Good Eats: Caprese Grilled Chicken and Creamy Orzo with Asparagus and Parmesan

Today's Good Eats post brings you not one, but two new recipes, both of which we tried for dinner last Tuesday night.  I typically try to concentrate on no more than one new recipe per meal, but I thought that these two dishes would not only pair well together, but would be easy to make at the same time.  I wasn't wrong - the chicken required NO prep work, so while it was on the grill, I was able to make both the orzo and the balsamic reduction to drizzle over the chicken.  I sliced the tomato and mozzarella as the chicken was cooling a bit on a plate.  Easy schmeezy, lemon squeezy!  And SOOO good, too!  At least we felt that way; the twins were not as impressed with the meal when it was served to them for dinner the next day.  They can make for a tough crowd.  

Recipe for:  Caprese Grilled Chicken
From:  www.keyingredient.com 

Ingredients:
6 grilled boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon butter
6 slices mozzarella cheese
6 slices tomato
6 large basil leaves

Directions:
1.Prepare chicken on the grill. As chicken is cooking, pour balsamic vinegar into sauce pan or skillet and cook until reduced by half. Add in butter and stir with a flat whisk until completely combined. Set aside. 2.Top chicken with mozzarella cheese, basil leaf, and then tomato slice. 3.Drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve warm.
Recipe for:  Creamy Orzo with Asparagus and Parmesan
From:  Meals at the Muirs

Ingredients:
1 cup orzo

1 cup asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 tbsp butter or margarine

1/4 to 1/2 cup cream

1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. Cook the orzo until tender, about 10 minutes.

2.  After the orzo has been cooking for about 5 minutes, add the asparagus to the same pot.

3.  Once the orzo and asparagus are cooked and tender, drain and return to the pot.

4.  Quickly add the parmesan cheese and butter.  Stir thoroughly, allowing both the cheese and butter to melt. 

5.  Slowly add the cream to the mixture, while stirring.  Continue to stir and add cream until you reach your desired consistency.

6.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.