Ina's Modern Comfort Food's Crispy Chicken with Lemon Orzo-Famous Fridays

I think it goes without saying that in this cray-cray world in which we are living, we need to grab hold of any chance we can for more comfort. So even though I’ve already highlighted Ina Garten twice before on my Famous Fridays series, her newish cookbook Modern Comfort Food, is so lovely and loaded with comforting recipes in all sorts of categories, that I feel entirely justified in featuring her yet again! Especially when it’s for this absolutely delicious and homey Crispy Chicken with Lemon Orzo. So kick back, relax and get ready to experience comfort the Ina-way!

Here’s Ina’s philosophy in a nutshell: “I often say that you can be miserable before eating a cookie and you can be miserable after eating a cookie, but you can never be miserable while you’re eating a cookie. So true, right? Modern Comfort Food is an ode to the power that food has not just to physically nourish us, but feed our souls as well and I don’t know about you, but in a year where I’ve stayed home and cooked and cooked, desperate to fill the social and emotional void, I find it particularly relevant. And of course, since it’s Ina you just know the recipes are going to be amazing!!

What she’s done in this book is to put a spin on traditional comfort food with updated versions of some of our favorite classics, like Creamy Tomato Bisque and Cheddar Chutney Grilled Cheese, Truffled Mac & Cheese, Waffle-Iron Hash Browns, Cacio e Pepe Cheese Pufffs, Cheddar and Scallion Creamed Corn, Boston Cream Pie…even Black and White Cookies. You’re itching to get your hands on this book now, right? Can’t say I blame you—I’ve already made a few of the recipes and I can’t wait to make them all!

My only note of warning is something I have found in all of Ina’s collections— I always think that she uses a leetle too much butter, oil and salt, so I always cut down on those and I’m very glad I did with this chicken too, because it resulted in a a beautifully balanced dish that wasn’t greasy, heavy or salty.

I also did a bit of tinkering with the cut of the chicken—I couldn’t easily find boneless chicken breasts with the skin on, so I adapted this to work with ordinary bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts that practically all markets carry.

And you definitely don’t want to use skinless breasts because it’s the crisping of the skin, which you achieve by cooking these skin-side down in browned butter and oil, in both a skillet and the oven, that makes this dish so special. Every bite is golden brown on the outside and so moist and tender within!

Plus, the lemon-feta orzo that gets served on the side is so bright and springy and such a nice change of pace!

And like all good comfort food, everything comes together easily without a lot of fanfare, fuss or fancy-schmanzy ingredients.

Tender, flavorful white meat chicken with crispy skin and that sunny orzo on the side—I promise that every bite will make you feel good all over!!

All right my friends, pick up a copy of Modern Comfort Food when you can—I think it’s really a cookbook you’ll get a lot of use out of and have a wonderful, safe and deliciously comforting weekend.xoxo

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Ina’s Modern Comfort Food’s Crispy Chicken with Lemon Orzo-Famous Fridays

Makes 4 servings

Prep Time for Chicken: 45 minutes; For the Orzo: 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the chicken

• ⅔ cup unbleached, all-purpose flour

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 4 bone-in chicken breasts

• 2 tablespoons canola oil

• 5 tablespoons European-style unsalted butter, divided (I used Plugrå)

• Handful of fresh parsley, minced

• 1 lemon, cut into wedges for serving (optional)

For the orzo

• Kosher salt and black pepper

• 1 cup orzo

• Zest of one small lemon

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 2 tablespoons olive oil

• Handful of fresh parsley, minced

• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled feta

The Recipe

1. For the chicken: Preheat oven to 400ºF. In a shallow bowl, combine the flour, 1 teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Heat the canola oil and 3 tablespoons of the butter in a large cast-iron (or other heavyweight, oven-proof) skillet over medium heat until the butter has melted and started to sizzle.

2. Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Place each piece, skin-side down in the skillet and cook over medium heat for 12 minutes, without turning it. Then, place the skillet in the oven, still not turning the chicken for 20-25 minutes, until chicken is almost entirely cooked through.

3. Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat (careful cause the handle will be hot) and use tongs to turn the chicken right side up. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cook for another 10-15 minutes, until the butter has browned and chicken breasts are golden and crispy. You may need to lower the heat if the butter seems to be browning too quickly. Remove from the skillet and sprinkle with the parsley.

4. While the chicken is cooking, prepare the orzo: Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot and add a generous pinch or two of salt to the water along with the orzo. Return the water to a boil, and simmer uncovered for 9-11 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Drain and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest and juice, oil, and parsley. Taste and season with more salt and pepper. Fold in the feta.

4. Plate the chicken and top each piece with a little of the brown butter. Serve with the orzo and a wedge of lemon.

Enjoy!

Note: Recipe adapted from Modern Comfort Food by Ina Garten. I tinkered—used bone-in breasts, less oil and butter, cooked at a lower temp for a longer amount of time, cut the salt in the orzo and subbed parsley for the dill.