If you’re in the mood for some seriously tasty comfort food, you’re in for a treat with this Seared Turkey and garlic Butter Orzo recipe from Chefs Plate.
It’s like a flavour party in your mouth!
Imagine juicy seared turkey paired with creamy, garlicky orzo – it’s the kind of dish that’ll make your taste buds do a happy dance.
This will be the second time I have tried this recipe, and I’m here to spill the beans on how it turned out.
So, grab your fork and let’s dig in!
PS: For some strange reason, I cannot find this recipe anymore online. There are variations of it but not exactly the same as I had in my hand.
Here is the link to the “original” recipe with a slight variation: Tomatoes replaced by Red peppers.
This is my elevated version of it!
Expected time to cook: 25 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Average cost in CAD to buy if you shop your own ingredients: $11.08 total ($5.54 per portion)*
Table of Contents
Ingredients In The Package
Nutritional values
*The cost is accurate as of the time of writing this article.
- 285 g of Turkey strips ($5.70)
- Lemon ($1)
- 1 Garlic clove ($0.11)
- 2 tbsp (Real) Mayonnaise ($0.14)
- 28 g Baby spinach ($1.12)
- 1 tbsp Italian seasoning blend ($0.36)
- 170 g Orzo ($1.70)
- 1 Roma tomato ($0.83)
- 1 Yellow onion ($0.12)
Nutritional values
The Setup
Prepare the Mayonnaise
Chefs Plate suggests right off the bat to start boiling your water and to prepare your orzo right away.
Don’t do this first. Your orzo will be overcooked and mushed up while you finish everything else.
Also, they are suggesting creating the mayo blend right before serving the food. Why? It needs to get all the flavour, it needs to marinate and to rest.
First,
- Cut your lemon in half, zest half of it and juice it. Keep the other half for later
- In a bowl, whisk in your mayo, 1/3 of the Italian seasoning blend, the zest and lemon juice
- Add some salt and pepper
Super tips: At this point in time, the mayo blend is super acidic. This is my second time doing that recipe and I strongly recommend adding 1 tsp of white sugar! Besides, it makes it way better at the end. Trust me on that one!
Put your mayo in the fridge to rest
Secondly,
Cut and prepare all your ingredients instead of doing it while you are cooking. This is the best way to mess up something, burn your food, or even, forget an ingredient.
This way, everything is clean and easily accessible.
Great tips for the Garlic. How much flavour do you want? If you use the zester to grate your garlic, it will have a more powerful flavour than cutting it in small parts.
- Cut the onion in half slices
- Cut the tomatoes into 1-inch chunks
- Zest half of the lemon, juice half of it and cut the other half into quarters
In the original recipe, you will see that they are using red pepper, but in my printed version, they are using tomatoes. Go figure!
So prep your tomatoes or your red pepper, your choice…Or why not both?
Ok, we are now ready to start for real.
Orzo
It’s now the time to start your orzo.
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and add your orzo.
While your orzo is boiling, go the the Cooking Process section.
WAIT! Right before you go, keep in mind the orzo should be ready within 8 to 10 minutes or until it is al dente or firm to the bit.
Strain the water and let it rest
Cooking Process
Cooking the Turkey
NOW you may turn on your stove to broil for it to warm up.
Turn on the stove to medium-high and use a non-stick pan.
Secret tips: Use coconut oil instead. Don’t worry, it will not taste like a piña colada but will add a subtle sweetness to your turkey. I find that the meat becomes more tender too with coco oil. I’m a big fan of it.
When hot:
- Add the Onions and cook for about 1 to 2 minutes
- Add the Turkey strips
- Add the rest of the Italian Seasoning blend
Cook thoroughly the turkey to prevent any bacteria and food poisoning
Incorporate all the Ingredients
In this step, I believe Chefs Plate messed it up. The instruction is very confusing and I had to read it a couple of times to understand. They tell you to put your garlic with butter in…but where? In the mayo? In the orzo? In the turkey? The instruction is right after the mayo, but you are in between the cooking process and the plating…
Do this instead, I tested it twice and this is the best way and it completes the meal.
While the turkey is cooking, add 3 tbsp of butter or margarine in a measuring cup or any small bowls that go in the microwave. Add the minced garlic and heat it up to about 30 seconds, set aside for a few minutes.
In your pan with the cooked turkey, add t the spinach and the tomatoes
Blend until the spinach softens
Finish up and Plating
Add the melted garlic button in your orzo bowl and blend until fully coated.
Put a scoop or 2 or orzo in a plate or pasta bowl and add the turkey blend on top of it
Get the mayo blend that you have prepared at the beginning; it should now be cold and all the flavours have mixed up.
Drizzle some on top of the dish.
Use the lemon quarters and squiz lime juice on top of the dish.
Bon appétit!
Honest Review for the Seared Turkey and Garlic Butter Orzo
Actual time to make: 45 minutes
PROS from the original recipe:
-Very tasty
-Texture is pleasant in the mouth
-Very good odour in the house while cooking
-Orzo is different and somewhat cool to eat
CONS:
-Instructions a bit confusing on the original recipe
-The steps don’t seem to be in the right order (follow mine!)
My final thoughts:
In the end, this Seared Turkey and Garlic Butter Orzo is a meal that left me both pleasantly surprised and totally satisfied, and this was the second time ti was doing it.
The seared turkey was not only juicy but packed with flavour, and it paired perfectly with the creamy garlic butter orzo.
The balance of textures and tastes was spot on, with the orzo cooked to that magical “al dente” consistency.
The garlicky notes were just right – not too overpowering, and they added a deliciously aromatic dimension to the dish.
Adding a little bit of sugar to the mayonnaise blend was also the best move to cut down the acidic taste of the lemon.
Another recipe that goes on my Twisted Fav list!
Star Rating
How to get a free box
Did you like my review with tips and tricks to make it better? If you are interested in trying Chefs Plate Meal Kit Box, please use my link below and get a FREE FIRST BOX!
No bull! And guess what, no obligations, no contract, you cancel whenever you want.
Full disclosure: I may receive a small incentive or a free box if you use my link…and so will you!
Have you ever cooked it?
What are your thoughts? Any other tips and tricks to make it even better?
Let me know in the comments below!
Historical FAQ's
Where does the Orzo come from?
“Orzo, which is sometimes called risoni, is a petite pasta variety resembling rice and has its roots in Italy. While it might look like rice, orzo is crafted from durum wheat semolina, which imparts a distinct texture and flavor to this pasta. This versatile pasta type has gained worldwide popularity and is a staple in various cuisines, particularly in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cooking, where it enhances the overall texture and taste of a wide range of dishes.”
source: Askhistorians on reddit
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