Chicken and Orzo With Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette

Published Oct. 12, 2022

Chicken and Orzo With Sun-Dried Tomato and Basil Vinaigrette
David Malosh for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes, plus 30 minutes’ marinating
Rating
4(396)
Comments
Read comments

A sun-dried tomato vinaigrette uses both the tomatoes and the aromatic oil in which they are stored for a deeply savory pasta meal. The vinaigrette serves double duty here as both a marinade for the tender chicken thigh morsels and a sauce for the orzo and feta. This dish tastes lovely warm, right off the heat, but it also makes for a wonderful cold lunch, like something you might find at an Italian American deli or salad bar.

Featured in: A Better Boneless Chicken Dinner

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 8sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil, plus 6 tablespoons oil from the jar
  • 2cups tightly packed fresh basil leaves
  • 2tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1teaspoon red-pepper flakes
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 1pound boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into ½-inch cubes
  • 1large tomato, cut into ½-inch dice
  • 1pound orzo
  • 1(4-ounce) block feta, cut into ½-inch cubes
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

843 calories; 34 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 8 grams polyunsaturated fat; 91 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 789 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a food processor, blitz the sun-dried tomatoes and their oil, the basil, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, 1½ teaspoons salt and ½ teaspoon pepper until smooth. Transfer half of this vinaigrette to a medium bowl, add the chicken and turn to evenly coat. Cover and refrigerate the chicken for at least 30 minutes and up to 24 hours.

  2. Step 2

    While the chicken marinates, transfer the rest of the vinaigrette to a large bowl. Add the diced tomato and toss.

  3. Step 3

    Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally. Drain the orzo and transfer it to the bowl with the tomato; toss to combine.

  4. Step 4

    Heat a large skillet over medium-high. Add the chicken with its marinade and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden on all sides and no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken and all of its juices to the orzo. Add the feta and toss to combine. Taste and add more salt as desired. Serve warm or at room temperature, or refrigerate, covered, and enjoy cold for up to 4 days.

Ratings

4 out of 5
396 user ratings
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Comments

Very tasty! However, I think the amount of orzo should be halved - I increased the chicken to 1.5 lbs and the feta to 6 oz, but still the orzo swamped it completely. The photo illustrating this recipe is not the balance of ingredients in my experience. I'll make this again, but with 1/2 lb of orzo.

This is good! And easy. Makes enough for dinner for 3 & lunch for one the next day. Toasted pine nuts would make a nice garnish! I like the fact that it can be served cold, hot, or room temp- very versatile & unfussy.

Variation, not improvement: I was very interested in this recipe, so I made it with what I had on hand--tofu, not chicken. It worked pretty well. I added artichoke hearts and green olives to the mix to get body that I would lose without the chicken. Right call. Overall, very happy, and will prepare again. But, I look forward to trying the recipe with chicken soon, also.

I added some cucumbers for an extra crunch. I added less orzo based on another comment and it was perfect.

I found 8 sun dried tomatoes insufficient, so I threw in a few more. The paste was very thick, and I used a blender because there just wasn't enough material for my food processer. Hard to get out of the blender, so I added about a half cup of wine to the blender to rinse it out and added to cooking chicken (breasts). Why does the chicken only get half the marinade? It needs most of it! Also, only half pound of orzo is plenty. Result: Spectacular!!

This dish was wonderful - easy and full of flavor. The basil/sun-dried tomato purée could be used for so many things. I wanted to eat it right off the spoon! I could also see using shrimp in this recipe.

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