Spanish-Style Chicken Orzo
A distinguished culinary classic crafted with authentic techniques and finest ingredients, offering rich depth of flavour and elegant presentation.
Ingredients
- • 1 thin slice wholemeal bread
- • 500 g 5% fat pork mince
- • 2 garlic cloves, (peeled and crushed)
- • 2 tsp dried onion granules
- • 2 tsp smoked paprika
- • 1/4 tsp sea salt
- • 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
- • 1/2 medium egg, (beaten with a fork)
- • low-calorie cooking spray
- • 1 medium onion, (peeled and finely chopped)
- • 1 medium red pepper, (deseeded and diced)
- • 1 medium green pepper, (deseeded and diced)
- • 2 garlic cloves, (peeled and crushed)
- • 2 400g tins chopped tomatoes
- • 1 tsp dried fennel seeds
- • 2 tsp dried oregano
- • 2 dried bay leaves
- • 1/2 tsp hot pepper sauce
- • 1/2 tsp white granulated sweetener or sugar
- • 2 tbsp tomato purée
- • 500 ml chicken stock ((1 chicken stock cube dissolved in 500ml boiling water))
- • 200 g dried orzo
- • 6 cherry tomatoes, (halved)
- • 12 pitted black olives
- • 1 tbsp flat-leafed parsley, (roughly chopped)
Preparation Steps
To make the meatballs, place the bread in a food processor and blitz to fine breadcrumbs. Alternatively, you can use a coarse grater to do this.
Place the minced pork, breadcrumbs, garlic, onion granules, smoked paprika, salt and freshly ground black pepper in a medium mixing bowl. Use clean hands to mix together well. Add the egg a little at a time, and mix until the mixture has a consistency that'll form a ball. You may not need to use all the egg. Divide into twelve equal pieces, then shape into twelve meatballs.
Spray a large, deep frying pan with low-calorie cooking spray and place over a medium heat. When the frying pan is hot, add the meatballs and cook for 4-5 minutes, turning, to seal and brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside on a plate.
To make the sauce, add the onion and peppers to the frying pan, stirring in any meaty bits from the meatballs. Fry over a medium heat for 10-15 minutes, until the onion and peppers soften. Add the garlic, then cook for a further 1-2 minutes.
Add the chopped tomatoes, fennel seeds, oregano, bay leaves, hot pepper sauce, sweetener or sugar, tomato puree, stock and orzo to the pan. Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir well, then place the sealed meatballs in the sauce.
Cover with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently over the lowest heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the cherry tomatoes and black olives, cover and continue to simmer for a further 5 minutes — or until the meatballs are cooked through and have no pinkness inside. The orzo should be tender, the sauce should be thickened slightly, and the mixture should be piping hot throughout.
Remove the bay leaves and discard. Sprinkle over the chopped parsley and serve.