Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes (One-Pan Dinner)

This creamy chicken orzo comes together in just 20 minutes of cooking time and a few minutes of prep time, making it ideal for a quick weeknight dinner. The addition of sun-dried tomatoes, parmesan, and cream makes it a great recipe for a special dinner as well.

If you love chicken dinners, try this creamy honey mustard chicken, this chicken thighs and veggies sheet-pan dinner, or this chicken burrito bowl. For more pasta dinners, try this lemon parmesan pasta, this pancetta mushroom pasta, and this pesto pasta.

Ingredients Board

To make this chicken orzo and veggies dish, you’ll first need the following:

• Chicken – 1 lb chicken thigh fillets, diced. Chicken thighs are better than chicken breasts in this recipe as there’s less risk of overcooking the chicken thighs while making them in the same pan as the orzo and veggies.
• Orzo – 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta.
• Zucchini – 1 medium zucchini.
• Mushrooms – 8oz (225 grams) button mushrooms.
• Shallot – 1 medium shallot
• Garlic – 1 large garlic clove
• Chicken Stock – 2 cups chicken stock
• Water – 1 cup water
• Cream – 1/3 cup heavy cream (whipping cream or double cream)
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained
• Parmesan – 1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more for serving
• Butter – 2 tbsp butter
• Oil – 1 tbsp olive oil.
• Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Prep

• Chicken – dice the chicken thigh fillets.
• Zucchini – dice the zucchini.
• Mushrooms – thinly slice the mushrooms.
• Shallot – mince or finely dice the shallot.
• Garlic – mince the garlic clove.
• Sun-Dried Tomatoes – chop the sun-dried tomatoes

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1. Put a large pan with high sides, big enough to hold one-pan meals (or alternatively, use a pot) over medium-high heat. Add the oil and once it’s hot and shimmering, add the diced chicken and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the diced chicken until golden, flipping the pieces over to get color on both sides (about 3-4 minutes). Remove the chicken to a bowl or plate for now.

Step 2. Add half the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the sliced mushrooms and diced zucchini, seasoning with salt and pepper. Sauté just for 3-4 minutes until you get a bit of color on them. Add the minced shallot and cook for a minute, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.

Step 3. Add the chicken stock and water, and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping the brown bits. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium so the liquid simmers. Add in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and orzo.

Step 4. Stir the orzo in and return the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 9-10 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom, until the liquid has mostly been absorbed by the orzo or evaporated. If you need a bit more liquid before the orzo is cooked, you can add some more water or chicken stock.

Step 5. Once the orzo is almost cooked, add the cream and the remaining butter, and stir frequently for about 1 minute.

Step 6. Take the pan off the heat and add the grated parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary.

Step 7. Serve immediately while hot with extra grated parmesan on top.

If you make this chicken orzo dish and love it, let me know in a review below. It’s a rich, wholesome chicken pasta dish that’s great to make for family and friends.

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Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms, Zucchini, and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

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Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Author: Doina Johnson

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Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken thigh fillets diced (note 1)
• 1 1/2 cup orzo pasta
• 1 medium zucchini diced
• 8 oz button mushrooms thinly sliced
• 1 medium shallot minced or finely diced
• 1 large garlic clove minced
• 2 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1 cup water
• 1/3 cup heavy cream or whipping cream or double cream
• 1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus more for serving
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• kosher salt to taste
• freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

• Put a large pan with high sides, big enough to hold one-pan meals (or alternatively, use a pot) over medium-high heat. Add the oil and once it’s hot and shimmering, add the diced chicken and season it with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook the diced chicken until golden, flipping the pieces over to get color on both sides (about 3-4 minutes). Remove the chicken to a bowl or plate for now.
• Add half the butter to the pan. Once melted, add the sliced mushrooms and diced zucchini, seasoning with salt and pepper. Sauté just for 3-4 minutes until you get a bit of color on them. Add the minced shallot and cook for a minute, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn. Add the minced garlic and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Add the chicken stock and water, and deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping the brown bits. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to medium so the liquid simmers. Add in the chopped sun-dried tomatoes and orzo.
• Stir the orzo in and return the chicken to the pan. Cook for about 9-10 minutes, stirring frequently so it doesn’t burn on the bottom, until the orzo is tender and the liquid has mostly been absorbed by the orzo or evaporated. If you need a bit more liquid before the orzo is cooked, you can add some more water or chicken stock.
• Once the orzo is almost cooked, add the cream and the remaining butter, and stir frequently for about 1 minute.
• Take the pan off the heat and add the grated parmesan. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding salt and pepper as necessary.
• Serve immediately while hot with extra grated parmesan on top.

Notes

Note 1. Chicken. Chicken thighs are better than chicken breasts in this recipe as there’s less risk of overcooking the chicken thighs while making them in the same pan as the orzo and veggies.

Don’t forget to save this dish to one of your weeknight dinner, chicken dinner, or pasta dish boards.