Lemon Pepper Chicken with Garlic Parmesan Orzo and Broccoli

I've never cooked orzo before, and I wasn't really sure how it would turn out, but this was pretty good. For those of you who don't know, orzo is actually a pasta, but it's shaped a lot like rice. It really looks a lot like long-grain rice, actually. I was intrigued.

I knew I wanted to try orzo, but I knew that, unlike a lot of my pasta dishes, this would probably need to be a side dish. So I determined that making grilled chicken to accompany it would work out just fine. :) I used a Lemon Pepper spice blend I already had in my pantry to make it yummy without being overpowering. I think the two dishes made a good meal together. I also added broccoli to the orzo to get my veggie in there. Go me. Haha.

I hope you enjoy! This made plenty orzo for the two of us, with at least one serving left over, so you could probably feed four people with this recipe. Have fun!

Ingredients:
Chicken-
-chicken breasts (enough to feed everyone)
-olive oil, for coating chicken
-about 1 teaspoon of a lemon pepper spice blend per chicken breast

Orzo-
-approximately 1 cup uncooked orzo
-2 tablespoons butter
-approximately 1 cup heavy cream
-about 2 tablespoons garlic powder
-about 1/2 cup to 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese
-two small heads of broccoli, cut into florets (about 2 cups), steamed

Directions:
In a plastic bag, pour in enough olive oil to coat the chicken breasts. Add in the spice mix and the chicken and seal the bag. Massage the oil and spices into the chicken and let rest to marinate for a few minutes.

Grill the chicken until no longer pink in the center.

I used my countertop grill.

In a large pot, cook the orzo in boiling water until al dente. Drain and return to the pot, reducing heat to medium. Add the butter and garlic powder and stir until it's melted. Add the cream and parmesan and stir until incorporated. Add the broccoli and continue stirring until everything is hot and yummy.

Serve immediately with the chicken and enjoy!