Chicken Broccoli Pilaf Bake

This Pilaf Bake combines crisp broccoli, sauteed mushrooms, tender chicken, and cheese swirled through spoons of rice and orzo. Lots of good texture. Lots of good flavor. Homey and comforting.

I'm not going to lie people. This recipe took a few tries. I love combining rice and orzo for a bit of a pilaf situation. But these ingredients simply don't cook within the same time. So I found it best to par-cook each before mixing in with the rest of the sauce and goodies. Save yourself a pot and grab some microwave Minute Rice. But there's really no getting around boiling the orzo. Oh well! It's worth it. I promise.

Chicken Broccoli Pilaf Bake

Ingredients

· 1 tablespoon olive oil

· 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced

· 1 onion, chopped

· 4 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 cup mushrooms, chopped

· 2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped

· ¼ tsp cayenne pepper

· 1 tsp salt

· ½ tsp black pepper

· ½ cup dry white wine

· 1 cup chicken stock

· 1 cup whole milk

· 3 cups broccoli florets, chopped

· Zest and juice of a lemon

· 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

· 1 ½ cup cooked orzo

· 1 ½ cup cooked brown rice

· 1 cup sharp cheddar, shredded

· ½ cup parmesan, grated

Preheat oven to 375F.

Heat olive oil in a large sautee pan or cast iron skillet. Cook chicken over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes until no longer pink. Add onions, garlic and mushrooms. Sautee for another 2-3 minutes until onions are translucent and mushrooms begin to brown. Stir in thyme, cayenne, salt and pepper. Deglaze the pan with the white wine.

Once the wine has evaporated, reduce heat to medium low. Stir in the chicken stock and milk. Once the mixture comes to a simmer, add the broccoli. Cover and simmer for 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook the broccoli.

Remove the lid and remove from the heat. Stir in the lemon zest, juice, parsley, orzo and rice. Fold in half of the cheeses.

If you pan is oven safe, top the pilaf with the remaining cheddar and parmesan. Otherwise, pour the pilaf into a greased 2.5qt baking dish; top with the remaining cheeses.

Bake for about 30 minutes until the cheese is melty and brown around the edges.

Serves 4

Notes

Minute Microwave Rice works very well in this recipe!

Gluten Free Friendly! Delallo makes a great GF Orzo Pasta. I order mine on Amazon!