Creamy orzo with chicken and mushrooms

5
Points®
Total Time
27 min
Prep
14 min
Cook
13 min
Serves
6
Difficulty
Easy
This simple, rich-tasting one-dish meal is best served right from the pot. Rice-shaped orzo and a light cream sauce make this dish similar to a risotto, without all the stirring. On its own, it’s a substantial meal but you can pair with steamed veggies like broccoli and green beans to meet your daily veg quota. Make sure all the ingredients are prepped ahead and ready to go. To save some time, look for presliced shiitake mushrooms in your supermarket’s produce section. You’ll need about 1 cup dry orzo to get 2 1/2 cups cooked. Cook it up to 2 days in advance if you’d like to get a jumpstart.

Ingredients

Olive oil

1½ Tbsp, extra-virgin

Onion

1 medium, chopped

Garlic

1 clove(s), minced

Dried shiitake mushroom

¾ pound(s), fresh, stems discarded, caps sliced

Sherry (dry or sweet)

cup(s)

1% low fat milk

1½ cup(s)

Cornstarch

4 tsp

Table salt

¼ tsp

Black pepper

¼ tsp, freshly ground

Ground nutmeg

tsp

Cooked orzo

2½ cup(s)

Cooked boneless skinless chicken breast

10 oz, carved

Fresh parsley

¼ cup(s), fresh, chopped

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender and lightly browned, 4–5 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until it evaporates, about 1 minute.
  2. Combine the milk, cornstarch, salt, pepper, and nutmeg in a bowl until smooth. Add the milk mixture to the skillet and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture bubbles and thickens, about 3 minutes. Stir in the orzo and chicken. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley. Yields 1 cup per serving.