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I'm Ina Garten and Jen Garner's Love Child - Crispy Chicken with Lemon Feta Orzo

Writer's picture: JulietJuliet

Updated: Mar 10, 2021

How could I resist? I love Ina Garten. I love Jennifer Garner. Now, I can pretend to be on Jennifer's Pretend Cooking Show! Jennifer made this recipe from Ina's newest book, Modern Comfort Food, on an "episode," and, of course, Ina made a cameo!


Here is my attempt at joining the cooking pantheon of Garten & Garner!

 

Ingredients:


Chicken:

2/3 c. all-purpose flour

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless, skin-on chicken breasts [I only did 2]

1/4 c. canola oil

9 TB good European style butter, divided [Ina says that Euro butter has less water content so allows better searing]

2 TB minced fresh parsley [I omitted - I always end up with a wad of parsley in the back of the drawer and I question how much it adds to the flavor]


Orzo:

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 c. orzo

2 tsp lemon zest

2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 TB "good" olive oil [Costco's counts, right Ina??]

1 TB minced, fresh dill

1 c. small diced feta, preferably Greek (4 oz)


Preheat the oven to 450 and get 2 quarts of water boiling in a large saucepan.


Combine the flour, 2 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper in a shallow bowl. Remove the tenders on the underside of the chicken breasts (save for another use) - this makes the chicken breasts an even thickness so they cook evenly. Heat the canola oil and 4 TB of butter together in a 12 inch cast iron skillet over medium heat until butter is melted and begins to sizzle.



Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and cook over medium heat without moving for 12 minutes [The butter gets really brown]. With the chicken still skin side down, place the skillet in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.



Into the boiling water, add 2 tsp of salt and the orzo. Bring back to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 9-11 minutes, until orzo is al dente. Drain (use a fine mesh colander if you have one). Transfer drained pasta to a bowl - stir in zest, juice, olive oil, dill, 2 tsp of salt [Note: I started with 1 tsp which was fine for us. As much as I love Ina, she's an over-salter even for me, the salt lover!], and 1 tsp pepper. Fold in feta and serve hot.



Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat (careful; the handle will be hot!). Turn the chicken skin side up, add the remaining 5 TB of butter, and continue cooking for 3-5 minutes, until the butter is a nutty brown color and the chicken breasts are just cooked through (an instant read thermometer will register 160F). Off the heat, sprinkle on the parsley [or, just turn up the music and dance around].



Divide the orzo into dishes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice crosswise into thick slices. Arrange on top of the orzo and spoon a little brown butter on top of the chicken. Serve with a lemon wedge for squeezing. [I added haricot vert boiled for 6 minutes and tossed in the last TB of Thomas Keller's maitre d'hotel butter from week 1's blog]



This is far from hyperbole when I say that this might possibly be my favorite way I've ever cooked whole chicken breasts. They were crisp but tender [Note: I did not use the dreaded word, "moist"]. The orzo was one of the best sides I've ever made at home that didn't involve a potato! The feta melts oh so slightly and it's so fresh with the dill and lemon zest. I'm definitely making this again and think that the orzo might be great with a shrimp skewer as well! Oh, Ina, you've done it again!



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