British asparagus chicken and spinach orzo

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 15 minutes

Cooking time: 20 minutes

 

You’ll need:

 

4 tsp olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces

2 banana shallots, chopped

2 cloves garlic, crushed

200g orzo

100ml chicken stock

1 bunch asparagus, washed and trimmed and cut into pieces

Zest and juice of a lemon

115g bag baby spinach

3 tbsp grated parmesan plus extra for serving

 

 

What to do:

 

Heat 2 tsp olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan.  Season the chicken and add to the pan, frying until golden all over.  Remove with a slotted spoon and set to one side.

 

Add another 2 tsp olive oil to the pan and sauté the shallots and garlic for a couple of minutes, until starting to soften. Add the orzo, give it a good stir and then add the stock.  Bring to the boil, cover and simmer for five minutes.

 

Add the asparagus, put the lid back on and simmer for another five minutes.

 

Add the lemon juice and zest, cooked chicken and the spinach and cook for a further few minutes until the chicken is cooked through and the spinach is just wilted.

 

Stir through the parmesan and serve with extra on the side.