This is a killer recipe that has the most unbelievable tarragon flavour. It’s made with a few simple ingredients and literally takes 10 minutes to cook from start to finish.
I have a tarragon plant sitting in a pot in the garden by my back door. As soon as it sprouts up, I use it in this recipe, in lots of egg dishes and in my parsley, tarragon, garlic butter recipe.
Miraculous ingredients: Fresh tarragon leaves, orzo pasta, Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmesan)
Orzo pasta with chicken, peas and tarragon
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
130g roast chicken diced or 200g raw mini chicken fillets cut into small chunks
100g frozen peas
20g fresh tarragon leaves, finely chopped
300g orzo pasta
Freshly grated Parmigiano reggiano to serve
Method
Place a large pan that can hold a good 3 litres of water onto a high heat. When the water starts to boil add a teaspoon of salt and all the orzo.
Put the peas in a bowl and microwave for 4 minutes on high to defrost and warm up.
Put a dry medium size frying pan on a low heat to warm up as you get the ingredients ready. Add all the extra virgin olive oil to the warm pan, turn the heat to medium and fry the chopped garlic for about 20 seconds.
Add the chopped roast chicken, peas and tarragon. Mix well and turn the heat OFF. You only want these ingredients to be warmed through; they do not need extra cooking.
If you’re using raw mini chicken fillets, add the chunks to the pan with the olive oil and garlic and fry for approx. 4 minutes until the chicken turns white. Do not overcook them otherwise they will be dry and chewy. Add the peas and tarragon, mix well and turn the heat off.
Once the orzo is cooked al dente (soft on the outside but slightly hard in the middle), lift the orzo out of its water with a large slotted vegetable scoop and put it into the pan with the sauce. Add a few tablespoons of pasta water to help create a sauce (the starch in the pasta water thickens the sauce).
Serve with a lot of freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.
Preparation time 3 minutes, cooking 7 minutes, 2 adult portions, 2 child portions