I don’t know about you but when I tend to get the rotisserie chicken from the grocery store, there’s only so much chicken soup a gal can take. I’m always on the lookout for great ideas for what to do with the leftover chicken and, in this month’s OLIVE Magazine, there was a great recipe for Roast Chicken Pancetta and Mushroom Orzo that gave me some inspiration on how to add a little za za zu factor to the leftover rotisserie chicken that was taking up valuable real estate in my fridge.
This dish was so simple, packed with flavor and will be on the menu again. I originally planned on starting off with shallots the recipe called for but, when cooking the bacon, I knew that the shallots might be overwhelmed by all of the flavors that would be taking up residence in the braiser and quickly swapped in the onion. With a few changes, this Roasted Chicken Orzo is an easy weeknight meal that will fast become a family favorite.
What do you do with leftover rotisserie chicken?
Ingredients
- 4-5 slices of thick cut bacon, diced
- 1 medium Vidalia onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves finely chopped
- 1 small container of baby bella button mushrooms, quartered
- 1 lb. orzo
- 2 springs of thyme, leaves removed
- 4 cups of chicken stock
- 2 cups of rotisserie chicken, shredded
- Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper to taste
- Asiago or Parmesan Cheese for serving
Directions
- Over medium heat, in a heavy bottomed dutch oven or braiser, cook the bacon until crisp.
- Remove the bacon and set aside. Discard all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon fat.
- Add the onions to the bacon fat and cook until translucent.
- Add the garlic and thyme, sauteing for 1 minute.
- To the onion and garlic mixture, add the quartered baby bella mushrooms and cook for 3 – 5 minutes.
- Add the orzo to the pan and toast the orzo for a minute in the oil along with the onion and mushroom mixture.
- Add the chicken stock to cover the orzo mixture, making sure to pull up any brown bits from the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil and reduce heat to simmer.
- Simmer gently for 10 minutes or so until the orzo is tender.
- Add the chicken and heat through.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve topped with a bit of the reserved bacon and some shaved Asiago or Parmesan cheese and enjoy!
Notes
Adapted from Olive Magazine
Gather the ingredients
Sautéing the Mushrooms, Onions and Garlic
Time to Toast the Orzo
Top with a bit of bacon and shaved Asiago and enjoy!
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Twitter: one_curly_fry
says:
This looks easy, yet so full of flavor! I’ll have to give this a try. You can’t go wrong with anything that has bacon in it!
jen recently posted..Maple Brined Pork Cutlets with Honeyed Mission Figs
OMG that looks scrumptious! You make me want to run out to get a rotisserie chicken
Make it a great day!
Marge recently posted..Is weight loss a math equation?
Twitter: Reeni_Spice
says:
What a delicious way to reinvent leftovers! Good call on using the bacon! You can’t go wrong.We usually make tacos or burritos with ours.
Reeni recently posted..Crunchy Tortilla Chicken with Avocado Salsa (Plus a Giveaway)
Erm… what exactly is Orzo??? Is it a fried rice type thing? Sorry – serious dunce in the kitchen here!
A Student Mom (Jenn) recently posted..Five Minute Friday…. on Monday… Because I’m late!
You are NOT a dunce Jenn
Orzo is a pasta that looks like rice. Super easy to find – it’s in a small box but it’s a nice alternative to the standard pasta choices 
Thanks so much for visiting!
Twitter: momsandmunchkin
says:
Looks delicious! Thanks for sharing & Happy SITS Day!
Cheryl recently posted..Summer Splash Giveaway Event
Twitter: Secretsofamom
says:
My husband is just as picky as my kids…this looks like something he would like! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Tara recently posted..Oh My God… I’M Mom!
Twitter: Modern_Gypsy
says:
This looks simple…and yummy!
Happy SITS day
Twitter: lkwhtmomfound
says:
this looks delicious
Melinda recently posted..Getting Into Shape Is Hard Work
Twitter: jesterqueen
says:
I only recently discovered orzo. I love its texture and size, and I’m on the lookout for new recipes. If I ever make this one for my husband, I’ll have to leave off the mushrooms. Which means I’ll make it WITH mushrooms and have more for me. Because I’m cruel like that!! Haha! Visiting from SITS.
Jester Queen recently posted..Memories Captured May: Once Upon A Train
Twitter: theemptynestmom
says:
This looks dee-lish. I’m always looking for new ways with chicken – and especially love that I can use the rotisserie kind from Safeway. Stopping in from SITS today.
Barb – The Empty Nest Mom recently posted..What would you time-lapse?
Twitter: asmithlib
says:
Oh, that looks so yummy my mouth is watering!
Thanks for sharing.
Alicia Smith-Turley recently posted..My Top 10 Favorite Things About Summer Growing Up
Twitter: organizedisland
says:
That looks scrumptious! I have never cooked with Orzo below, but I am going to try with your recipe! Found you on SITS
Raquel recently posted..Easy Macaroni Salad
The recipe looked tasty and then … I saw the pictures. YUMMY! I do love orzo and this is a simple and tasty meal. Thanks for the inspiration!
Enjoy your SITS day!
Morgan recently posted..small things {names}
Twitter: ashleytaylor76
says:
I feel like this is something my hubby would LOVE, so I am so glad I came over from SITS to check it out!
I am definitely going to try this recipe out on him!
thedoseofreality recently posted..Terms of Endearment
Twitter: homejobsbymom
says:
Looks yummy! My husband is so picky though I don’t know if he would eat it. It may be something he will just have to try.
krystle recently posted..Free Blogger Event: New iPad Giveaway Sign Ups
Yum! We never have any leftover rotisserie chicken though! This looks really wonderful.
Pam recently posted..Simple Cake Decorating
Looks great! I’m always roasting chickens and looking for something new to do with leftovers. This will get a try in my house!
Kristi recently posted..Spouse’s Deployment Survival Kit
oh my, this looks so good! my mouth watered through the whole post! Happy SITS day to you!
New York Cliche recently posted..Other New York clichés: A Blogger Buddy!
This looks delicious! Putting it on my list to try.
Jenny recently posted..UK Road Trip: East Yorkshire Coast
This sounds really good and looks super easy to make. The main thing, too, is that it gave back some of your refrigerator space. Yay!
Thanks for sharing your recipe (yours now, cuz you changed it!).
Carlo/Carlo At Your Service Productions recently posted..The Caterers & Event Planners 15-Minute Competitive Advantage for 2012