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This Chicken and Orzo Skillet comes together in about 30 minutes and it’s all made in one pan. Full of feel good flavors you will love.
I had some orzo laying around and naturally had to use it up. Orzo it’s such a fun pasta. It’s texture in things is similar to a grain but it’s a pasta. Easy to cook and adds some elegance to any dish since it’s not as commonly cooked with.
Table of Contents
Why Make This Chicken And Orzo Skillet
This chicken and orzo skillet can be ready in 30-40 minutes. That’s a quick dinner to feed the whole family! It only uses one pan or skillet so less mess to cleanup afterwards. There are loads of flavor in each bite. Also consider my Stuffed Sweet Potatoes for a great easy meal.
Chicken Orzo is easy to clean up, since it’s all made in one skillet. Rest assured this meal will be a big family favorite. It’s comforting and filling. The sun dried tomatoes give a great earthy flavor and the balsamic glaze drizzle just finishes it off perfectly.
Ingredients
Chicken Breast. I prefer boneless, skinless chicken breast for this recipe.
Orzo Pasta. You can find this in the dry pasta section at the grocery store.
Chicken Broth. A high quality one will always work best. This is what will be cooking the orzo pasta in the skillet.
Sun Dried Tomatoes. Be sure to get the kind that is in oil in a jar. This is usually in the tomato sauce section. They are much more flavorful than dry sun dried tomatoes.
Balsamic glaze or Balsamic vinegar. I prefer the glaze. You can make your own or purchase pre made balsamic glaze at any grocery store in the salad dressing aisle or where the vinegar is sold. This brightens the flavors in the dish and takes it to an elevated level.
Heavy Cream. This gives the orzo an ultimate comforting depth of texture and flavor. It’s just a splash and it goes a long way in this dish.
All other ingredients and measurements can be found in the recipe card towards the bottom of this post.
How To Make This Recipe
Step One. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Step Two. Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large oven-safe, cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken breasts in half. Place them in a large bowl, add the seasonings and 1 tsp of oil. Massage the chicken well with hands or with tongs to ensure they are evenly coated in seasoning.
Step Three. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet, place on a plate to the side (Photo 1).
Step Four. Wipe any burnt pieces off the skillet if needed. To the same skillet, add the butter and chopped onion, cook until fragrant (about 3 minutes). Next, add the minced garlic and raw orzo, toasting until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes (Photo 3) . Now, add the wine and de-glaze the pan. Add 1 1/2 cups broth.
Step Five. Bring everything to a boil, cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the cream, parmesan, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes in oil, stirring until the spinach has softened (Photo 4)
Step Six. Add the chicken back into the skillet, wiggle it into the orzo mix well. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Add any additional Parmesan and balsamic glaze if using. Serve and enjoy hot!
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. You can freeze these for up to 2 months.
Recipe Variations & Substitutions
Chicken. Chicken thighs will work great in place of breasts.
Orzo. If you cant find orzo, any small pasta shape will work. You may need just a little extra broth or water if using a different shape so keep an eye on it in the oven.
White Wine. The wine adds such a great flavor to the orzo, but if you don’t have any on hand, use extra broth or water.
Heavy Cream. You can use any milk of choice, heavy cream adds a lucious rich flavor however any milk will give it a creamy touch.
Recipe FAQ’s
The pan must be oven safe! I highly suggest a cast iron skillet or something similar. The bottom of the pan should say it’s oven safe.
Yes, to make this dairy free, use dairy free unsweetened creamer, plant based butter and Parmesan.
Chicken Orzo Skillet Tips
Taste as you go! You may want a little more salt, pepper or parmesan so try to taste the dish as you work.
Make it healthier. If you want to cut some calories, skip the Parmesan and use skim milk in place of the heavy cream.
Keep an eye on it! Don’t overcook your chicken. Use a digital meat thermometer to check your chicken while it’s cooking. You want it to be at 165º or higher.
Other Chicken Recipes To Try
If you loved this recipe let me know! Also, follow me on Instagram & Pinterest for even more fun recipes to make you feel good from the inside out. Thanks for being here.
Chicken And Orzo 30 Minute Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast, boneless/skinless, *see notes
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp dried basil
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp paprika
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 2 tsp olive oil , *separated
- ⅓ cup chopped onion
- 1 Tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- ⅓ cup white wine, *see notes
- 1½ cup chicken broth or stock
- ⅓ cup heavy cream , *see notes
- ⅓ cup parmesan, grated, more for topping
- 3 cups baby spinach
- ⅓ cup sun dried tomatoes, in oil
- 2 Tbsp balsamic glaze, *optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Heat 1 tsp olive oil in a large oven-safe, cast iron skillet set over medium-high heat. Cut the chicken breasts in half. Place them in a large bowl, add the seasonings and 1 tsp of oil. Massage the chicken well with hands or with tongs to ensure they are evenly coated in seasoning.
- When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet, place on a plate to the side.
- Wipe any burnt pieces off the skillet if needed. To the same skillet, add the butter and chopped onion, cook until fragrant (about 3 minutes). Add the minced garlic and raw orzo, toasting until lightly golden, about 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and de-glaze the pan. Add 1 1/2 cups broth.
- Bring everything to a boil, cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the cream, parmesan, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes in oil, stirring until the spinach has softened.
- Add the chicken back into the skillet, wiggle it into the orzo mix well. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Add any additional Parmesan and balsamic glaze if using. Serve and enjoy hot!
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Making this tonight! Can I use quinoa instead of orzo? Will it cook the same?
Hi Sarah,
Excited for you to try this one! Quinoa can cook a little weird in broth with tomatoes since it’s a grain and not as absorbent, I just recently tried it. I would give it a try, but keep some extra broth handy in case it takes a little longer to fully cook. I would plan accordingly on when you add your chicken back in, make sure you check it so it doesn’t overcook with the time adjustment. Let me know if you try it and enjoy.
What size jar of crushed tomatoes do you recommend?
Hi there I always use a bowl 14.5 ounce can typically it’s about 1 1/3 cups! I hope that helps.
This was delicious, my husband loved it. I added a lot of extra Parmesan which gave it so much creamy texture. I also used almond milk because that’s all we had. 10/10.
Absolutely fantastic!!!! Used chicken thighs. Such an easy recipe with items I always have on hand. The flavors were fabulous. Can’t wait to receive your cookbook in a couple of short days!
Oh I am so flattered to hear this! And thank you for the support.
I made this tonight and it was very delicious. However, I would recommend making this with chicken thighs instead of breasts because while breasts are easy to overcook, thighs are difficult to overcook. Also, the five minute prep time stated is not realistic. Collecting and measuring all the ingredients will take more than that.
Going to try this to ight. Flavors sound amazing. Curious why first step is to reheat the oven as I don’t see the oven get used. Maybe I’m missing something….
Hi There
on the instructions one of the last steps (step 6) is to pop it into the oven to finish cooking everything. I can see it both in the blog and on the recipe card let me know if for some reason you aren’t able to see it and I can try to send it to you. Enjoy! I hope you love it.
What’s the point of putting the pan in the oven, it could also be cooked on the stove on simmer? Just curious.