Greek Style Chicken Piccata and Orozo

Pounded Chicken Breasts

I am really happy with the Barilla orzo. I was able to make two separate meals out of it. Earlier in the month I made Sanford D'Amatos' "Shrimp and Orzo."  I am always in a rush to get food on the table by 6:30PM. One of the things that is easy to do with boneless skinless chicken breast  is butterfly it and pound it out. This decreases the cooking time dramatically. I used a Zip Loc bag or you can use two pieces of plastic wrap to put the chicken between. I use a rolling pin to take out my aggression. The main point of this chicken carnage is to make the cooking surface uniform and as thin as possible to ensure even cooking. 

The next step is to prepare a breading of sorts. To make this "Greek" tasting. I added flavors such as oregano, garlic powder, you could even use a Greek Seasoning. This was added to a cup of all purpose flour. Each piece of chicken was dipped in the flour and then into frying pan of hot oil. I brown each side for 5 minutes. The cutlets are then moved to a waiting plate. In the frying pan add a cup of white wine and a small diced onion. Use a spatula to get the brown bits off of the bottom. Let this reduce down for 3 minutes or so. Add a cup of chicken stock and a 2 tsp minced garlic. Reduce another 3 minutes. Reintroduce the chicken to the sauce. Add a handful of Kalamata olives and 2 TBSP of lemon juice. Bring to a boil and cook until the sauce thickens and the chicken cooks the rest of the way through. The sauce will thicken on it's own due to the flour used on the breading. Add a pat or butter or two to add richness to the sauce.  Season with more oregano, salt, and pepper. Serve with the orzo pasta below. 

browned chicken

Greek Style Orzo

1 cup white wine

1 cup chicken stock 

1 cup of water reserved

1/2 box Barilla orzo pasta

1/2 onion diced

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles

salt, pepper, oregano

2 TBSP lemon juice
A pat or two of butter

You will notice the ingredients are basically the same for the chicken as for the pasta. Begin by bringing the chicken stock and wine to a boil. Add the orzo and turn the heat to a medium low. This is similar to making risotto  You can have a stock pan going with the extra water or chicken stock. (I used water) When the liquid reduces, add more liquid if necessary. The orzo needs to be stirred every few minutes until you get the desired doneness. I don't like al dente' so I let it go a bit past that. The best way to test is take a piece out and see how you like it.  Lastly season with salt and pepper and add the feta cheese. Give a stir to incorporate the feta and add the lemon juice lastly and add a pat or two of butter. Serve with the chicken and sauce. 

Reduce until the liquid is cooked out.