One Pot Creamy Orzo, Chicken, Asparagus, and Peas

This One Pot Creamy Orzo, Chicken, Asparagus, and Peas makes for the perfect weeknight dinner. Cooked in one pan, the layer of flavours makes this dish plate-licking good!

Creamy Orzo and Chicken

I love combining chicken and orzo. If you haven't already seen my previous one pot creamy chicken and orzo recipe, I suggest you check it out! If you have, you're going to love this spin on it! I've swapped the cubed chicken for pan fried chicken, the vegetables, and changed the cooking method.

This version of creamy orzo and chicken is actually easier as we'll be skipping the roux with the flour/milk/stock. Instead, we'll be using heavy cream to get that creamy texture with less work!

Milk has been selling out and we're lucky if the word "flour" are even uttered in the store right now, so we had to get creative. Luckily, heavy cream was fully stocked so we bought a litre of that instead. While I don't like to play favourites with my recipes, this creamy chicken and orzo is the new household go-to.

What You'll Need

• chicken breasts
• sweet paprika
• salt
• onion powder
• garlic powder
• olive oil
• asparagus: woodly ends removed
• onions
• garlic
• orzo
• chicken stock
• heavy cream: also called whipping cream
• peas: fresh or frozen
• parmesan

What Is Orzo?

Orzo, also known as risoni, may look like rice but is a form of short-cut pasta, shaped like a large grain of rice. In general, you want to have a 2:1 liquid to orzo ratio unless you plan on draining the liquid (not in this recipe!).

How To Make This One Pot Chicken and Orzo

• Season the chicken breasts with sweet paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.

• On medium heat, heat olive oil in your pan and add in the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes per side. Once cooked through, set aside.

• In the pan, add more oil if needed and sauté the asparagus for 3-5 minutes, gently scraping the browned bits off the pan as you go. Set aside when done.

• In the pan, add in the diced onions and 2-3 tbsp of water to make the deglazing process easier. After a couple minutes, add in the garlic and cook for another minute.

• Once the entire pan has been deglazed (all the browned bits are gone and melted into the onions!) add the orzo to the pan, sautéing it for a minute and stirring in the chicken broth and milk.

• Place the pan's lid on and let the liquid gently simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.

• When done, stir in the peas, asparagus, and parmesan. Serve with the chicken.

Variations

• swap chicken breasts for chicken thighs
• swap chicken for beef
• don't have orzo? swap with a different pasta! just make sure to adjust the liquid amount to match the pasta type.

Tips and Notes

• While it may be tempting to use a second pan after cooking the chicken, you want to use the same pan and deglaze it. This helps builds layers to your flavour as those browned bits are a priceless flavour enhancer!

Continue to Content

Recipe

One Pot Creamy Orzo, Chicken, Asparagus, and Peas

Yield: 4-5

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

This One Pot Creamy Orzo, Chicken, Asparagus, and Peas makes for the perfect weeknight dinner. Cooked in one pan, the layer of flavours makes this dish plate-licking good!

Print

Ingredients

• 4 chicken breasts
• 1 tbsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp olive oil, divided in half
• 1 bunch asparagus, woodly ends removed
• 1 onions, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 2 cups orzo
• 3 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ - 1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
• ½ - 1 cup parmesan

Instructions

1. Season the chicken breasts with sweet paprika, salt, onion powder, and garlic powder.
2. On medium heat, heat olive oil in your pan and add in the chicken breasts. Cook the chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes per side. Once cooked through, set aside.
3. In the pan, add more oil if needed and sauté the asparagus for 3-5 minutes, gently scraping the browned bits off the pan as you go. Set aside when done.
4. In the pan, add in the diced onions and 2-3 tbsp of water to make the deglazing process easier. After a couple minutes, add in the garlic and cook for another minute.
5. Once the entire pan has been deglazed (all the browned bits are gone and melted into the onions!) add the orzo to the pan, sautéing it for a minute and stirring in the chicken broth and milk.
6. Place the pan’s lid on and let the liquid gently simmer for 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed.
7. When done, stir in the peas, asparagus, and parmesan. Serve with the chicken.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 5 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 650Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 148mgSodium: 946mgCarbohydrates: 41gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 44g

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