When you’re having one of those days when you think you don’t have time to cook anything, try this easy, buttery, and super tasty Creamy Chicken and Orzo Skillet! It’s hearty, rich, comforting, and a perfect dinner for when you want to do anything but spend time in the kitchen. Bonus: it cooks in one pan! Can you ask for anything more?
What is Orzo?
Orzo is a tiny football-shaped pasta that looks like rice but cooks much faster. Like rice, it soaks up all the water it’s cooked in, so you don’t have to worry about draining. That makes it an excellent choice for a speedy one-pan meal.
What You’ll Need
You are just a few spices and a handful of ingredients away from an incredible dinner! Here’s what you’ll need to make this Creamy Chicken And Orzo Skillet.
- Seasoning Blend– We’re making our own with paprika, oregano, thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, and pepper. In a pinch, you can also use a heaping tablespoon of your favorite seasoning blend, though you should steer clear of anything super salty.
- Boneless Chicken Thighs– These cook much faster than bone-in chicken thighs and their juices help flavor the orzo.
- Yellow Onion– Adds depth and a subtle sweetness to the dish.
- Garlic– Also adds depth and lends a slight nuttiness when cooked.
- Orzo– This pasta cooks quickly and adds bulk. If you don’t have access to orzo, substitute it with a quick-cooking pasta like ditalini or pearl couscous. You can also use rice, but you’ll have to adjust the cooking time so it has enough time to cook.
- Vegetable Broth– You need a liquid to cook the orzo and this broth does the trick without overpowering the dish. You can substitute it with water or chicken broth.
- Cream– Creates a velvety, creamy sauce.
- Butter– Helps pull the sauce together.
- Parmesan– Adds depth and a touch of saltiness to the sauce. It also helps give it texture.
What Can You Serve With Creamy Chicken And Orzo?
This creamy Chicken and Orzo Skillet pairs well with a fresh side salad or roasted veggies. Some great options include:
How To Store Leftovers
The orzo will absorb much of the creamy sauce it’s cooked in, but the leftovers are still tasty. Store in the fridge for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container. However, do this within two hours of cooking the dish. Chicken left at room temperature any longer than that can contain enough harmful bacteria to give you food poisoning. You can also freeze leftovers for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on a stovetop or in the microwave until the chicken is steaming.
Creamy Chicken And Orzo Skillet
Servings 4 servingsIngredients
- 1 tsp paprika ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried oregano ($0.10)
- 1 tsp dried thyme ($0.10)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder ($0.05)
- 1/2 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp pepper ($0.02)
- 1.25 lbs boneless chicken thighs (4-5 thighs) ($4.23)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 1 yellow onion, diced ($0.32)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced ($0.11)
- 1 1/2 cups orzo ($1.13)
- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth* ($0.23)
- 1/2 cup heavy cream ($0.71)
- 2 Tbsp salted butter ($0.30)
- 1/4 cup parmesan ($0.44)
Instructions
- Add the paprika, dried oregano, dried thyme, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
- Blot the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides liberally with the seasoning blend.
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium and add the cooking oil. Add the seasoned chicken thighs and cook undisturbed until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan.
- Turn the heat down to low, and add the onion and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
- Add the orzo and vegetable broth to the skillet and stir well to help dissolve the crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken to the pan and nestle it down into the orzo.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let the broth come to a full boil. Then turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the broth is absorbed.
- After about 15 minutes, the orzo should be tender and most of the broth absorbed, but there will still be a little sauce in the skillet. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
- Add the cream and the butter to the skillet. Stir and heat over low until the butter melts and the cream is hot.
- Add the Parmesan and stir to combine.
- Finally, return the chicken to the skillet. If desired, garnish with parsley.
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!
How to Make Creamy Chicken And Orzo Skillet – Step by Step Photos
Add 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a small bowl. Mix until combined.
Blot the 1.25 pounds of chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides liberally with the seasoning blend.
Heat a large deep skillet over medium. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of cooking oil. Add the seasoned chicken thighs and cook undisturbed until well browned, about 5 minutes. Flip and repeat on the other side. Remove the chicken from the pan and place it on a clean plate. The chicken will finish cooking when simmered with the orzo.
Turn the heat down to low and add the diced onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic to the skillet. Saute until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes.
Add the 1 1/2 cups orzo and the 1 1/2 cups of vegetable broth to the skillet. If you prefer a looser sauce, add an additional 1/2 cup of broth. Stir well to help dissolve the crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Then return the chicken to the pan and nestle it down into the orzo.
Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to medium-high, and let the broth come to a full boil. Then turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer for about 15 minutes or until most of the broth is absorbed. If at any point it stops simmering, increase the heat slightly until it starts to simmer again.
After about 15 minutes, the orzo should be tender and most of the broth absorbed, but there will still be a little sauce in the skillet. Remove the chicken from the skillet.
Then add the 1/2 cup of cream and the 2 tablespoons of butter to the skillet. Stir and heat over low until the butter melts and the cream is hot.
Next, add the 1/4 cup parmesan and stir to combine.
Finally, return the chicken to the skillet. If you’d like, garnish with chopped Italian parsley and serve. Pair with a side salad or roasted veggies for an incredibly filling meal! Wasn’t that easy?
I just made this for dinner and it was so good, my family loved it! I was hesitant to make it since others had trouble getting amount of liquid right or the orzo burning, but it came out perfect. I started with 1 1/2 cups of broth and ended up adding a little more. I also didn’t use the full amount of cream (I used half and half instead).
This is delicious!!
this didn’t work for me. the liquid completely boiled out and i ended up with a solid layer of orzo on the bottom and sides of my pan. and the heat was not too high as it was at the lowest possible heat setting and i set a 13 minute timer.
i may try it again with a different cooking method.
Unfortunately, the same thing happened for me. It tasted fine once I removed the hard burnt pasta.
Would stirring have stopped this from happening?
It actually sounds like the heat was just too high. Try lowering it a bit next time, so it’s just simmering, not boiling.
Thoughts about substituting pearl couscous for the orzo? I find myself with no orzo and an embarrassment of pearl couscous….
Hi Cee! You should be able to substitute it, but couscous might require a different amount of liquid than orzo and without testing I can’t say for sure if the liquid would need to be adjusted.
I made this and my husband was in LOVE with it! I didn’t make any changes to it. It is perfect as is. This is definitely going into our rotation! Thank you!
Thanks Suzie!
Hello!
This looks amazing and what is even better, most of the ingredients are pantry staples. I’ve never made it but plan to. I do have a question though.. is the skillet supposed to be covered when simmering (after covering and bringing everything to a boil?)
Thanks!
Hi Marlee! Yes, cover the skillet while simmering. Hope you get a chance to make it. I’m literally making it today for the kiddo.
Thanks for the reply! Planning on mail for today :)
I didn’t have heavy cream so I substituted greek yogurt and milk. Absolutely delicious! Will definitely make again.
The recipe has errors. It stills says “vegetable broth” in the ingredients list, but “chicken broth” in the directions. Something is also off with the liquid amount, as lots of people in the reviews (including myself) had all the liquid boil out and the orzo burned to the bottom of the pan. I even increased the broth amount because it didn’t seem like enough! If I make this again, I’ll add a full cup of extra broth.
Hi BL, yes, there was one typo where it said chicken broth, but I’ve fixed that now. We did use vegetable broth, but chicken broth would also be quite nice in this recipe. If your orzo burned on the bottom of the pan and you ran out of liquid, it’s likely that the heat was too high while simmering. The One-pot cooking method can be a little tricky so you may need to adjust the heat slightly depending on your cookware and the heat settings on your particular stove top.
I use All-Clad pans, and they do hold a lot of heat, so I’ll try tweaking that next time! :)
Definitely a staple recipe in my weekly meal planning kit for my family of four! We’ve made this multiple times and I will continue to do so, absolutely delicious.
My only note for my fellow grocery shoppers is to plan to purchase chicken broth, not vegetable broth as the ingredients lists. The instructions states chicken broth clearly, but on crazy nights when I’m trying to corral everyone and cook, it helps to have the details settled ahead of time hah!
Thanks for catching that Carolyn! It’s been updated. As the notes say, you can use chicken or veggie broth. But if you ever have the chance to get your hands on it, mushroom broth works amazingly well!
Added a 15 ounce can of tomato sauce and it was great!
ooooooh!!! Great call! xoxo
Yummy! I made it with thin cut chicken breasts and added mushrooms with the onions and kale a little later to up the veggies and add some color. The whole family loved it!
Erin that sounds BOMB!
This is so good oh my gawd. We used a little tiny bit of cayenne to the spice mix and accidentally cooked down the onions and garlic before adding the chicken. The chicken didn’t brown as much but I added a little bit of broth and it ended up caramelizing the onion and the chicken was super moist. So. Good. New favorite.
Thanks Kate!
Fantastic. Will definitely make again. As another stated the broth was cooking off a bit too fast so I just added more to get the orzo perfectly cooked. That’s the only thing I did differently. It was delicious
This is so freaking delicious! My 19-year old foodie son texted me tonight after eating leftovers to say good it was…
I cheated and used grilled chicken leftovers. It was fantastic! My husband and I had to stop ourselves from eating it all!
Holy ish Virginia! I bet grilled chicken added a whole new level of yum! Great call. xoxo Monti
One of the best things I’ve ever cooked. The chicken broth and fried crunchy bits incorporated into a cream sauce makes for such a rich savory taste that goes perfectly with orzo’s particular mouthfeel. The chicken ends up delightfully seared but also pull-apart tender.
I did seem to boil off the broth a little bit sooner that expected and ended up with some crispy orzo burnt to the bottom of my pan (and a thicker final sauce), I think because my electric stove took awhile to cool down to simmering temperature – but luckily I used a cast iron skillet so I could just scrape it off and fold it into the sauce (the extra crunch was a pleasant addition). I might also up the seasoning on the chicken thighs next time, especially if I’m on the bigger end of 5 thighs.