Tuscan Chicken and Orzo Pasta (One-Pot Recipe)
With school back in session, easy week night dinners are a must and it doesn’t get easier to make (or clean up) than this tuscan chicken and orzo pasta bake! Ready in 30 minutes and filled with tuscan flavors like Italian herbs, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh vegetables, this one pot recipe is sure to become a family favorite.
With many parents getting back in the swing of another school year, you may be finding it difficult to get nutritious meals on the table. Between getting out the door to catch the bus and finding time to make dinner before or after dance recitals or soccer practice, easy meals are a must!
However, easy meals don’t always have to be a drive through. They don’t have to be boring. They CAN be delicious and nutritious. When I think of making easy meals, my main goal is to cut down on cooking time and dishes without sacrificing flavor and nutritious.
That’s why I absolutely love one pot recipes like this tuscan chicken and orzo pasta! All you’ll need is 30 minutes, one large skillet, and a cutting board to chop some ingredients. Filled with orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, and vegetables, this recipe is surprisingly delicious and nutritious for how easy it is to make.
Unstuffed Pepper Skillet
Looking for another one-pot recipe idea? This unstuffed pepper skillet is loaded with convenient, nutritious ingredients and comes together in just one pot.
Why you’ll love this recipe:
This recipe features a lot of my favorite flavors: sun-dried tomatoes, veggies, and parmesan cheese all blended together with chicken and orzo pasta. It’s really become a staple in my home and I think your family will love it too because it’s:
Minimal clean up: One of the best parts of this tuscan chicken and orzo recipe is that it is an easy clean up dinner. You’ll just need one pot, a knife, and a large cutting board for this recipe!
Loaded with flavor: Chicken, chicken broth, veggies, and garlic all simmered together and enhanced with Italian seasoning and a sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional). Top it all off with some mozzarella and parmesan cheese for a meal your entire family will love.
Great for leftovers: This recipe is meal prep friendly and perfect for leftovers that can be enjoyed as a meal prepped dinner or work lunch.
Family friendly: Growing up in a family of 9, few things bring a family together quicker than a massive pan of pasta and this recipe will be no different. With family friends flavors, I feel confident that this chicken and orzo will bring your family around the dinner table.
Customizable: Honestly, add whatever veggies you have on hand. I went with tuscan flavors but you can definitely swap the sun-dried tomatoes for fresh tomatoes, add arugula instead of spinach, toss in some mushrooms, or add any other veggies or protein you want!
You’re going to love this flavor filled tuscan chicken orzo. Now let’s chat about the ingredients that you will need to pull together this super easy dinner:
Ingredients:
While it may seem like alot of ingredients, most of them are very easy to prep and will all be cooked together in the same pot. To make this tuscan chicken orzo, you’ll need:
Chicken breast: trimmed and diced into 1 to 2 inch pieces.
Oil: I recommend avocado oil or olive oil.
Minced garlic
Yellow onion: finely diced.
Chicken broth: I used regular but you could swap for low sodium if desired.
Orzo
Zucchini: chopped
Sun-dried tomatoes: drained and chopped.
Spinach: chopped.
Seasonings: Italian seasoning is a must and the red pepper flakes are optional but recommended (they will add a bit of spice.)
Cheese: mozzarella and parmesan
Step by Step Instructions:
Now let’s get to the fun (and surprisingly easy) part, prepping this one pot dinner! Here’s what you’ll need to do:
Warm your oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat until the oil is warm and garlic becomes fragrant (about 3 minutes.) While the oil warms, dice your chicken breast into 1 to 2 inch cubes and finely dice your onion.
2. Add your diced chicken and onions to the warm oil. Cook on one side for about 4 minutes then flip the chicken and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Your chicken should be almost entirely cooked through, but it will continue cooking in the broth as we cook the rest of the dinner.
3. Add your chicken broth to your skillet and bring to a boil over medium to high heat. While your broth heats, chop all of your vegetables.
4. Add your orzo pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, zucchini, spinach, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes (if preferred) to the broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.
5. After 20 minutes, your broth should be almost entirely absorbed and orzo should be soft. If not, remove the pasta from the heat and keep it covered, allowing it to stand for an additional 5 minutes until the liquid is absorbed. Stir in your mozzarella cheese then top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
Swaps and substitutions:
Aside from how easy this recipe is to make and clean up, another great thing about this recipe is that it is super customizable and can be tailored to exactly how your family likes it:
Swap the broth: You can easily use vegetable broth, bone broth, or any other broth that pairs well with your protein of choice.
Keep it vegetarian/vegan: Switch your broth to vegetable broth, and swap the chicken out for garbanzo beans or bites of crispy tofu, and change out your cheese for a preferred brand to make this orzo pasta vegetarian or vegan friendly.
Pick your protein: I made this recipe with chicken breast but it can easily be made with ground meat, beef, shrimp, lamb, or vegetarian proteins!
Change your veggies: Don’t have these exact vegetables on hand? Don’t worry about it! You can easily chop and add most vegetables that you have on hand. While the flavor profile may change, many vegetables will pair perfectly with this one pot meal.
Select your seasonings: The Italian seasonings really bring out the tuscan flavors but you can add any seasonings you and your family prefer and even chop up and add fresh herbs for extra flavor!
There really are so many different ways that you can serve this recipe.
Recipe FAQ:
Help, my broth didn’t absorb!
If you still have quite a bit of broth after the 20 minutes of cooking and 5 minutes of standing while covered, then allow the pasta to stand covered for a bit longer or return to heat for an extra 5 minutes. You can also dump a bit of the broth out if necessary.
One thing that could be at play here is that as your zucchini cooks, it will release liquid and that could add volume to the broth. This will depend on the size of water content of your zucchini.
Can I use pre-cooked chicken?
Absolutely! If you want to cut down on time, you can definitely use cooked chicken instead of dicing and cooking it yourself. I would then skip the “cooking the chicken” instructions and simply add the cooked chicken when you add the orzo and vegetables to the broth.
If you are worried about your chicken becoming dry, you can also add the chicken at the very end when you allow the pasta to stand for 5 minutes. This should allow the chicken time to warm up and you won’t have dry chicken.
How long can I store overnight oats in the refrigerator?
Per the USDA, you can refrigerate the leftovers for 3 to 4 days and enjoy throughout the week as a pre-made dinner or work lunch. As always, you should also use your best judgment when assessing leftovers.
Other dinner recipes you will love:
Soy Salmon Nuggets
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Smash Burger Tacos
Honey Soy Baked Chicken
Tucan Chicken and Orzo Pasta (One-Pot Recipe)
Ingredients
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat the oil and garlic for 2 minutes.
- Dice your chicken breast into 1 inch pieces and finely chop your onion. Add to the skillet and cook chicken on one side for 4-5 minutes then flip and cook on the other side for 4-5 minutes. It will cook the rest of the way in the broth.
- Add your chicken broth to the skillet and bring it to a boil. While that heats, chop your vegetables.
- To the chicken and chicken broth add your orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, zucchini, and seasonings to your skillet. Reduce to low heat, cover, and cook for 20 minutes stirring every 5 or 10 minutes.
- Remove from heat and keep covered for 5 minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed. Stir in your mozzarella cheese and then top with parmesan cheese. Enjoy!
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Hey! I’m Lauren
I’m a Registered Dietitian and busy toddler mom committed to bringing you delicious, nutritious, and easy-to-make recipes!