Kurpuis Family Recipes

Chicken Asparagus Orzo

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or tenders cubed into 1” pieces
1 teaspoon garlic powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons olive oil divided
½ cup diced yellow onion about 1/2 a medium onion
2 cups chopped fresh asparagus spears cut into 1 inch pieces
1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 garlic cloves
8 ounces dry orzo
2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
2 sprigs fresh thyme can sub 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
⅓ cup half and half can sub milk
⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan
2 cups fresh spinach
Chopped fresh parsley and extra Parmesan for garnish

In a small bowl, combine chicken chunks, garlic powder, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, toss to coat.
In a large high-sided pan over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the chicken. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.
In the same pan, add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the asparagus and sauté for 2 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside to the plate with the cooked chicken.
Add the onion to the pan and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and garlic and cook until the orzo starts to toast slightly, another 3 minutes.
Add in the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan. Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 7 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring halfway.
Stir in the cooked chicken, asparagus, half and half, parmesan, spinach, and thyme. Heat for one to two minutes more until heated through and spinach is wilted.
Serve immediately garnished with chopped parsley and extra grated parmesan.

This dish is best when fresh. Leftovers tend to be drier, less creamy, and can clump together. For best quality, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat in a covered pot on the stove, over low heat, adding some extra broth to loosen it back up.
There are different sizes of orzo pasta, and they may have different cooking times. The size most commonly found in supermarkets cooks in about 8 minutes. This recipe was made using Barilla orzo. Check the packaging of orzo for cook times and choose one with a 7-9 minute cook time.
This orzo can be made with chunks of boneless skinless thighs, but you may need to adjust the cooking time for the chicken. To make this an even faster dish, you can skip the first 2 steps and use pulled or chopped cooked chicken folded in at the end.
Other vegetables that would be good in this would be zucchini, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, and mushrooms.
Chicken broth can be substituted with vegetable broth.