Tag: Pilaf

Pesto Chicken, Blistered Tomatoes and Orzo & Herb Pilaf

You can never have too many weeknight meals, especially chicken recipes! For this dinner, I combined two Cooking Light recipes  (Pesto Chicken with Blistered Tomatoes and Orzo and Herb Pilaf) to make one dinner, and served it with a simple salad on the side.

Any recipe that uses pesto is a winner in my book. This particular pesto uses spinach, basil, and parsley to deliver a more complex flavor.

Ingredients:

Pesto:

  • 2 cups packed fresh baby spinach
  • 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves
  • 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 6 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts
  • 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1 1/2 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/3 cup)
  • 1 garlic clove, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Chicken:

  • 2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 4 (6-oz.) skinless, boneless chicken breasts
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)
  • 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
  • 6 tablespoons spinach pesto (recipe below)

Tomatoes:

  • 3 cups multicolored cherry tomatoes
  • 1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

Orzo and Herb Pilaf:

  • 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup chopped yellow onion
  • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • blistered tomatoes (recipe below)
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill

Continue reading Pesto Chicken, Blistered Tomatoes and Orzo & Herb Pilaf

Lemon-Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf

Have you ever made an Armenian-style pilaf? This style of pilaf adds toasted spaghetti or other noodles to the rice. This recipe for a Browned Butter Hazelnut Pilaf is really stellar. The cod recipe that goes along with it is also tasty, but the real star is the pilaf. The recipe, from the latest Cooking Light, is a quick meal, so it’s great for something a little different for a weeknight dinner!

Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil, divided
  • 2 ounces uncooked thin spaghetti, broken into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 cup unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/2 cup uncooked basmati rice
  • 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1/4 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts
  • 4 (6-ounce) cod fillets
  • the juice of one lemon
  • 4 lemon wedges (optional)

Continue reading Lemon-Browned Butter Cod with Hazelnut Pilaf

Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Rice Pilaf

This cold weather just won’t let up, so my cravings for comfort foods keep on coming! This recipe for Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Rice Pilaf comes from the March 2015 issue of Cooking Light. It takes a little longer to make (~1 hour) so it’s probably better for a weekend meal.

You brown the chicken thighs in the same pot that you make the rice in, so it adds a subtle roasted flavor to the rice as well. This Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Rice Pilaf recipe is also a one pot meal, so less dishes! The pilaf is loaded with carrots, Brussels sprouts, and golden raisins and work surprisingly well together!

Ingredients:

  • 1/4 cup walnut halves
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
  • 1 cup uncooked wild rice
  • 1 cup finely chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
  • 1/4 cup chopped celery
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1 cup water
  • 1/4 cup golden raisins
  • 8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved
  • 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
  • lemon wedges, optional

Continue reading Braised Chicken Thighs with Wild Rice Pilaf

Seared Salmon Fillets with Orzo Pilaf

Now that Lent is in full swing, I thought I’d add even more salmon recipes to my blog. (If you haven’t picked up on it yet, I love salmon. I would eat it every day if I could.) This recipe from Cooking Light has a bit of a Mediterranean flare to it: a simple seared salmon filet over orzo pilaf with kalamata olives, roasted red peppers, and dill.

Ingredients:

  • 5 teaspoons olive oil, divided
  • 3/4 cup uncooked orzo
  • 1 1/2 cups unsalted chicken stock
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
  • 1/4 cup bottled roasted red bell peppers, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
  • 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 ounce chopped pitted kalamata olives
  • 4 (6-ounce) salmon fillets
  • 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Continue reading Seared Salmon Fillets with Orzo Pilaf

Exit mobile version