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.
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.
I'd love to connect with you on social media. Follow me on:
Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, Bloglovin, Twitter
Leave a Reply