Thursday, December 13, 2007

I love capers!
--Greek Chicken with Capers and Orzo



Greek Chicken with Capers and Orzo
Cooking Light Annual Recipes 2006 Copyright 2005

1 cup uncooked orzo (rice-shaped pasta) I used more
Cooking spray
12 ounces chicken breast tenders I used breasts, cut into strips
1 tablespoon salt-free dried Greek seasoning blend mine wasn't salt-free
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons extravirgin olive oil
1 teaspoon bottled minced garlic I used fresh garlic
1/2 teaspoon salt I omitted this
1 large red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup finely chopped green onions

Cook orzo according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain.
While orzo cooks, heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken; cook 3 minutes on each side or until done. Remove chicken from pan; cover and keep warm.

Combine Greek seasoning and next 5 ingredients (through salt); set aside.

Recoat pan with cooking spray. Add bell pepper, and sauté 2 minutes. Add onions; sauté 1 minute or until peppers begin to brown. Return chicken to pan. Stir in caper mixture, tossing gently to coat chicken. Spoon chicken mixture over orzo. Serve immediately.

Yield: 4 servings
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I came up with this recipe at the last minute. I had everything to make it except the lemon juice so I was going to use bottled key lime juice but I ended up having to go to the grocery store for something else so I picked up the lemon.

I can't believe I went all these years not knowing how much I love capers. I have to find more recipes where I can use these salty little gems. If you don't care for them, I think this recipe would still be very good but you won't find me leaving them out.

The only thing I might do differently next time is to cut the chicken into even smaller pieces. I prefer that since the flavor from the sauce really gets into the chicken that way.

I think the weather is going to screw with my grocery night. That's okay since that gives me a little more time to plan. I need a super-easy week of menus next week.

Blast From The Past: Deep-Dish Chili Pie from February 2006. That might fit the bill for next week.

Question of the Day: Do you like capers?

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love the taste of capers, but don't use them often. I guess I don't run across many recipes that include them in the ingredients. So, thanks for this recipe.

Jan

LBP said...

Hello! I just stumbled onto your blog and want to say I am a cookbook junkie too! I have over 600!

I have never eaten capers, but your recipe looks so good, I think I will try it.

Blessings

Linda

Anonymous said...

Okay, I LOVE capers ... especially the larger ones. My favorite quick dinner is pasta with Kalamata olives, garlic, capers and feta cheese. Yum.

I'm going to have to give this recipe a try.

ThursdayNext said...

My beau *always* has a container of capers in his pantry and fridge at all times. He made chicken piccata last weekend - I like them in small servings, nothing too abundant, but they are good.

Anonymous said...

hi!

i found your bolg yesterday when i was looking for something different to make for dinner... i LOVE capers. i made this last night while we decorated the tree. since i wasn't in the mood for red peppers i used sun dried tomatoes and it was fantastic!

your bolg is great thanks for sharing!