Pan Seared Chicken with Orzo Salad

Tonight’s dinner was actually in two parts. I made the Orzo salad the night before and the chicken breast was cooked tonight.

Orzo Salad
Original Recipe by Giada DiLaurentiis

• 1/2 lb Orzo
• 1/2 cup Crumbled Feta
• 2 TB plus 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 2 tsp Salt
• 1 tsp Fresh Ground Pepper
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1/2 cup Dried Cranberries
• 1/4 cup of Pine Nuts Roasted
• 1 handful of Baby Arugula Leaves

Cook the Orzo according to the package (approx 6-8 minutes) in plenty of water and salt. While the Orzo cooks, roast your pine nuts. Place the nuts in a skillet and toss over med-high heat until golden brown. They can burn very easily, keep your eye on them and swirl them in the skillet until your get the color you want. When done, remove from skillet and let cool. Place the cooled pine nuts and the lemon juice, salt, pepper, feta cheese and cranberries in a large bowl. When Orzo is cooked, drain and place on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle the 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the Orzo and spread out. This will help cook the Orzo faster. The Orzo should be cool enough in about 10 minutes. Place the cooled Orzo in the bowl  and toss lightly. Add your baby arugula leaves in If you can’t find baby arugula leaves, just rough chop regular arugula leaves] and toss adding the 1/2 cup of olive oil slowly. [We’re looking for moistness not wetness, so if you don’t use all the olive oil that’s ok. Taste it. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. The salad is great at room temperature, but its even better after it has sat in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.

Pan Seared Chicken

• 1 Chicken Breast
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• Teaspoon of Salt
• Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 TB Italian Herb Seasoning (Rosemary, Thyme, Oregano, Basil, etc…)

Place chicken breast and all ingredients in a Ziploc bag. Seal and massage the mixture and the chicken together making sure it is well coated and the seasonings are spread. Let sit and marinate for at least 30 minutes.

Next, in a small skillet, place 1 tablespoon of olive oil over med-heat. Remove the chicken from the bag and make sure that most of the liquid has dripped off the chicken. When the oil is hot, place the chicken in the pan. Let this side of the chicken sear in the pan for at least 3-4 minutes giving it some good color. Once you have some good color on the one side, flip the chicken over. Lower the meat to medium and cook for about 7-8 minutes or until the breast registers 160 degrees with a thermometer. When it does, turn off the heat and the remaining heat will bring it up to 165 degrees. Remove from skillet and let sit for a few minutes. Slice your chicken breast and place over your salad.