We are back with a new favorite recipe of mine… Cream Tuscan Chicken Orzo Pasta! This pasta has so many amazing Italian comfort flavors (American Italian but thats besides the point). This cozy one pot pasta has Sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, white wine, herbs, spinach!.. matched with the creamy orzo pasta itself. The flavors just marry too well together and you will love this one. To top it all off it can be made in one pot, less mess, easy to make and takes about 30 minutes to put an amazing meal on the table for your family.
I’m so excited to be back cooking in my kitchen and making a new normal here in Dallas, Texas. And it is really nice to be here but its taking a lot of time to set up our house and everything seems to be a little farther away here. Quin and I are making it a big priority in our lives to be eating at home so this week as we’re still getting settled I’m grateful to have a few meals like this in the back of my mind and be able to get a good meal on the table for us that is good and best part. We always have left overs so we can have some lunches the next few days as well. And I will tell you it keeps well. You’ll get 3-4 days out of this in a good sealed container.
WE KNOW I LOVE A SIMPLE AND VERSATILE DISH. THIS IS BOTH. SOME OF MY FAVORITE VERSATILITY TRAITS:
- With Chicken or without. With Chicken its one full meal in one pot. Without its an amazing side dish with rich flavors to compliment whatever you are making.
- Cream can be substituted with a greek yogurt. The creamy element is in my opinion what pulls everything together in this dish. I feel the element does need to be there but what gets you there is up to you!
- White wine, not everyone always just has this on hand. I do think a white wine vinegar would work great its in place.
I also like this dish so much because its made with ingredients a lot of people seem to have on hand! (again we love not having to go to the store for one meal!)
INGREDIENT LIST:
- Olive oil or butter. easy.
- Chicken Breast
- Onion and garlic. this is a pantry staple! and adds so much flavor
- Italian seasoning. again easy
- Sun-dried tomatoes. IF you buy these once they seem to last a long time maybe you don’t have these but I wouldn’t be surprised if you do.
- Lemon juice, of course fresh lemon juice is always recommended.
- Dijon Mustard. You do not taste this one, but it adds a nice tang
- Orzo pasta. Looks like rice, tastes like pasta. I love cooking with this style (I’ve had a hard time finding this in my grocery store so I linked the brand I found here from Amazon)
- Broth. Chicken or vegetable will work great!
- Heavy Cream.
- Parmesan Cheese – grate. your. own. its so much better! just keep a block in the fridge, and microplane what you need!
- Spinach and Basil – really bringing Tuscany to your kitchen.
LETS MAKE DINNER!
To start this one pot dinner, you need your one pot. I actually recommend a big skillet. This cast iron staub one I use is linked here. But a large saucepan or dutch oven will work great too! Start by chopping your chicken breast into bite sized pieces and season! Of Course salt and pepper, then use some oregano, paprika, few red pepper flakes. Sear them until golden brown. Should take about 5-7 minutes. Remove the chicken once its fully cooked!
Next up add in butter and the diced onion. Add in garlic, italian seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon juice, dijon mustard and of course the orzo! Adding the orzo dry and letting it toast for a few minutes and absorbing all these flavors is going to pack a punch in the end. Orzo is cool in the fact that it will take on the flavors its cooked in so doing this before adding the liquid is a great way to make your flavors go a long way.
Lower the heat a bit, and add in the wine first to deglaze the pan (take a wooden spoon and scrape the bottom to make sure no flavors are missed) then the broth and cream. Let it get to a good bubble and stir often so none of the orzo sticks to the bottom of the pan. I leave this uncovered but don’t let it boil to crazy.. you don’t way the liquid to cook off too quickly. After about 10 minutes you can remove it from the heat! Don’t be alarmed if there is liquid still in the pan.
Now we add in the parmesan, spinach and basil. Cover the pan now and let the spinach wilt and everything else thicken up.
Now taste! I love how many different flavors this dish takes on. From the butter and parmesan you get a little nutty flavor, then you get a burst of flavor with sun-dried tomatoes, and the wine and mustard gives a little punch all while staying true to the italian seasonings and herbs. Of course the cream just giving it a homey, cozy feeling and there you have a wonderful dinner your family that is totally balanced nutritionally with protein, carbs and some veggies. Such a great busy weeknight recipe to have on hand!
TIPS AND SERVING TRICKS:
- Grate your own parmesan! I will always recommend this in any recipe.
- Don’t be alarmed by the amount of liquid. The orzo will absorb it and the sauce will thicken by the end.
- If using as a side dish, this would go great with my Apple Cider Chicken, or Rosemary Chicken,
If you do make this Creamy Tuscan Chicken Orzo Pasta please be sure to leave a comment or give a rating! Also please post and tag me on instagram. I love seeing and hearing all the recipes you all make. Its so much fun for me!
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Orzo Pasta
This one skillet meal is a perfect weeknight go to! It takes 30 min and is full of tuscan flavors your family will love
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless chicken breast - bite size pieces
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium onion - diced
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, sliced thin, use oil
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup white wine, or white wine vinegar
- juice from half lemon
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Step 1 In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat. To the chicken pieces add salt and pepper, oregano, paprika, and red pepper flakes and toss until coated. Add chicken into skillet and sear on all sides. About 5 minutes stirring around fairly often so all sides are golden. Remove chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- Step 2 To the same skillet, add in 2 tablespoons of butter and diced onion. Cooking 4-5 minutes until onion starts to become translucent. Add garlic, italian seasoning, sun-dried tomatoes, dijon mustard, and orzo pasta. Cook for 2-3 minutes stirring to infuse the orzo with flavor.
- Step 3 Add in the wine and lemon juice to deglaze the pan. Add in cream and broth and bring to a boil. (May need to lower heat to a medium-low) Keep a rolling bubble and let sit for about 10 minutes. Stir every few minutes to make sure pasta doesn’t stick.
- Step 4 Remove from heat, stir in the parmesan, spinach and basil. Add chicken and any juices back in. Cover and let all sit together about 5 minutes. Spinach should be wilting and all liquids getting absorbed and thicken up.
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