This cold-season you are going to absolutely love this creamy and delicious one-pot Chicken Orzo! Made with perfectly crisp chicken thighs, orzo, shredded brussel sprouts, garlic, and lots of parmesan cheese! The perfect weeknight meal that can all be made in your cast iron skillet.
The Best One Pot Parmesan Chicken Orzo
There is simply nothing better than a quick & easy weeknight dinner that can be made in one pot or one skillet! Typically when you hear the words chicken and orzo in a recipe together it is for a lemon chicken orzo soup, which we also love! But this is the most creamy and delicious parmesan chicken orzo that is made entirely in your cast iron skillet. We love making this on a busy weeknight because it comes together in about 40 minutes and uses real, simple ingredients.
Looking for More One Pot Recipes?
If you love them as much as we do, you definitely need to try our creamy Tuscan Chicken + Gnocchi!
What You Will Need
- olive oil – just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan for searing the chicken.
- chicken thighs – we love using bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for all of their great flavor, but feel free to use chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs.
- butter – option to use vegan butter or ghee, if you prefer!
- garlic – everything is better with garlic and feel free to use as much or as little as you like.
- brussel sprouts – using a mandolin to slice these is so simple, but if you don’t have one you can simply use a sharp kitchen knife and cutting board.
- orzo – to make this super simple we cook this right in the skillet with the chicken and brussels!
- chicken broth or water – we highly recommend using chicken broth, so much more flavor that way.
- kosher salt & ground pepper – simple seasonings that bring flavor to just about anything.
- lemon zest & lemon juice – a little acidity to lighten and brighten things up!
- parmesan cheese – you can use dairy-free parmesan cheese, if you want, just make sure you use a generous amount!
How To Make Parmesan Chicken Orzo
You will want to begin by drizzling enough olive oil in the cast iron skillet to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Then place it on medium-high heat on the stovetop until you are able to flick water in the pan and hear a sizzle. Now you know it is ready for the chicken thighs! Place them skin-side down to sear for 3-4 minutes, flip them over, and move the skillet to the oven to continue cooking for about 15 minutes.
Next, remove the chicken thighs and add your butter to the pan. Let the butter melt and toss in the garlic to sauté for about 30 seconds before adding your shaved brussel sprouts. Move them around in the skillet for about 2-3 minutes.
Then add the broth, orzo, salt, pepper, and stir with a large spoon to fully combine. Finally nestle the cooked chicken thighs right on top of the other ingredients in the pan. Let it all cook for about 8-10 minutes on medium heat. As the orzo cooks you will see it expand nicely and fill in the pan. The wonderful juices from the chicken will get soaked up by the orzo!
Pro Tip
For best results, make sure you continue to stir and scrape the bottom of the pan as the orzo cooks to keep it from sticking too much. Also, have a little chicken broth handy to add splashes to the pan, if needed to keep it from drying out.
Next, remove the chicken from the pan one more time and mix in your lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese. Mix to fully combine to the most amazing, creamy goodness!
Best Ways To Serve Parmesan Chicken Orzo
This delicious one skillet dinner can be enjoyed all on its own. But we love to serve it with some Grilled Bread or Garlic Bread for a fun and simple side dish! You could also enjoy with a small side salad!
Recipe Variations
- chicken thighs – you could also use boneless chicken thighs or chicken breasts. If you do use chicken breasts, they can be entirely cooked on the stovetop until their internal temp is about 150 degrees F (they will finish cooking in the orzo) and don’t need to be moved to the oven.
- other vegetables – the shaved brussel sprouts in this dish are so good, but you could also use broccoli, frozen peas, asparagus, or fresh spinach. You might have to adjust some cooking times or the timing on when they should be added.
- seasonings – option to add some red pepper flakes if you want to spice things up! Or adjust any of the other seasonings depending on your own taste.
Recipe FAQs
- What is orzo? Great question! There was a time when we weren’t entirely sure what it was either. The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines orzo as a rice-shaped pasta and that is exactly what it is. I might look like rice but it has the texture of pasta and when made in this skillet recipe, it actually becomes a bit of a risotto type dish. It might be tricky to describe but it isn’t tricky to make and it tastes out of this world! The perfect comfort food!
- Can I use leftover chicken? If you have leftover chicken that has already been cooked, poached chicken that you made in your weekly meal prep, or pick-up a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store! If that’s the case, you can simply skip the chicken steps above and just cook the orzo and other ingredients in the skillet. Your cooked chicken can be added at the very end, after you have fully mixed the lemon zest, lemon juice, and parmesan cheese together.
Made this recipe and loved it?! We would love it if you would take a minute and leave a star rating and review – it is also helpful if you made any substitutions or changes to the recipe to share that as well. THANK YOU!
Don’t forget to check out my Instagram and TikTok account for some behind-the-scenes action and subscribe to my YouTube channel for more delicious recipe tutorials! Or give me a follow on Facebook or see what I am pinning on Pinterest!
Other Recipes You Might Like
Easy Baked Chicken Parmesan
Greek Orzo Salad
Baked Eggplant Parmesan
Dairy-Free Creamy Chicken Tomato Skillet
Parmesan Chicken Orzo
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top + Oven
- Cuisine: American
Description
Our Parmesan Chicken Orzo recipe is a one-pan dinner that is packed with flavor! Made with simple ingredients that everyone will love!
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tablespoon butter (sub plant-based butter)
- 1 teaspoon garlic, minced
- 3/4 pounds brussel sprouts, thinly sliced (approx. 2 cups sliced brussels sprouts)
- 1 1/2 cups orzo
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth (or water), more as-needed
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon zest, finely grated (more, if desired)
- 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice (more, if desired)
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated
Instructions
- Prep: Place chicken thighs on a plate. Pat dry with clean paper towel. Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Sear Chicken: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add oil, just enough to lightly coat the bottom of the pan. Once the pan is hot (it should sizzle if you flick some water on it) place the chicken thighs skin-side down into the pan and let sear 3-5 minutes or until the skin is nice and brown.
- Bake: Flip the chicken thighs over and then move the skillet to the preheated oven (middle rack and uncovered). Let cook 15 minutes or until chicken thighs reach an internal temperature of 160 degrees F. Meanwhile, prep the brussel sprouts and remaining ingredients.
- Rest: Remove the skillet from oven and place chicken thighs on a plate; set aside.
- Sauté: Place the hot pan on the stove top and bring to medium-high heat. Melt butter and add garlic; move around the pan until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds. Add brussel sprouts and move around the pan until they start to soften, approximately 2-3 minutes.
- Combine: Add orzo, broth, kosher salt and ground black pepper. Stir to combine. Nestle the chicken thighs on top and pour in any juices that have settled on the plate. The chicken thighs will finish cooking along with the orzo and their juices will help flavor everything.
- Simmer: Let orzo simmer gently, uncovered, 8-12 minutes or until the orzo is cooked to al dente – try and stir the orzo occasionally and add additional splashes of chicken broth if you notice the pan drying up to avoid the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan or burning.
- Add Cheese: Remove chicken thighs from pan and remove pan from heat. Add lemon zest, lemon juice and parmesan cheese to the orzo. Stir to combine. Taste and add any additional parmesan cheese, salt or lemon zest, as desired.
- Serve: Serve the Parmesan Chicken Orzo together on an plate and enjoy immediately!
Notes
- Chicken Thighs: I prefer chicken thighs to chicken breasts and in order for them to be fully cooked they have to do a lot of their cooking in the oven before we add them in with the orzo. You can just cook them on the stove-top if you prefer – ensure they get to about 158/160 degrees F. before nestling into the orzo as they won’t cook a ton during that time frame.
- Orzo: some people have had issues with the orzo sticking to the bottom of the pan while simmering. To avoid this, have a little extra chicken broth on hand and add splashes of it to the orzo, as needed, to help avoid the pan from drying out – also try and stir the orzo as best you can around the chicken thighs while it is cooking!
- Internal temp of chicken: Chicken is fully cooked when it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
- Storage: any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 5-6 days.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 cup
- Calories: 228
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 769.4 mg
- Fat: 7.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 23.1 g
- Protein: 16.9 g
- Cholesterol: 37 mg
Heather says
So Good! Big hit in my household & adding to favorites. I did add diced onion until tender before adding garlic & brussel sprouts. The orzo will stick if you don’t watch or add enough liquid but mine turned out great. Thanks for an awesome delicious meal!
Liz says
My chicken thighs were large and they didn’t get cooked through all the way. I would suggest cooking them in the oven for 25-30 min instead of 15. (If using bone in). The dish itself was flavorful though!
Erin says
Hi Liz! That makes sense if your chicken thighs were extra large! Glad you enjoyed it!
Tatiana says
Just want to add.. some may want to lower the temp when you add the orzo. Mine all stuck to the bottom of the pan. I think lowering the flame would’ve helped with that.
Emily says
I ran into the same issue! I agree, either turning the burner down or constantly stirring the orzo dish would have prevented this or even putting the lid on. Most of my orzo is burnt to the bottom of my dutch oven! My chicken also wasn’t done, so had to throw it back in the oven. It tastes good still, thank goodness, so not completely wasted!
Erin says
Hi Emily – thanks for the comment! I will update the recipe card to help everyone avoid this issue – thanks so much!
Jill says
What size skillet did you use? 12 inch? 15 inch?
Erin says
I used a deep, 12 inch cast iron skillet.
Wendy says
Made this tonight for my family! So delicious and flavorful, I especially loved the orzo! Thank you for sharing this recipe.
Erin says
So glad you enjoyed this one, Wendy!
Brandi says
This is good but as another person wrote I had a lot of orzo stick to the bottom of the pan. I cooked on low when I added the orzo too. I used a Le Creuset 3.5 qt braised so it’s pretty large.
Erin says
Hi Brandi- that makes sense if your braiser was extra large the liquid would be more thinned out – feel free to add an extra splash of broth along the way next time, as needed, and try to give the orzo a stir once in a while around the chicken thighs!
Alissa says
Wow, this was delicious!! The whole family loved it! Perfect, easy and cozy weeknight meal!
Erin says
So happy to hear that!!
Traci B. says
Do you have a suggestion for a gluten-free orzo that you like for this recipe? We don’t use sugar or flour in our family.
Erin says
Hi Traci – I haven’t tested this with a gluten-free orzo yet, but I have heard good things about the Delallo gluten-free orzo and the Jovial one too! Let me know if you try either of them!
Megan says
Made this for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I don’t normally like Brussels sprouts but they were delicious in here! I will definitely be making this often.
Erin says
So happy to hear that, Megan! And thanks for coming back to leave a rating and review – I so appreciate it!