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Orzo with Chicken, Red Pepper, and Shiitakes
© Melanie Acevedo

Orzo with Chicken, Red Pepper, and Shiitakes

Contributed by Quick From Scratch One-Dish Meals
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME:
  • SERVINGS: 4
  • FAST

With its rice-shaped orzo and creamy texture, this pasta may remind you of risotto—but it's easier to make, since you don't have to stir and stir and stir.

  1. 5 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 1 1/3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 4 in all)
  3. Salt
  4. Fresh-ground black pepper
  5. 1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  6. 1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into 1/4-inch slices
  7. 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  8. 2 cloves garlic, minced
  9. 1 pound orzo
  10. 1/4 pound mild goat cheese, such as Montrachet
  11. 1/3 cup heavy cream
  12. 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  1. In a large nonstick frying pan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over moderate heat. Season the chicken with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper. Put the chicken in the pan and cook for 5 minutes. Turn and cook until just done, about 5 minutes longer. Remove. When the chicken is cool enough to handle, cut the breasts crosswise into 1/4-inch slices.
  2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the same pan over moderately high heat. Put in the bell pepper, shiitakes, thyme, and 1/8 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms are golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds longer. Remove from the heat.
  3. In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the orzo until just done, about 12 minutes. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water; drain the orzo.
  4. In the frying pan, combine the reserved pasta water with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the goat cheese, cream, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Bring almost to a simmer over moderate heat, stirring, until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the orzo, chicken, and 3 tablespoons of the parsley and stir to combine. Serve topped with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley.

Suggested Pairing

Sauvignon-blanc-based wines go particularly well with goat cheese, and a piquant Sancerre, with its grassy currant and gooseberry fruit, will make this dish sing.