Meal Prep Doesn’t Have To Be Bland & Boring
Chicken, Rice & Broccoli is a great meal prep option, but if you’re looking for something more enjoyable check this out! If you’re prepping for a body-building competition where every calorie and macro counts, you’ll likely keep your food pretty bland and easy to measure and track. If you’re looking to fuel your general performance and not hate your meals, then this one is for you! This meal is both filling and light on the palate. Bright Mediterranean flavors really shine here. This meal can be great as both a winter comfort food and simultaneously be eaten outside on the patio during the summer.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 4 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 6 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 carrots, chopped
- 2 to 3 stalks celery, chopped
- 10 to 12 cups low-sodium chicken broth, more if you want it soupy, less if you want it like a pasta dish
- 1/2 c Parmesan Cheese
- 1 pound dried orzo
- 1Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- Salt & pepper, to taste
- 1 Tsp Crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 bunch spinach or kale, chopped roughly
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup pesto(premade in a jar is perfect)
- 1 lemon
Step-by-Step Cooking Instructions
- In a large soup pot, heat up your olive oil, then throw in all of your chopped veggies, herbs and garlic. Stir this mixture and cook until the veggies are tender and get slightly browned.
- Season your cooked veggies with salt, pepper and your red pepper flakes, next add your chicken broth and chicken. Bring this mixture to a boil and then return it to a simmer, simmer it until the chicken is cooked to an internal temperature of 165 F. Another way to tell if your chicken is cooked enough is to break a piece open, if it’s white all the way through with no pink – then its done.
- After your chicken is cooked, pull it out and let it rest on a cutting board, after it’s cool enough to handle, mash, cut or shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
- Add your orzo to the remaining liquid in the pot and simmer it until the orzo is tender to the bite, once the orzo is cooked, you can add your chicken back in, along with the chopped kale or spinach and your shredded parmesan cheese, milk, and pesto.
- Squeeze your lemon in and heat everything until warm enough to eat, adjust flavor with additional salt and pepper as needed
- To finish, ladle the Creamy Lemon-Chicken and Orzo into your bowl, top with some fresh herbs if you fancy.
Pro Cooking Tips
- You can make this dish and toss the leftovers into meal prep containers and reheat it throughout the week
- For reheating, I recommend adding a little additional chicken stock to your meal, stir it up and microwave for 3 minutes or until hot throughout
- If you want to eat this as a soup, you can add more chicken stock until it’s the consistency you like
- Feel free to make this dish your own, you could always throw in some frozen broccoli or swap chicken for shrimp, have fun with it, this doesn’t have to be precise
Conclusion
This Lemon Chicken with Orzo and Spinach recipe proves that delicious, nutritious meals don’t have to be complicated or time-consuming! With its bright flavors, satisfying textures, and impressive presentation, this dish is sure to become a regular in your weekly meal rotation. I love how versatile it is – perfect for a quick family dinner or elegant enough for weekend entertaining. Remember, the key to this recipe’s success is letting those lemon flavors shine through while keeping the chicken tender and juicy. Don’t forget to leave a comment below sharing how your family enjoyed this Mediterranean-inspired dish! What variations did you try?
