Herb-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Orzo

Source: Annie's Eats

I'm always looking for a new, easy chicken recipe. I love chicken - it's lean, easy to cook with, and I always have some! This recipe was simple and quite good!

Just last week my husband mentioned, "I never thought you would really COOK when I met you." That's true, I never used to actually make dinners! Throughout the years, I've been cooking more and more, and actually learning along the way. I've always said I can READ a recipe, but I really can't create anything new. The reason I bring up all this when I ate this recipe I thought, "Hmmm...I think some crushed tomatoes would be really good instead of the diced tomatoes, and maybe a little bit of white wine." It's kind of cool to me I'm getting to the point where I can actually TASTE something and think about how I could change it :)

Herb-Rubbed Grilled Chicken with Orzo

8 oz. orzo pasta, uncooked
2 chicken breasts, butterflied into halves (4 pieces total)
Salt and pepper
2 tsp. Herbes de Provence
2 tbsp. olive oil
1 shallot, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14.5 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juices
2 cups broccoli florets
½ cup heavy cream
1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Bring a saucepan of salted water to boil. Add the orzo and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, about 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving ½ cup of the pasta water.

2. Season both sides of the chicken breast halves with salt and pepper. Sprinkle evenly with the Herbes de Provence. Heat the olive oil in a 12- or 14-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken breast halves to the pan and cook about 3 minutes per side, until golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Reduce the heat to medium, add the shallot to the pan and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté an additional minute, until fragrant. Add the diced tomatoes with juices and the broccoli florets to the pan, scraping the bottom of the pan to remove any browned bits. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer over medium-low. Add the chicken breasts and any accumulated juices back into the pan. Cover and let cook until the broccoli florets are crisp-tender, about 10 minutes.

4. Stir in the cooked orzo, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Mix until well blended and the cheese has melted. If necessary, add some of the reserved pasta water to smooth out the sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.