Description
Have you ever thought that you can have a giouvetsi in less than 30 minutes? This easy chicken recipe with orzo pasta is a delicious variation of the classic giouvetsi; the next best thing for when you are in a hurry!
Ingredients
Scale
- 550–600g/ 20 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bites (or whole chicken bone-in cut in 8 pieces)
- 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta ( kritharaki / manestra )
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes
- 2/3 of a cup tomato juice (passata)
- 2 cups of water
- a pinch sugar
- a pinch of cinnamon or a cinnamon stick
- 4 tbsps olive oil
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- 130g feta cheese, crumbled (4.5 ounces)
Instructions
- To prepare this super easy chicken with orzo, heat a large frying pan over medium heat, pour in 2 tbsps olive oil and sauté the onions, until softened. Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and add in the pan; fry the chicken breasts until lightly colored.
- Remove the chicken pieces and the onions on a plate. In the same pan, add 2 tbsps olive oil and sauté the orzo pasta. Add the tomato paste and continue sautéing. Pour in the tinned tomatoes, the tomato juice and a cup of warm water. Return the chicken pieces and onions in the pan, add a pinch of sugar, a pinch of cinnamon and season well with salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium, place the lid on and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo pasta is cooked. (Halfway through cooking time, check out if all of the liquid has been absorbed and add 1 cup of hot water into the pan).
- Remove the pan from the stove, drizzle with olive oil and stir in the crumbled feta cheese. Let the chicken with orzo rest for 5 minutes and serve while still warm. Enjoy!
Keywords: chicken giouvetsi, Greek chicken and orzo in tomato sauce, chicken youvetsi, kritharaki with chicken, easy chicken recipe