As we were paging through our newest edition of Cooking Light, the recipe for Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Farro Risotto grabbed our attention.
It was just up our alley — grilled meat with a creamy risotto-style side.
I was so excited! I knew this would be a perfect recipe to share with you.
Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Farro and Kale Risotto
Well, my Honey immediately burst my excited bubble . . . he reminded me of the last time I was so certain of a recipe’s taste perfection.
That time I also thought I’d found the the best springtime recipe to share with you.
The dish featured orecchiette but what excited me was that it also included peppery watercress, something I’d never worked with before.
But that wasn’t all, it also had a fresh pesto-type sauce made with spring peas seasoned with tarragon and lemon. Wow! That was something else I hadn’t done before — make a pesto out of peas.
Peppery Watercress for Pasta Dish
Oooh! I could almost taste the wonderful springtime flavors– I couldn’t wait to make the dish.
I really enjoy making and trying new things, don’t you?
Since I’d never used watercress before, I knew I had to consult my in-house expert — Mr. Google. He never fails me and he usually has plenty to say. I found out more than I needed to know, as usual.
I made out my list and headed for Harris Teeter. Unfortunately the watercress they had was very sad looking — wilted and bruised. I asked about a new shipment and found out it would be the next day.
I was antsy with anticipation.
Orecchiette with Cress and Spring Pea Sauce Ingredients
Finally I got all of my ingredients and gathered them around me on the kitchen counter.
I set the water for the orecchiette on the stove to boil. I then prepared the watercress by first rinsing it in cold water and then gently plucking each leaf from its stem. The cress needed TLC. It was going to star in the recipe’s photos. I didn’t want to bruise the tender leaves.
Hummm! The clock said I’d been at this preparation for 20 minutes and the recipe said hands-on was 12 minutes.The pasta was done — it was cooling, waiting for the rest of the ingredients. It was a good thing I wasn’t in a rush because it was taking me well over the “12 minutes hands-on” written in the recipe. Finally, all of the ingredients were prepped and I could start assembling.
Orecchiette with Cress ans Spring Pea Sauce
I looked at my end result, then I looked at the picture on the recipe. My dish didn’t quite look like the picture. My ingredients looked green, really green — pea green to be exact.
Well, what’s in a color? I was sure it would taste fantastic. I was so sure, I took plenty of photos. I just knew that I’d be posting the recipe and everyone would be pinning it and raving about how wonderful it tasted.
I plated our meal and we began to eat.
We took a bite . . . chewed . . . waited. . . nothing. Our taste buds weren’t doing a happy dance . . . our taste buds weren’t doing anything . . .they were sound asleep! In fact the bite tasted sort of pasty with a hint of green.
This was a major disappointment.
After several ingredient adjustments, the pasta dish was eventually consumed — but it wasn’t with gusto! There’s a lesson to be learned here — good ingredients do not necessarily make a good dish.
Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Farro and Kale Risotto
Now we are back to the Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Farro Risotto and I can honestly say that our taste buds did a very happy dance throughout the whole meal.
The farro risotto retains a pleasant chewiness as it absorbs the flavorful chicken stock and the kale and Parmesan cheese finish it beautifully. This recipe is definitely a keeper and one we’ll make many times again.
And as far as that other recipe goes? Well I think we’ll recreate it so that it will taste as good as it sounds. La perserveranza è la madre del successo. {Perseverance is the keynote to success.}
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 3 (6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
- 1 1/2 cups boiling water
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
- 2 3/4 cups unsalted chicken stock
- 1 1/2 cups finely chopped onion
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
- 1 cup uncooked pearled farro
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 3 cups Lacinato kale, stemmed and sliced
- 1 ounce Parmesan cheese, grated (about 1/4 cup)
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
- Cooking spray
- 2 Tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- Combine 2 tablespoons oil, rosemary, garlic in a bowl. Add chicken; toss to coat. Cover and let stand at least 30 minutes.
- Combine 1 1/2 cups boiling water and mushrooms in a small bowl; let stand 15 minutes. Strain through a fine mesh sieve over medium saucepan. Chop mushrooms; set aside. Add chicken stock to pan with soaking liquid; bring to a simmer over medium heat and keep hot.
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 tablespoon oil; swirl to coat. Add onion and thyme; saute 4 minutes or until tender. Add reserved mushrooms and farro to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring to coat. Add wine to pan; cook 1 minute, scraping pan to loosen browned bits. Stir in 1 cup stock mixture and 1/4 teaspoon salt; cook 5 minutes or until liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly. Add remaining stock mixture, 1/2 cup at a time stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed before adding more (about 35 minutes total). Stir in kale; cook 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in Parmesan cheese and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Keep warm.
- Heat outdoor grill to 400 F. Remove chicken from marinade; discard marinade. Sprinkle chicken with remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Cook chicken breasts 6 minutes on each side or until juices are translucent when cut.. Place chicken on a cutting board; let stand 5 minutes. Cut into thin slices. Spoon farro mixture onto serving dish and top each serving with chicken breast slices. Sprinkle with parsley.
- Adapted from "The Grilled Rosemary Chicken with Farro Risotto" recipe in the January/February 2015 Cooking Light Magazine.
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