CHICKEN RISOTTO

Ingredients:
2 lbs marinated and grilled chopped chicken
1 lb orzo pasta
2 cans chicken broth
2 cups slivered almonds, toasted
1 cup chopped celery
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
cherry tomatoes ( about 1 to 1 ½ containers), halved
feta cheese, crumbled (to taste)

Dressing:

½ cup chopped fresh basil (or 1 Tbsp dried)

1 Tbsp Dijon Mustard

½ cup red wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil

¼ cup sugar

½ tsp salt

½ tsp black pepper


Marinate chicken breasts (boneless, skinless) in a vinegar-based marinade of choice. Grill chicken and chop. Set aside.

Combine ingredients to make dressing. Set aside.

Cook orzo according to package directions using chicken broth (the package directions will likely require more water than the 2 cans of chicken broth, so ADD water to the chicken broth to obtain the amount of liquid required on the package directions – boil orzo in this liquid). Drain cooked orzo and cool.

In 3 separate containers: 1) Add toasted almonds, peppers, and celery to orzo and toss with 1/3 of the dressing. 2) Toss the tomatoes with 1/3 of the dressing. 3) Toss the chicken with 1/3 of the dressing. Add the tomato mixture and chicken mixture to the orzo. Add feta just before serving.

The recipe says it serves 4-6 but actually serves more (8-10?). You may have to experiment with serving size.

Recipe taken from Bay Tables cookbook and shared with me by my friend and neighbor, Jennifer Gardner.