Chicken, lemon and dill with orzo

Opa! Ottawa held its Greekfest a few weeks ago. I didn't go, but I celebrated at home with this dish. It's a nice alternative to tomato-based pasta bakes. And now that the weather's getting a bit cooler, it's nice to make something that actually requires the oven. This dish is pretty easy to put together, and it's a one-disher, which makes it even better.

All you have to do is assemble the ingredients. I used chicken breasts instead of chicken tenders, and fresh dill, but I think dried would work just as well. There's no need to pre-cook the pasta either, so it truly is a dump and dine kind of meal (I think I just coined that term, but it could use some work).

 

And here's what it looks like when it's baked.  Not the most beautiful plate, or photo, here, but I think I will make this one again.

Chicken, lemon and dill with orzo

From Everyday Food

 

Ingredients

• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 1/4 teaspoons coarse salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 1 pound chicken tenderloins, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 pound orzo
• 2 cups crumbled feta (4 ounces)
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh dill
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest, plus 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 cup grated Parmesan

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. In a 3-quart baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

 

A pie for Canada

 

Two pie posts in a row?

 

This is the blueberry pie we made at the cottage over the Labour Day long weekend. Doesn't it look good? It was. Truly. We ate it on the eve of the Quebec election, which is fitting, since the pie was made with blueberries from Quebec and some from Ontario. They got along quite well together, and the pie wouldn't have been as good without that combiation.

 

Too bad Canadian politics isn't as simple.