Creamy Chicken Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach

• portionen: 4 servings
• aktive zeit: 15 minutes
• gesamtzeit: 45 minutes

Zutaten

12 oz butternut squash (peeled, seeded, and cubed)

1 tablespoon olive oil

salt and pepper

2 tablespoons fresh thyme

1 ½ lb chicken thighs (skinless, boneless)

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 cup orzo (uncooked)

5 cloves garlic (minced)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups chicken stock

5 oz spinach (fresh)

1/2 cup heavy cream

salt and pepper

fresh thyme

Anweisungen

Roast Butternut Squash

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a large bowl, toss cubed butternut squash with olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh thyme.

Spread the squash on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet in one layer, without overcrowding.

Roast in the preheated oven on the middle rack at 400 F for 20 or 30 minutes. Remove from oven.

Proceed with the rest of the recipe while you roast the squash.

Sear chicken thighs

Generously season the chicken thighs with salt, freshly ground black pepper, smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, and fresh thyme.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat for 3 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat through. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes, without moving it. This allows the chicken to sear.

Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer until it's cooked through. The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove chicken to a plate.

Cook orzo

To the same, now empty, skillet, add 1 cup of uncooked orzo, 5 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the orzo on medium heat, stirring, for about 3 minutes until browned.

Add 2 cups of chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the orzo is cooked through.

Add spinach, and stir it in until it wilts on low-medium heat.

Add 1/2 cup of heavy cream, stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Assembly

Add roasted butternut squash and cooked chicken thighs to the cooked orzo. Top with fresh thyme.

Nährwertangaben

• Kalorien: 838 kcal
• Gesamtfett: 55 g
• Gesättigtes Fett: 17 g
• Ungesättigtes Fett: 33 g
• Transfett: 0.1 g
• Cholesterin: 204 mg
• Natrium: 346 mg
• Gesamtkohlenhydrate: 47 g
• Ballaststoffe: 5 g
• Zucker insgesamt: 6 g
• Eiweiß: 39 g