Mediterranean Chicken Orzo

Name: Mediterranean Chicken Orzo
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 4 h
Total time: 4 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings.
Ingredients: 1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces; 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth; 2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped; 1 cup sliced pitted green olives; 1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives; 1 large carrot, finely chopped; 1 small red onion, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon grated lemon zest; 3 tablespoons lemon juice; 2 tablespoons butter; 1 tablespoon herbes de Provence; 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Orzo pasta with chicken, olives and herbes de Provence has the bright flavors of Mediterranean cuisine. Here’s a bonus: Leftovers reheat really well! —Thomas Faglon, Somerset, New Jersey

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 medium tomatoes, finely chopped
1 cup sliced pitted green olives
1 cup sliced pitted ripe olives
1 large carrot, finely chopped
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon grated lemon zest
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon herbes de Provence
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

Directions

In a 3- or 4-qt. slow cooker, combine the first 11 ingredients. Cook, covered, on low 4-5 hours or until chicken, pasta and vegetables are tender, adding orzo during the last 30 minutes of cooking.

Test Kitchen tips

Herbes de Provence is a mixture of dried spices associated with France's Provence region. It is available in the spice aisle.

Use herbes de Provence to flavor mild main ingredients, like chicken, fish and vegetables.

Nutrition Facts

1-1/3 cups: 415 calories, 19g fat (5g saturated fat), 86mg cholesterol, 941mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate (4g sugars, 3g fiber), 27g protein.

Originally published as mediterranean chicken orzo in Taste of Home February/March 2016

Reviews

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Average Rating:

lfreer

Jan 20, 2017

I followed the recipe, and was disappointed. The herbs de Provence was overwhelming. If I make this again, I would use only 1/2 of the spice, and replace it with smoked paprika or Italian seasoning.
toolbarsco

Feb 6, 2016

I'm always looking for an excuse to use green olives so I was excited to try this recipe. I dashed out to the store to get herbs de provence. I should have looked more closely at what's in this herb mixture. The minute I sprinkled it in I could smell the lavender and rosemary which we do not care for. My bad........ I like the basic ingredients in this dish but next time I will add thyme, oregano, marjoram and savory instead of herb mixture.
Kimmer66

Feb 2, 2016

This was very good. I didn't have herbes de Provence so I improvised. I used Kalamata and green w/pimento olives. If you want a little extra zing add olive juice to taste. I didn't have time for the slow cooker so I seasoned and seared 2 chicken breast w/a shallot and shredded carrot and seasonings. Added 1 can of chicken broth and a little water and cooked until chicken was done. Cut up the chicken into bite sized pieces and added everything else and cooked until orzo was soft.