Cooked Chicken teamed up with Pomegranate Orzo

Cooked Chicken teamed up with Pomegranate Orzo

Informal Recipe Redesign:Whip up this badass, easy peasy weeknight dinner dish – Poached Chicken & Pomegranate Orzo. Totally delicious and bursting with fall flavors, it's a fantastic dish for those cozy evenings.

This recipe was a bloody epic success in our Fall Ingredients photo gallery extravaganza.

• Serves: 4-6 boozed-up mates
• Skill Level: Dang-near effortless
• Total Time: Approximately 1 hour

Ingredients (13)

• 1 schmear (1 tablespoon) of olive oil
• Half a frickin' onion, diced (small)
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced (finely)
• 2 teaspoons coriander, ground
• Salt to taste (kosher)
• Black pepper to taste (freshly ground)
• 2 cups of water
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (no skin)
• 1 cup orzo (tiny pasta)
• 2 teaspoons maple syrup (pure)
• 4 teaspoons vinegar (white wine)
• 1/4 cup cilantro, chopped (fresh)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds (fresh)

Instructions

1. Warm up the olive oil in a medium skillet over a darn-good, medium heat.
2. Once shimmery, cook the onion, garlic, and coriander for about 3 minutes, seasoning with salt and pepper to taste.
3. Pop in the water and chicken, lower the heat to medium-low, cover, and allow it to simmer until the chicken is cooked through (about 25 minutes). Scoop the chicken onto a cutting board and let it cool so that you can shred it into bite-sized hunks.
4. Meanwhile, hurl the orzo into the poaching liquid and simmer—stirring regularly—until pasta is al dente and all liquid has been absorbed (about 10-15 minutes). Stick the orzo in a hulking, nonreactive bowl and toss in the maple syrup, vinegar, cilantro, pomegranate seeds, and shredded chicken. Add more salt and pepper if needed.

Now, that's what I call a fabulous, fall meal!

Enrichment Insights:

The enrichment insights provide a slightly different version of the recipe, using cumin, smoked paprika, and mint as alternative spices and incorporating pomegranate molasses in the dressing. These variations can be considered if you fancy a bit of a flavor boost. Keep in mind that the recipe differs slightly from the original, so modifications may be necessary to make it taste approaching perfect.

1. Instead of coriander, you could try using a mix of cumin and smoked paprika for a more complex flavor in the Poached Chicken & Pomegranate Orzo dish.
2. For a twist on the original recipe, consider replacing white wine vinegar with pomegranate molasses to add a unique, tangy flavor to the dish.
3. To give the Poached Chicken & Pomegranate Orzo an extra dash of freshness, you could use mint along with cilantro to garnish the dish.

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