I adapted a beloved dish to suit my preferences. It has a bruschetta-like flavor, and the greatest part is that everything cooks in a single casserole dish, making cleanup easier!
| Prep Time: | 20 mins |
| Cook Time: | 1 hr 5 mins |
| Total Time: | 1 hr 25 mins |
| Servings: | 4 |
| Yield: | 4 servings |
Ingredients
- cooking spray
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¾ teaspoon salt, divided
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 2 cups halved cherry tomatoes
- 1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil pesto
- ¼ cup balsamic glaze
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil or basil chiffonade
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Spread orzo evenly in the prepared baking dish. Add broth, 2 tablespoons melted butter, garlic, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper; stir to combine. Spread tomatoes evenly over top.
- Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and trim any visible fat. Drizzle remaining 2 tablespoon melted butter over chicken, then sprinkle with Italian seasoning, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and red pepper flakes. Place chicken over the tomatoes and cover the baking dish with foil.
- Bake in the preheated oven until chicken is no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 60 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
- Remove foil and sprinkle chicken with mozzarella cheese. Bake until cheese is melted, 5 to 7 minutes longer.
- Drizzle pesto and balsamic glaze over each serving and garnish with basil.
- I use mini heirloom tomatoes.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 606 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 48 g |
| Cholesterol | 120 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 3 g |
| Protein | 42 g |
| Saturated Fat | 13 g |
| Sodium | 1167 mg |
| Sugars | 5 g |
| Fat | 27 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
Made it; loved it; will definitely make again. Would post a picture but we already ate it! I subbed a can of diced tomatoes (hand squished because I like that style better) for the cherry tomatoes; drain them before you add to the recipe. Everything else was done as instructed. Great seasoning and tender chicken, which I butterflied before adding.
This had good ingredients and I really wanted to love it, but it was just okay. I probably won’t make it again. Just not enough flavor. I added some extra Italian seasoning as a reviewer suggested, but it definitely needed something else. I checked the chicken temperature after 40 minutes and it was already way past done. I can’t imagine if I’d cooked it for 60 minutes as suggested.
My guests loved this and so did I. I put everything together about 5 hours before baking. I cut the two chicken breasts into 8 smaller pieces. I doubled the amount of seasoning. Baked at 350 for 40 minutes then I generously sprinkled shredded mozzarella and took off the foil. Let that melt. I portioned onto plates and drizzled balsamic glaze (store bought) and fresh chopped basil on top. The flavors were yummy!!!
Loved this!! No working person loves to cook on a Friday night but this was soooooo easy and so good!! Used whole container of Cherub grape tomatoes. Otherwise followed to the letter. Love the orzo and slight heat from the red pepper flakes. Made homemade Balsamic Glaze (by Sally) from this site while this was baking. I personally don’t think you need pesto AND balsamic glaze. While I did really enjoy both (and used a little less of each) I might just do the glaze next time. Keep more true to what I know of “bruschetta.” I also might need to up the broth by 1/4c. Maybe due to the tomatoes I used but a VERY small amounts of orzo were crunchy. Still note 5 stars!! This is a fabulously quick weeknight (and flavorful!!) meal!! I will make this again!! Thank you!!!
Delicious winter meal!! My husband loved it too!!