Chicken With Orzo, Fennel, and Tangerine

I’m always looking for new ways to make chicken, and I’ve been loving cooking with orzo recently. So you may see a few variations on Chicken with Orzo coming soon. Tangerines are in season at the moment, and they inspired the flavors of this meal.

Fennel and orange are a delicious combination. Have you ever had a fennel and orange salad? Pure heaven. In this recipe, you can use tangerines, clementines, or oranges. Be sure to slice the fennel very thin.

Fennel has an anise flavor when eaten raw, but when you cook fennel, it becomes mild and creamy. You’ll love the tangerines cooked as well. You can eat the whole thing, skin and all.

This meal comes together in about a half hour. I cooked it in my braising pan on the stovetop. Allow 20 minutes for the orzo to cook in the broth, then check it for texture. It may need a few more minutes, depending on your stove. At the end I sprinkled on some red pepper flakes for a little heat.

Enjoy!

Chicken with Orzo, Fennel, and Tangerine

Donna DeRosa

A one-pan meal that is cooked on the stovetop.

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 30 minutes mins

Course dinner, entree,

Cuisine American, Mediterranean

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (cut into thin medallions)
• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon dried Italian herb blend
• 1 bulb fennel (thinly sliced)
• 1 small onion (thinly sliced)
• 2 cloves garlic (minced)
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups orzo
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 tangerine (sliced into half rounds)
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

Instructions

 

• Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Slice into thin medallions.
• Over medium heat, warm up the olive oil, add the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove and set aside. (You don’t have to cook them all the way through. They will finish in the sauce.)
• Add fennel and onion and cook for 3-5 minutes, until they become soft. Add garlic, cook for 1 minutes until fragrant.
• Add wine and cook for 1 minute to deglaze the pan. 
• Add the orzo and stir to coat in the juices and toast for 1 minute. 
• Add broth and squeeze in a little of the juice from the tangerine ends. Stir to combine.
• Add the chicken back to the pan, arrange in a single layer. Place the tangerine slices in between the chicken pieces. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 20 minutes, or until the orzo is soft.
• Sprinkle with red pepper flakes for a little heat. (optional). Give everything a stir before serving.

Notes

For the chicken, I cut the breasts lengthwise to get three thin cutlets. Then I cut those in half to form medallions.

I used a mandoline to slice the fennel and onion very thin.

Keyword chicken, fennel, orzo, tangerine