Creamy Parmesan Marry Me Chicken Orzo
The most amazing creamy orzo with chicken recipe you'll ever make! This Marry Me Chicken Orzo is made with chopped chicken breast meat, along with Parmesan cheese, spinach and sun-dried tomatoes.
Equipment
- Large Stock Pot or Dutch Oven This Le Creuset Dutch oven is one of my all-time favorite pieces of cookware. Super durable and versatile! Great for soups and stews.
- Wooden Spurtle Tools This 5-Piece Wooden kitchen tool set is amazing and great for use in non-stick cookware. No scratches and no plastic!
Ingredients
- 16 oz. boneless, skinless chicken breasts about 2 breasts
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 Tablespoons sun-dried tomato oil from jar of sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 cup yellow onion finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons minced garlic
For Creamy Parmesan Orzo:
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 teaspoons Italian herbs
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock or broth
- 2 cups whole milk or half and half
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta uncooked
- 3 cups fresh baby spinach roughly chopped
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 2/3 cup sun dried tomatoes Julianne cut
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice juice of 1 lemon
- 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
Instructions
- To a large Dutch oven or large skillet, add in 2 tablespoons of the sun-dried tomato oil and heat over medium-high heat. Sauté the chicken breasts that have been seasoned with salt and pepper. Cook on each side for 5-6 minutes or until the internal temperature reached 165 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into bite sized pieces. Transfer to a bowl and cover to keep warm.
- To the same pan, and the remaining oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add in the onion and sauté for 5-6 minutes or until onion becomes translucent. Add in the garlic and sauté for 1 more minute. Transfer mixture to same bowl with chicken. Cover to keep warm.
- To the same pan, melt the butter. Add in the flour and whisk together. Mixture will bubble and brown slightly. Cook for about 2 minutes. Scrape up any brown bits from the chicken and onions. Pour in the stock, milk, Italian herbs, garlic salt, pepper and orzo pasta. Stir together. Heat over medium-high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 6-8 minutes. Stir often. Mixture will begin to thicken and orzo will begin to plump up.
- Once mixture begins to thicken, add in the cooked chicken and onion mixture, chopped spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice and mustard. Stir well. Continue to cook for another 2 minutes.
- Serve right away with additional Parmesan cheese for topping.
Notes
Storage: Store any leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated. Orzo will keep for 5-6 days refrigerated.
Chicken Options: instead of chicken breast meat, you could also use boneless, skinless chicken thighs. To save time, you could also substitute pre-cooked or rotisserie chicken.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 479kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 35gFat: 16gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 993mgPotassium: 1270mgFiber: 4gSugar: 12gVitamin A: 2027IUVitamin C: 22mgCalcium: 366mgIron: 3mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!