Chicken Orzo is my ultimate comfort food. Some people have mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, and pot roast. Not me, hand me a glass of wine with a nice steaming bowl of chicken orzo and I am one happy guy. Heres how to make it, as with most of my recipes it is a little bit of this little bit of that, but it is really easy to correct and as my family jokes, “season to taste.†Just keep in mind; don’t plan on going anywhere after this meal for two reasons. Primarily, you’ve now been drinking and that is bad. Secondly, the orzo is going to hit your stomach like you have never seen before, and you are going to curl up and go to sleep.
ingredients:
- 6 large cloves fresh garlic
- olive oil
- basil (fresh or dry)
- oregano (fresh or dry)
- white wine
- parmesan or romano cheese
- 1 lb. orzo pasta
- 6 organic, free range chicken drumsticks
- 1 cooking onion
- 1 large shallot
- 2 Tbsp. better than bouillon organic chicken
- 6 c. pure water (spring or filtered)
- whole organic carrots
- dash cayenne pepper
- black pepper
preparation:
- finely chop onion, garlic, and shallot
- saute onion, garlic, shallot, basil, and oregano in oil and wine (in the soup pot) until tender
- in a separate pot boil water, once boiling add 2 Tbsp. of better than bouillon.
- add drumsticks (whole) to onion slurry and continue cooking, adding wine if necessary, allow to cook while stock forms
- when stock is at a rolling boil and completely dissolved add to chicken and onions
- add 3 diced carrots to pot
- add dash cayenne pepper, dash black pepper, basil and oregano to taste
- allow pot to simmer covered for at least 1 full hour (2 is better)
- remove chicken from pot and separate meat from bone and skin, re-add meat
- 20 minutes before desired serving time add orzo
- cook covered for 15 minutes, uncovering for last 5
- remove from heat and let stand covered until serving
serve:
Ladle into shallow bowls and top heartily with parmesan. Goes great with almost any wine (I enjoy with merlot). Pop in a favorite movie, prop up your feet and…
Mangi.
reheat:
Put desired amount into microwave/oven-safe plate. Microwave for 1 minute on high to loosen. Bake at 325° for 15 minutes uncovered for a delicious lunch.