One Pot Chicken and Orzo

Perfectly seasoned and cooked chicken thighs atop this creamy orzo with sun dried tomatoes come together to make this delicious One Pot Chicken and Orzo. All in one pot, easy, quick and prefect for a weeknight dinner!

Easy One Pot Chicken And Orzo Recipe

This chicken and orzo dish is true comfort food that’s perfect for the whole family. Pan fried chicken thighs with orzo in a creamy sauce with sun dried tomatoes, garlic and Parmesan cheese make this one pot meal the perfect weeknight dinner.

This recipe is incredibly easy to make with just a few steps involved. You can serve this orzo dish as is, or along some Roasted Broccoli with a nice crusty bread.

• Chicken – I used chicken thighs with skin and bones for lots of flavor but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs as well.
• Onion – We want something that cooks down well like white or yellow.
• Garlic – Use as much or little as you like but I recommend fresh garlic. Jarred garlic will work, but can have a bitter taste if it has been in your fridge for a long time. 
• Orzo – We want this small shaped orzo pasta for our dish, but you could also substitute it with couscous.
• Liquids – Heavy cream and low sodium chicken broth make up our liquid base. You can sub the heavy cream with half and half or even milk for a lower fat content.
• Spices – Seasoning salt and red pepper flakes for some dimension and heat!
• Sun dried tomatoes – I love to really amp up the flavor of my pasta dishes by combining sun dried tomatoes with a nice creamy sauce, believe me it’s delicious.
• Herbs – Some fresh basil chopped up, you can always substitute this for dried if that’s what you have on hand. Feel free to use other fresh herbs as you see fit.
• Cheese – Parmesan cheese, some of the good stuff grated up fresh.
• Seasoning – Salt and black pepper.
• Butter and olive oil – We want to combine butter and olive oil to brown up our goodies, this will ensure we get all that brown butter flavor without any burnt butter bitterness.

Prep And Cook The Chicken

To begin, you’ll want to prep the chicken by patting the thighs dry with paper towels. Next, season them generously on both sides with seasoning salt.

Grab a large skillet or a braiser, add the olive oil and heat it over medium high heat. Once the pan is hot, place the chicken thighs skin side down and cook for about 5 minutes per side, on both sides until no longer pink inside. However, the chicken doesn’t necessarily have to be fully cooked inside, as it will continue to cook later on with the orzo.

Next, you’ll want to transfer the chicken to a plate and drain all the leftover oil from the chicken, but do not scrape the brown bits, leave those for the sauce.

Cook The Orzo

Add 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet and melt over medium heat. Add the chopped onion, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, red pepper flakes, stir well and cook for 3 to 5 minutes, just until the onion is soft and translucent. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen all the brown bits full of amazing flavor.

Then once the onion is cooked, add the orzo, heavy cream, chicken broth, Parmesan cheese and stir to combine, then bring to a boil. At this point, I like to taste the sauce for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper as needed.

Add the chicken thighs back to the skillet and reduce the heat to low. You’ll now want to cover the skillet with a lid and cook the chicken and orzo for 15 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and most of the sauce has evaporated or absorbed by the orzo. You might need to check on it every few minutes and give it a stir. If you find the orzo is sticking to the bottom of the pan, make sure the heat is low.

All that’s left to do is to garnish the chicken and orzo with some fresh basil or parsley. I like to also sprinkle some more freshly grated Parmesan cheese before serving.

What Is Orzo?

If you’ve never cooked with orzo, you’re in for quite a treat! Orzo is a small cut pasta that looks like rice and tastes heavenly in creamy, rich entrees just like the one I’m writing out for you all today.

What Are Sun Dried Tomatoes?

Sun dried tomatoes are tomatoes that have lost their moisture due to drying out in the sun, so they’re little dehydrated morsels! They are then stored in super flavorful oil which allows them to be packed full of flavor and easy to incorporate into lots of different meals.

Using Chicken Breast In Place Of Thigh

If you use chicken breasts, cut them in half first so that they cook through, otherwise cook this chicken orzo exactly as you would normally!

What Else Can I Add?

Another great thing about this recipe, besides it being quick and delicious, is the fact that it’s quite versatile. Although I give you a basic recipe here, feel free to add what you’d like to bulk it up a bit and maybe even make it a bit healthier!

Veggies	Meat	Starches
Spinach	Bacon	Couscous
Broccoli	Pancetta	Pasta
Asparagus	Shrimp	Rice
Peas
Carrots
Mushrooms

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover chicken and orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 5 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, just place in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power or reheat in a pan. However, if you choose to freeze your leftovers it’s best to let them thaw in the fridge overnight and then reheat them the next day.  

More Delicious Orzo Recipes To Try:

• One Pot Spicy Pork Ragu with Orzo
• One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo
• Mediterranean Orzo Salad
• Lemon Orzo with Asparagus
• One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
• Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus