Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo

This is a surprisingly easy and tasty recipe. For the amount of flavor contained in it, you would think it would take a huge amount of time to prepare. I love orzo, and the addition of the lemon and oregano to this dish makes me feel like I'm enjoying it on the Mediterranean. I've adapted it from the "Flat Belly Diet Cookbook", which is based on the Mediterranean diet and incorporates a lot of monounsaturated fats into your diet in order to make you feel more satisfied with less food. (Serves 4)

Ingredients

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts, slice in half lengthwise to make them half the thickness
Garlic Salt
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp olive oil
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup orzo
1 lemon, peeled and cut into chunks (try to remove as many seeds as possible)
20 pitted kalamata olives, rough chop
1 cup of marinated artichoke hearts, drained and cut into quarters
2 cups baby spinach
1 tomato, seeded and chopped
½ cup sliced roasted red pepper (I use jarred, but you could roast a fresh red pepper in the oven)
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions

1. Pat the chicken breasts dry; sprinkle with garlic salt and oregano

2. Heat a nonstick skillet; add olive oil

3. Place chicken breasts into skillet; cook for 7 minutes turning once. Don’t overcook, but make sure they aren’t still pink in the middle. Remove to a plate.

4. Add the orzo to the pan; stir gently; add chicken broth and bring to a boil. Add the lemon; reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the orzo is tender.

5. Stir in the olives, tomato, red pepper, spinach and artichoke hearts. Cook for 2 minutes, stirring to heat through. Sprinkle with feta cheese.