I rarely try a new recipe other than those I concoct myself from foods we have on hand. The main thing that determines whether I’ll make a recipe that I see in a book or magazine is “Do I have all (or most) of the ingredients?” Well August’s Better Homes and Gardens magazine has a recipe for which I had everything necessary.
The magazine’s serving suggestion.
Grilled Chicken and Peaches with Green Beans and Orzo
- 8 oz dried orzo (1-1/3 cups) (I used half of package)
- 8 oz green beans (about 2-1/2 cups) (I didn’t measure these.)
- 1 lb chicken tenders (Our package was 1-1/2 lbs.)
- 2 peaches, cut in wedges (We used 3 peaches.)
- 2 Tbsp. olive oil (I didn’t measure.)
- 4 oz feta cheese (Also didn’t measure.)
- Fresh thyme
Fresh picked lemon thyme from the herb bed.
We used the team approach to prepare the food. I worked the kitchen while Charlie manned the grill. Charlie picked some French filet green beans from the garden while I cut some fresh thyme.
Add the beans to the orzo with about 5 minutes left to cook.
No need to dirty 2 pots: cook the beans and orzo together and drain well.
Beans and orzo are ready for the platter.
I prepared the orzo and green beans while Charlie grilled the peaches and chicken tenderloins.
Charlie grilled the olive-oiled chicken and peaches keeping them separated.
Grill everything for 4 to 6 minutes until you can see the grill marks and the chicken is fully cooked.
The chicken and peaches grill quickly.
The recipe called for tossing everything together in a large bowl but I opted to lay it out on a platter and top it with chopped thyme and feta cheese.
Grilled chicken and peaches over a bed of orzo and green beans topped with feta, thyme and a drizzle of olive oil.
The next time we make this (and we will) I’ll forego the salt and add a little teriyaki sauce. This recipe would be good using other stone fruits (plums, nectarines, apricots), substituting rice for the orzo and other vegetables for the beans. A very versatile recipe.
Do you try new recipes? Are you a tweaker?
Sidebar: from Better Homes and Garden’s website:
- Servings Per Recipe 4,
- Calories 526,
- Protein (gm) 38,
- Carbohydrate (gm) 55,
- Fat, total (gm) 17,
- Cholesterol (mg) 93,
- Saturated fat (gm) 5,
- Monosaturated fat (gm) 6,
- Polyunsaturated fat (gm) 2,
- Dietary Fiber, total (gm) 5,
- Sugar, total (gm) 10,
- Vitamin A (IU) 632,
- Vitamin C (mg) 13,
- Thiamin (mg) 1,
- Riboflavin (mg) 0,
- Niacin (mg) 17,
- Pyridoxine (Vit. B6) (mg) 1,
- Folate (µg) 161,
- Cobalamin (Vit. B12) (µg) 0,
- Sodium (mg) 604,
- Potassium (mg) 810,
- Calcium (DV %) 40,
- Iron (DV %) 3,
- Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet
I made this tonight and used the team approach as well. We enjoyed it and it was quick and easy to make. Like you, I like the recipe because it’s very easy to make substitutions. We used chicken breasts because that’s what was on hand. Also like you, I didn’t measure most of my ingredients either!
You’re making me hungry. We’ll have to make this again soon. Jo