Lemon-Rosemary Pasta Chicken

Preparation

1. chop the onion and carrots into ~1cm pieces
2. Zest the lemon
3. Finely chop the fresh herbs (or grind them)
4. Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and the zest of the lemon
5. Heat half the oil in a large pan and fry the chicken on each side for around 4-5 mins over a medium heat
6. Remove the chicken and place in a large casserole dish
7. Add the onions and carrots to the pan and cook for around 5 minutes until the onions are softened and translucent
8. Add the rest of the oil, the garlic, rosemary, thyme and apple and cook for around 5 minutes
9. Add the cider, wine, dijon, juice of the lemon and around 120ml of water and bring to a boil
10. Transfer into the casserole dish and add the orzo
11. Cover with foil
12. Bake in the oven for around 40 minutes. The chicken should reach a temperature of at least 74C. If you prefer the sauce to be less runny cook for a little longer, if you prefer the sauce ot be more like a gravy then add a splash of extra water

Notes

• The orzo can be swapped with rice, or a mix of both can be used. The quantity of water may need to be adjusted
• The cider should be apple cider for drinking - not cider vinegar
• Ideally use a dry white wine from France or Italy e.g. Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1tsp smoked paprika
• 1 lemon
• Pinch salt
• Pinch black pepper
• 4tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion
• 3 carrots
• 300g orzo
• 4 cloves garlic
• 4tbsp fresh rosemary
• 1tbsp fresh thyme
• 1 apple
• 500ml cider
• 250ml white wine
• 2tbsp dijon mustard

Equipment

Nutritional Facts

• Serving size: 695.2g
• (35% / 44%)   Calories: 878kcal
• (40%)Total fat: 22g
• (21%)   Saturated fat: 4.1g
• (40%)   Unsaturated fat: 14g
•     Mono: 11g
•     Poly: 3g
• (49%)   Cholesterol: 146mg
•   Trans Fat: 0g
• (33%)Total carbohydrates: 99g
•   Starch: 0g
• (77%)   Sugars: 23g
•     Sucrose: 1.1g
•     Glucose: 1.1g
•     Maltose: 1.5g
•     Lactose: 0g
•     Fructose: 1g
•     Galactose: 0g
• (44%)   Fibre: 11g
• (116%)Protein: 58g
• Salts
• (14%)   Sodium: 286mg
• (45%)   Potassium: 1.6g