Italian Shrimp 'n' Pasta

Submitted by tweetyfan

"This dish is always a hit! The shrimp, orzo, tomatoes and cayenne pepper remind me of a Creole favorite, but the Italian seasoning adds a different twist. The strips of chicken thighs stay nice and moist during the slow cooking."

 

• Ready In: 7hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 453.59 g boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into 2-inch x 1-inch strips
• 29.58 ml vegetable oil
• 793.78 g can crushed tomatoes
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 medium green pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 14.79 ml sugar
• 2.46 ml salt
• 2.46 ml italian seasoning
• 0.61-1.23 ml cayenne pepper
• 1 bay leaf
• 118.29 ml uncooked orzo pasta or 118.29 ml other small shell pasta
• 453.59 g cooked medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

directions

1. In a large skillet, brown chicken in oil; transfer to a 3-qt. slow cooker. Add the next 10 ingredients; mix well. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or until chicken juices run clear. Discard bay leaf. Stir in the pasta; cover and cook on high for 15 minutes or until pasta is tender. Stir in shrimp; cover and cook for 5 minutes or until the shrimp are heated through.

Reviews

[Debber]

Ummm, this was SO good! The whole family loved it. A wonderful change from the usual "buttery-garlic shrimp scampi" I usually make! I made a few adjustments since I totally missed the part that it was supposed to go in the crockpot for 6-8 hours! But not to worry...this is a FINE stove-top recipe too. Used breast meat instead of thighs. Cooked the pasta while the other stuff was burbling happily; didn't add the whole 28 oz. can of tomatoes; added the pasta (al dente) toward the end of the cooking time right before adding the shrimp. Were out of celery so I skipped it, and left out the cayenne on purpose. Used frozen chopped green pepper instead of bigger fresh pieces---could see where bigger pieces would have LOOKED nicer, but we'd rather have smaller bits. This is a GREAT one-dish meal, and made a very nice celebration dinner for our son's bon-voyage (bus. ed. claas trip to New York City). Fancy enough for dinner guests. Definitely goes in the KEEPER file.