Grilled Chicken and Asparagus with Herbed Orzo is a healthy and delicious weeknight meal made in under 30 minutes. Flavor and satisfaction are guaranteed.
Grilled Chicken And Asparagus With Herbed Orzo
I don't know about you, but I've always had problems with cooking chicken breasts. Since I may have a panic attack when I see an undercooked meat, I always make sure to cook meat a little bit longer than necessary. Granted, this style of cooking comes out with the consequences and meat ends up being on a dry side. Since chicken breast doesn't have fat, it is especially easy to overcook it. Why I am writing all this, you may wonder. That's because I'm proud to say that I finally cracked a code on how to make a tender, juicy and incredibly delicious chicken breast and I'm about to share this secret with you.
When it comes to cooking chicken, I always favoured baking over frying. Baking is for lazy folks like me. You season a meat, pop into the oven and 40 minutes later, voila, it's ready. This time, however, I wanted to try something different yet easy.
A few years ago, I purchased a convenient stovetop grilling pan. I used it here and there but not too often. Only recently, I finally decided to give my cast iron grilling pan more work and started using it on a regular basis. And I'm so glad I did because I absolutely love it. Regardless of what type of food I cook there, it always comes out delicious with a nice smoky aroma.
If you're like me and can't wait to kick-off a grilling season, but it's too cold to heat up an outdoor grill, I seriously suggest you getting a good grilling pan. It will serve you for a lifetime and you can enjoy grilled food all year round.
To go along with my grilled chicken, I made herbed orzo. Many people confuse orzo with a rice, but in fact, it's just a different type of pasta. Orzo is very versatile and can be incorporated in a variety of dishes.
To complete a meal, I prepped a simple grilled asparagus salad, which added a pleasant smoky flavor and a nice pop of colour.
Recipe
Ingredients
For Grilled Chicken
- 2 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons olive oil divided
For Orzo
- ½ cup orzo
- 1 ¼ cup chicken broth
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley and dill
- 4-5 cherry tomatoes halved, for garnish
For Grilled Asparagus Salad
For Greek Yoghurt sauce
- ½ cup Greek yoghurt
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon Olive oil
- ½ teaspoon lemon juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
For Grilled Chicken
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- Lightly brush your grilling pan with olive oil and put it on medium-high heat. Let it heat for at least 5 minutes.
- Brush each chicken breast with 1 teaspoon of olive oil. In a small bowl, combine all spices for chicken and salt and finely rub into chicken.
- Place chicken on a grill and let it cook for 5 minutes. Don't try to move chicken while it cooks. Using tongs, flip chicken to the other side and cook for 5 more minutes. Transfer chicken together with a grilling pan into the oven and cook it for 5 more minutes or until an instant food thermometer reads 165 F. Remove from the oven let it rest.
For Orzo
- Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan combine orzo, broth and salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until all liquid is absorbed and orzo is cooked, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat, fluff orzo with a fork and stir in chopped parsley and dill.
For Grilled Asparagus Salad
- Finely brush trimmed asparagus with a mixture of 3 tablespoons of olive oil, garlic and salt. Place it on a grilling pan and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side until soft and charred. Remove from the heat and chop the asparagus into 3 pieces.
- In a medium bowl, combine grilled asparagus, mixed greens and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season to a taste.
- Enjoy!
Notes
Yoghurt Sauce recipe is adapted from Health magazine April 2017 issue
If you make this recipe, don't forget to snap a picture and post it on Instagram with a hashtag #lavenderandmacarons. I'd love to see your creations.
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Iryna Bychkiv is the founder and writer of the culinary website Lavender & Macarons, where she shares clean, European-inspired recipes that are delicious, easy to prepare, and made with wholesome ingredients. Iryna loves creating meals that are simple yet healthy and unique, including vegan and vegetarian recipes.
Iryna is also a freelance writer for MSN and Associated Press Wire.
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