Chicken and Feta Orzo

Pour one pound of orzo into a 3 quart casserole.  Zest and juice one lemon.  Pour juice over dried orzo and put zest in with broth.

Cut two large chicken breasts into bite size pieces and place on top of dry orzo.  Meanwhile boil the broth with butter, water, salt, pepper and lemon zest.

Pour boiling broth over dry orzo and chicken. Sprinkle feta cheese over the top and if using dill sprinkle it over the top now too.

This is a simple and yummy casserole.  It is even kinda fancy if you use the dill.  The original recipe is from Everyday Food.  I haven't changed it much.  I didn't use the dill (which is really delicious on this dish) for two reasons: 1) The children will complain. 2) I didn't have any, nor did I want to go to the store, nor did I want to hear the children complain.  This casserole is easy to throw together and you just need to add something green on the side to complete you meal.

Chicken Orzo with Feta, Lemon and Dill

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (I use 4 c. water with 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon chicken flavor)
• 3/4 cup water
• 1 T. butter
• 1 1/4 t. coarse salt
• 1/4 t. ground pepper
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound orzo
• 2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)
• 1/4 c. coarsely chopped fresh dill (this can be optional, but shouldn't be)
• 2 t. finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, lemon zest, salt, and pepper to a boil. In a 3-quart baking dish layer the orzo, sprinkle with juice of one lemon and top with chicken pieces. Pour boiling broth mixture over the chicken. Sprinkle feta and dill over the top. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

This post is linked with Works For Me Wednesday.