 1/2-inch thickness between 2 sheets of waxed paper with a mallet.
Mix seasoned flour ingredients and dredge each chicken breast with the flour mixture.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Brown chicken breasts well on each side--don't worry if the butter becomes brown butter--it's part of the flavoring process.
Remove chicken and in the same pan, add the uncooked orzo and brown in the remaining butter in the pan. Add the 2 cups of water, the Flavor Boost and dehydrated onion; stir.
Place browned chicken breast on top of orzo mixture. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the diced bacon and broccoli florets. Cover and continue simmering for 10-15 minutes or until water is almost absorbed and broccoli is cooked to crisp-tender (don't let it overcook).
Serves 2 (or 4 with light appetites)

Nutrition

One-Pan Chicken & Orzo Skillet Dinner

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