×
Donal Skehan
Cacio e Pepe Orzo with Chicken | DonalSkehan.com
  • chicken

Cacio e Pepe Orzo with Chicken

June 04

A real straight-through cooking and no fuss in the kitchen recipe! This is a quick, comforting twist on the classic Roman pasta dish. Tender chicken breasts are pan-seared and served with creamy, cheesy orzo cooked in chicken stock, finished with plenty of pecorino romano and a generous hit of black pepper. Simple, rich and full of flavour, it’s an easy one-pan style meal that feels both rustic and indulgent.

  • serves Serves 2
  • time 25 minutes

Method

  1. 1. Slice each chicken breast in half lengthways and generously season with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt. Heat a good drizzle of olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat and add the chicken. Cook for a few minutes, basting, until golden, then flip and cook on the other side until cooked through. Remove and set aside.
  2. 2. Place the butter into a saucepan and place over a medium heat. Add about 1 tablespoon of freshly ground black pepper and the orzo pasta and allow the pasta to toast in the butter for a few minutes. Add in the garlic and allow to cook out until aromatic before adding the stock and rosemary sprigs. Let it bubble away for 8–10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. 3. Blitz the pecorino in a mini-food processor or grate on a fine grater, and when the orzo is tender, stir through most of the cheese, mixing until melted.
  4. 4. Serve the orzo on a platter, sprinkled with the remaining pecorino and a little more freshly ground black pepper, then slice the chicken and serve on top, spooning over any pan juices.

Ingredients

2 chicken breasts
Olive oil
1.8 oz butter
10.6 oz orzo pasta
3 cups chicken stock
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
A few sprigs rosemary
5.3 oz pecorino romano, plus extra to serve
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

2 chicken breasts
Olive oil
50g butter
300g orzo pasta
700ml chicken stock
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
A few sprigs of rosemary
150g pecorino romano, plus extra to serve
Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

If you liked this

You may also like

Orzo with Lemon, Courgette, Peas & Prawns | DonalSkehan.com
  • recipes
  • →

Orzo with Lemon, Courgette, Peas & Prawns

September 22

Cooking through the weekend in our house requires not only slow stews, roasts and other comfort food far but quick fixes too and this Orzo dish with lemon, the last of the Irish courgettes, a bag of frozen peas & prawns is surprisingly simple to pull together when you need an easy lunch or dinner. It’s also a dish I like to feed our boys when I’m using up the last veggies in the fridge.
Saffron Turkey Stew with Orzo, Greens & Chickpeas | DonalSkehan.com
  • winter
  • →

Saffron Turkey Stew with Orzo, Greens & Chickpeas

January 09

A useful blueprint of a recipe that is open to your interpretation. Use whatever greens are in season for this. Curly kale or spinach could work well here. The same goes for the chickpeas, and tinned pulses you can find in the kitchen press will work, cannellini or butter beans would be tasty here too.
Chicken & Mushroom Pasta | DonalSkehan.com
  • real-time-recipes
  • →

Chicken & Mushroom Pasta

November 01

This Chicken & Mushroom Pasta is a delicious and hearty dish that’s ideal for a weeknight dinner but sophisticated enough for entertaining. Uniquely, it features soy sauce—an ingredient not typically found in Italian cuisine—adding an unexpected depth of flavour!