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One-Pan Creamy Chicken Orzo and Veggies: A Hearty One-Pan Dinner Ready in 30 Minutes
This One-Pan Creamy Chicken Orzo is a delicious weeknight meal that is hearty with juicy chicken breasts and can easily be made dairy-free and gluten-free! It’s perfect for busy weeknights when you want a wholesome meal without the hassle of washing a ton of dishes!
Let the Pan Work for You
Who doesn’t love a one-pan dish?! I absolutely love how clean and easy this recipe is to make. You’re going to start off by browning your chicken on each side in your pan, removing that and setting it aside while you add your aromatics and orzo, then add your chicken back in to finish cooking off with the orzo in some chicken stock. This meal can literally be made in under 30-minutes, what busy weeknight warrior doesn’t love that?
Once your orzo is in your pan, you throw a lid over the top of it and let your pan do the rest of the work cooking it up to perfection until it’s time to serve.
Bring on the Substitutes! Easily Adjust This Recipe to Fit Your Lifestyle
Cooking is not prescriptive! If you live a gluten-free or dairy-free lifestyle, this dish can easily be adjusted to meet your needs. I like to top my chicken off with a little parmesan when I plate it up, but if you’re dairy-free, skip that step! This recipe uses coconut cream to make it creamy, so the essence of the dish won’t be affected by not adding that optional parmesan garnish at the end.
I use orzo in this recipe, but it can also easily be substituted for a gluten-free pasta. If your substitution takes a significantly longer amount of time to cook, you’ll just want to hold off on adding your chicken until you hit that 12-15 minutes left to cook mark that orzo usually takes.
My Reason for Creating Recipes Like This Creamy One-Pan Chicken Orzo
In 2024, I discovered that my body produces antibodies that attack my thyroid. My doctor highly recommended that I stick to an anti-inflammatory diet because of the correlation between thyroid function and inflammation. I create most recipes, including this One-Pan Chicken Orzo, with the intention of making something delicious that is going to serve my needs and leave me feeling my absolute best. I’ve noticed that eating as clean as possible has made me feel better, heal faster, and help with my overall cognitive function. I am by no means a doctor or registered dietician, but I did want to share my personal “why” for creating recipes like this one.
Ingredients:
- Organic Free Range Chicken Thighs
- Orzo
- Sun-dried Tomatoes
- Tomato Paste
- Garlic
- Sweet Onion
- Chicken Stock
- Coconut Cream
- Salt
- Pepper
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Butter
How to Make This One-Pan Creamy Chicken Orzo
Prepare Your Ingredients: Start by seasoning one side of your chicken thighs with salt and pepper. You’ll also want to dice your sweet onion and finely chop your garlic.
Brown Your Chicken: In your pan, add butter and olive oil over medium heat, then place your chicken thighs seasoning-side down in the pan to cook for 5-6 minutes on each side.
Remove Your Chicken and Cook Your Aromatics: Once your chicken has browned on each side, remove it from the pan and place it aside while you cook your aromatics. Add your onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and yellow, then add in your minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes, pushing everything around with a spatula frequently.
Add Your Orzo: Add your dry orzo into the pan and combine it with the other ingredients, slightly browning it with everything so that it has some time to absorb the aromatics. Next, Add in your chicken stock and stir everything together for about a minute, then add your chicken thighs back into your pan and submerge them in the chicken stock, nestling them into the orzo.Cover the pan and allow everything to cook together for about 12 minutes until the orzo is cooked through.
Add in Your Coconut Cream and Spinach: Add your coconut cream over the top of your chicken and slowly move it around until until combined with the rest of your ingredients. Next, nestle your spinach into your dish and cover for a minute or so that it can wilt and easily combine with everything else.
Plate and Enjoy: Remove your pan from the heat and optionally you can garnish your dish with freshly grated parmesan. Plate and enjoy!
Tools:
- Large Pan
- Tongs
Full Recipe:
Print
High-Protein One-Pan Creamy Chicken Orzo
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Thighs
- 2 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1/2 Sweet Onion (diced)
- 3 Garlic Cloves (finely diced)
- 1/4 cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- 2 tbsp Tomato Paste
- 3 1/2 cups Chicken Stock
- 1/4 cup Coconut Cream
- 2–3 Handfuls Fresh Spinach
- Parmesan (optional garnish)
Instructions
- Prepare Your Ingredients: Start by seasoning one side of your chicken thighs with salt and pepper. You’ll also want to dice your sweet onion and finely chop your garlic.
- Brown Your Chicken: In your pan, add butter and olive oil over medium heat, then place your chicken thighs seasoning-side down in the pan to cook for 5-6 minutes on each side.
- Remove Your Chicken and Cook Your Aromatics: Once your chicken has browned on each side, remove it from the pan and place it aside while you cook your aromatics. Add your onions, and cook for 2-3 minutes until fragrant and yellow, then add in your minced garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, and tomato paste and cook for another 2 minutes, pushing everything around with a spatula frequently.
- Add Your Orzo: Add your dry orzo into the pan and combine it with the other ingredients, slightly browning it with everything so that it has some time to absorb the aromatics. Next, Add in your chicken stock and stir everything together for about a minute, then add your chicken thighs back into your pan and submerge them in the chicken stock, nestling them into the orzo.Cover the pan and allow everything to cook together for about 12 minutes until the orzo is cooked through.
- Add in Your Coconut Cream and Spinach: Add your coconut cream over the top of your chicken and slowly move it around until until combined with the rest of your ingredients. Next, nestle your spinach into your dish and cover for a minute or so that it can wilt and easily combine with everything else.
- Plate and Enjoy: Remove your pan from the heat and optionally you can garnish your dish with freshly grated parmesan. Plate and enjoy!
For more recipes like this one, follow me on social media at @dinneratallis!