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This Creamy Chicken Orzo is made with simple ingredients and can be on your table in 30 minutes. It’s a meal the whole family will love!
This is a super easy dinner recipe that will please even your picky eaters. If your family is like ours…..they can’t get enough pasta recipes, lol! But what I love most about this recipe is that it is made all in one pot!
A 30 Minute Meal!
If you are short on time but need a comforting and wholesome meal this Creamy Chicken Orzo is the dish for you. It only takes a handful of simple ingredients and 30 minutes to make this one-pot wonder.
Why do we love it, other than the fact that it requires easy ingredients and just a little bit of time? Well, you pretty much just throw everything in, stir, and cook. That’s it!
And boom you end up with a cozy meal that the whole family will enjoy. I call that a win!
THE Ingredients
Here is what you’ll need to make this creamy chicken and orzo dinner recipe.
- CHICKEN: Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs. You can also use rotisserie chicken and toss it in when you add the orzo.
- VEGETABLES: I am using the classics- onion, celery, and carrots. With garlic for added flavor. But you can use whatever vegetables you prefer.
- ORZO PASTA: I haven’t tested this recipe with anything but orzo pasta so I can’t say for sure how substituting for other pasta or rice will work.
- CHICKEN BROTH: Use lower sodium to control your sodium levels.
- PARSLEY
- SALT AND PEPPER
How to Make Creamy Chicken Orzo
CHICKEN: Start by cooking the sliced chicken with the onion, celery, and carrots until the chicken is no longer pink. Be sure to season with salt and pepper while cooking. Stir in the garlic.
PASTA: Stir in the orzo pasta, chicken broth, and parsley. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is tender. Be sure to stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
And that’s it! We told you it was easy!
Dairy free, but creamy?
How is this dairy-free and creamy, you ask? Well, it’s sort of like risotto….when cooking, the starches from the pasta make a silky and creamy like sauce.
However, if you feel it needs to be a little creamier, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half. My family loves it both ways!
Serving and storing
We like to SERVE this pasta dish with salad or bread. Here are a few suggestions:
- French Bread
- Olive Garden Breadsticks
- A simple side salad with this Homemade Caesar Salad Dressing
- Tomato Mozzarella Salad
STORE any leftover chicken orzo in the fridge in an airtight storage container for 3-5 days.
When REHEATING, you may want to add a bit of water or chicken broth to add some moisture and revive the consistency.
For More Favorite Simple Pasta Dishes, try:
- Crock Pot Mac and Cheese
- Pasta Carbonara
- Easy Fettuccine Alfredo
- Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Creamy Turkey And Noodles
Chicken Orzo Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large (or 2 small) chicken breasts, thinly sliced
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 1 large carrot, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves
- 6 cups chicken broth
- 1 pound orzo pasta, uncooked
- 3 tablespoons minced parsley
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large pot over medium to medium low heat.
- Add chicken, onion, celery, and carrots and cook until chicken is no longer pink. (about 5 minutes) Season with salt and pepper while cooking. Stir in the garlic.
- Add broth, orzo, and parsley. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or until pasta is al dente. Stir frequently to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Excellant! The dish came together quickly. I halfed the recipe and it made plenty as a whole meal for three people. For those saying they couldnt get creamy you need to stir and stir when adding the orza. Thus releases the starch into stock creating a cremy texture. In the end I added 2 Tbs if heavy cream. Delicious.
I’m delighted it turned out so well for you- your feedback makes my day and thanks for sharing your stirring tip.
I love this recipe! I’ve made it many times already and it’s a hit! It’s my go to for an easy quick yummy dinner!
I just made this recipe. And it smells delicious. I think what others are having issues with is that you need to let the liquid evaporate to make it to the creamy state. The pasta will absorb the water. So instead of simmer i put it on a boil and baby sat it for a bit.
Thanks so much for sharing what you did. Hope you enjoyed!!
Made this last night and froze the leftovers in individual portions. It reheated beautifully, although was a bit dry. Topped with grated Parmesan, gave it a quick stir and had a had a quick tasty lunch!
Don’t usually leave unhappy comments but this recipe needs to be revised. I made the x2 recipe with the 12 cups of broth— this is not a creamy recipe. This is more like a soup and Ive made it just now for dinner and my family said no thanks! It’s not the brand of broth for sure, please revise recipe, it’s a lot to waste when expecting something else.
Thanks for the feedback. There is note in there that says if you feel like it needs to be creamier, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream or half and half. So that could help it feel less “soup-y”. But I appreciate the feedback and thanks for giving the recipe a try.
Does this recipe freeze well?
I actually haven’t tried freezing it. We usually eat through it too quickly. You could give it a try. The texture may change a bit when thawing?? If you freeze, you’ll have to let us know how it defrosts.
Prepared as written, I think this recipe needs some “oomph.” Next time I will add less water, as 6 cups was way too much and it looked more like thick soup than a creamy “risotto”. I added oregano, and some Parmesan. I also sous vide the chicken & seasoned with some Sriracha seasoning (not the hot sauce). It helped make the chicken more tender.
Can I half this recipe ?
Absolutely!
I make this about 2X a month. My teen really likes it. It’s super easy which I love. I will say that it doesn’t ever look ‘creamy’ like the photo and the portion sizes are very small for a main dish if you try to feed 8. Otherwise it’s great. I personally cook the chicken by itself first and remove it to the side until the last few minutes of cooking. Otherwise it gets really chewy and overdone.
Am I missing something? What makes it creamy? And a whole pound of orzo seems like a lot with the ratios of the other ingredients
It’s sort of like risotto…. when cooking, the starches from the pasta make a silky and creamy like sauce. However, if you feel it needs to be a little creamier, add ½ cup of heavy cream or half and half. My family loves it both ways!
This is a favorite in our house. I am curious though how yours looks so creamy and is also more of a yellow color than mine ever is? Still delicious but mine looks nothing like yours lol
I’m so glad you love the recipe. Hmmm… I’m not sure why they look different. Perhaps different brands of chicken broth? I’m not quite sure!
Which chicken broth do you use? Grabbing the ingredients today and will try this tonight!!
My son and I love this recipe. I sprinkle some shredded Parmesan on top before serving. It’s so easy. My only suggestion is to remove the chicken once it’s cooked and add back to the pot for just a couple of minutes at the end to heat back up. Otherwise the chicken gets over cooked and chewy.
My finish product was not creamy at all. You had to add something else to make it creamy
If the recipe didn’t seem creamy enough for you, you can add 1/2 cup of heavy whipping cream or half and half. My family enjoys it with those or without them. Both are yummy!!
This dish was delicious. I added another chicken breast and sprinkled a little Parmesan cheese on top but otherwise I followed the recipe. Since there are only 2 of us we are planning to freeze leftovers for future tasty meals. Thanks for sharing!
Yay! So glad to hear that you enjoyed the recipe. And can freeze some for later too!
Easy to make and great reheated
Super easy and kid friendly.
Great recipe. It tastes like chicken noodle soup, but without all the extra broth. My whole family liked it. It wouldn’t hurt to increase the chicken and vegetable amounts, but it was good as is.
I love to hear that! Thank you for trying it 🙂
The creamy sauce worked, but was overwhelmed by the enormous amount of orzo. My daughter has an upset stomach from the amount of orzo. Next time will try 1 cup of orzo. We added peas and carrots which did help some. Think more garlic also
Thank you for trying it!
Very good!! Easy and fast.
Happy you think so 🙂 Thank you!
Wish I had tried this recipe sooner! It is so good! Very flavorful & cheesy & the chicken makes it more hearty!
This recipe really is the creamiest! My kids love to see this on the dinner menu! So simple to make too!
Perfect as a side or a main dish! I love the flavor & how creamy it is!
Perfect way to sneak in some veggies. They blend right in with the delicious dish.
Pasta is always a favorite. We enjoyed the flavor and ease of this recipe.
How many cups is 1lb of dry Orzo. Can’t seem to get a straight answer from google.
I’m not quite sure the exact amount, but I’m guessing close to 2 cups.
Thank you. It turned out really well.
Great 🙂 Thank you!
One POUND of uncooked orzo ???
For sure ???
Yes 🙂
it is one 16oz package….