Summertime Orzo & Chicken Recipe

Summertime Orzo & Chicken Recipe photo by Taste of Home

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This easy-as-can-be main dish is likely to become a summer staple at your house. It’s that good! If you prefer, grill the chicken breasts instead of cooking in a skillet. —Fran MacMillan, West Melbourne, Florida

This recipe is:

Quick

Diabetic Friendly

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Summertime Orzo & Chicken Recipe

Prep/Total Time: 30 min.

Yield: 4 Servings

20 10 30

Ingredients

3/4 cup uncooked orzo pasta
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup crumbled reduced-fat feta cheese

Directions

Cook pasta according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large skillet coated with cooking spray, cook chicken over medium heat for 6-8 minutes or until no longer pink.
In a large bowl, combine the cucumber, onion, parsley and chicken. Drain pasta; stir into chicken mixture. In a small bowl, whisk the lemon juice, oil, salt and pepper. Pour over chicken mixture; toss to coat. Serve warm or cold. Just before serving, sprinkle with cheese. Yield: 4 servings.

Nutritional Facts 1-1/4 cups orzo mixture with 1 tablespoon cheese equals 323 calories, 7 g fat (2 g saturated fat), 65 mg cholesterol, 742 mg sodium, 33 g carbohydrate, 2 g fiber, 30 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 3 lean meat, 2 starch, 1 vegetable, 1 fat.

Originally published as Summertime Orzo & Chicken in Taste of Home August/September 2010, p38

The History of Feta

FETA is a white, salty, semi-firm cheese. Traditionally it was made from sheep or goat's milk but is now also made with cow's milk. After feta is formed in a special mold, it's sliced into large pieces, salted and soaked in brine. Although feta cheese is mostly associated with Greek cooking, "feta" comes from the Italian word "fette", meaning slice of food.