Sesame Chicken Tenders with Creamy Parmesan Orzo & Asparagus

Both of tonight's recipes I found on Pinterest.  Some would say I'm addicted... I just say I use it as inspiration!

These chicken tenders are moist and have a slight sesame flavor.  I don't often like to cook with sesame oil, as I feel it has a pretty strong flavor, but with a mere two teaspoons for an entire package of chicken tender (my package had 11, for those of you counting at home), it really wasn't too over-powering.

And the orzo, oh the orzo.  I love asparagus.  I do.  And if you liked (or even tried!) the Cheezy Broccoli Orzo you too will like this one.

A quick and easy dinner for sure.

Sesame Chicken Tenders

Sesame Chicken Tenders with
Creamy Parmesan Orzo & Asparagus

What You Need:

• 1 package chicken tenderloins
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 6 tbsp sesame seeds
• 4 tbsp panko
• olive oil spray

How You Do It:

1. Preheat oven to 425°. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick oil spray.
2. Combine the sesame oil and soy sauce in a large Ziploc bag.
3. Combine the sesame seeds and panko in bowl.
4. Place chicken in bag with the oil and soy sauce and toss to coat, then into the sesame seed mixture to coat well. 
5. Place on the baking sheet; lightly spray the top of the chicken with oil spray and bake 10 minutes. 
6. Turn over and cook another 5 minutes longer or until cooked through.

Creamy Parmesan Orzo & Asparagus

What You Need:

• 1 c orzo
• 1 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 c milk
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

How You Do It:

1. Bring a large pot of water boil over medium heat.
2. Cook the orzo 5 minutes.
3. Add the asparagus to the same pot and cook until orzo and asparagus are tender.
4. Drain and return to the pot.
5. Quickly add the Parmesan, milk, and butter and stir until butter and cheese is melted and mixed in completely. 

Sesame Chicken Tenders adapted from SkinnyTaste.
Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Asparagus adapted from Sugar and Spice by Celeste.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken with Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

Tonight's dinner was brought to you by cheese!  Not only was the chicken stuffed with cheese in a three-ingredient chicken dish, but the orzo was packed full of it too!

Stuffed chicken offers an open door of possibilities and flavors... tonight's was simple:  cheese and salsa.  Yum and yum.  And a delicious chicken dish it did make.

As for the orzo, over the weekend the hubs and I indulged ourselves at the New Jersey Jazz It Up Festival.  Not only was there live music, but there were 21 different wineries sampling at least ten varieties each.... that's a lot of wine tastings!  We had an awesome (and delicious!) time... and came across a stand selling flavored pasta.  We picked up a few bags, including the Lemon Garlic Orzo I used in tonight's side dish.

A complete meal totally worth a try!

Cheesy Salsa Chicken

Cheesy Salsa Chicken with
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

What You Need:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 4 wedges Laughing Cow Light Swiss Cheese
• 1/2 c salsa

How You Do It:

1. Carefully split each chicken breast making a pocket inside, mindful not to cut all the way through the chicken.
2. Spread one wedge of cheese on one side of the chicken (inside).  Top with salsa.
3. Place in a baking dish and cover with foil.
4. Bake at 350*, covered 20 minutes.  Then remove foil and bake an additional 20 minutes until the chicken is fully cooked.

Cheesy Broccoli Orzo

What You Need:

• 1 c orzo
• 2 cups fresh broccoli florets
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 c shredded cheese
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1/3 c milk

How You Do It:

1. Cook orzo in boiling water about 3 minutes.
2. Add broccoli and cook until broccoli is tender and orzo is fully cooked.  Drain well.
3. Return mixture to pot and add milk, butter, and cheeses.  Stir until butter and cheese is melted.

Cheesy Salsa Chicken adapted from Hungry Girl.
Cheesy Broccoli Orzo adapted from IowaGirlEats.com

Lemon & Mushroom Orzo

This has been a strange week in our house.  My husband has been pretty under the weather and hasn't much gotten off the couch, let alone eaten much, so there hasn't been much cooking around here.  Tonight, however, he was finally feeling better so dinner was in order.  I put in a good workout, so a light dinner for me was perfect and with my husband's stomach finally coming around, he too wasn't interested in anything all too heavy.

I had two packages of mushrooms in the refrigerator for a dish I had originally planned on making this week and didn't, so I had just the recipe to try out.

Just the right amount of lemon, garlic, mushrooms, and a hint of basil, this made enough for us each to have dinner and another five, yes five, packages in the refrigerator.  This would most certainly make for a good side dish for a dinner party.  I will remember that...

Lemon & Mushroom Orzo

What You Need:

Lemon & Mushroom Orzo

• 1 package orzo (1 lb.)
• 3/4 c sliced almonds, toasted
• 2 lemons (the juice of both and the zest of one)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 2 8-oz packages sliced mushrooms
• 3 large cloves garlic, pressed
• 12 basil leaves, chopped

How You Do It:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook orzo according to package.  Once the orzo has fully cooked, drain and rinse.
2. While the water boils and orzo cooks, heat oil in a large rimmed pan.  Saute mushrooms.  Once the mushrooms start to soften, add garlic and continue to saute until mushrooms are fully softened.
3. Add the lemon juice, zest, toasted almonds, and basil.  Stir to combine, then fold in cooked orzo.

Next time I might sprinkle this with some parmesan...


Lemon & Mushroom Orzo adapted from EveryDay with Rachael Ray