This One Pan Tuscan Orzo with Chicken recipe has juicy, flavorful chicken breast and tender orzo in a creamy sauce flavored with sun dried tomatoes, spinach, garlic and Parmesan. Easy enough for weeknights but perfect for entertaining!
Table of Contents
This Tuscan Orzo with Chicken is made with pan-seared, tender chicken breasts in a creamy, Italian-inspired sauce — it’s a complete, delicious dinner that only takes 35 minutes to make, and it freezes well, too.
This creamy Tuscan chicken orzo recipe is super easy to make your own, just add in your favorite veggies, change up the seasonings, or add some heat!
If you love the flavors of this easy Tuscan chicken recipe, check out my One Pan Tuscan Chicken and Potato Skillet, Baked Tuscan Chicken Breasts, Crockpot Tuscan Chicken.
For some more comforting but quick pasta dishes, try this One Pot BBQ Chicken and Pasta, Gnocchi with Sausage, Spinach and Tomatoes, my Instant Pot Italian Chicken Pasta, and this Greek Pasta Salad.
Ingredients Needed:
Chicken
- Chicken: I used boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs would work great, too!
- Oil: Olive oil or canola oil will work well for pan-searing the chicken.
- Seasonings: season the chicken with a blend of salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, and black pepper. You can also use your favorite blend!
Orzo
- Tomatoes: cherry tomatoes are extra juicy and bring bursts of fresh flavor to this dish.
- Minced Garlic: freshly minced garlic will give you the best flavor here.
- Chicken Broth: I always choose low-sodium chicken broth and add salt as needed. Feel free to adjust the salt based on your tastes and which broth you have.
- Heavy Cream: full-fat heavy cream will be the base for the cream sauce. If you use a lighter cream or milk, there is a chance that it will curdle while cooking.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: sun-dried tomatoes will give you a rich, deep tomato flavor in the sauce.
- Salt and Black Pepper: since the chicken is well seasoned, we just need a little salt and pepper to spice up the cream sauce.
- Orzo: almost any kind of short pasta will work well here if you prefer a different kind.
- Chopped Spinach: use fresh spinach for this recipe to add color and a ton of nutrients.
- Parmesan Cheese: freshly shredded parmesan has the best flavor.
How to Make Tuscan Orzo with Chicken
This recipe is quick and easy! Full instructions are included in the recipe card below.
- Pound chicken: Pound the thick ends of the chicken breasts so they are an even thickness. This ensures they cook evenly.
- Season and sear chicken: Season the chicken and sear it on a pan with oil. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- Cook tomatoes and sauce: Cook cherry tomatoes in the skillet until starting to blister. Add the garlic, then stir in chicken broth, cream, sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper and cook.
- Add orzo: Put the orzo in the pan and stir it in.
- Put chicken back and cook: Add the chicken back in, cover and simmer until orzo is al dente.
- Add spinach and parmesan and serve: Stir in spinach and Parmesan before serving.
Tuscan Orzo with Chicken FAQs
Store this dish cooked and cooled in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in portions in the microwave, or add a splash of broth or cream to the pan and reheat in a skillet, covered, on the stovetop.
Yes! It’s a great recipe to make ahead of time. Store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Just keep in mind that the texture of the pasta will not be as firm.
Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm in the microwave or oven until heated through.
Tips and Variations
- Meat thermometer. Check that your chicken is fully cooked by inserting an internal meat thermometer into the thickest part of the chicken breasts. When it reads 165°F or above, it’s done.
- Cream. Heavy cream makes for a very rich and flavorful sauce. A lighter cream or half-and-half will not thicken the same way, so if you do use a lighter cream, you may want to uncover for part of the cook time.
- Veggies. Add in extra veggies like green beans, mushrooms, red peppers, or asparagus. Just give them a light sauté before adding in the liquid for the sauce (cook them in place of the cherry tomatoes, or with the cherry tomatoes).
- Add some heat. Make this dish a bit spicy by adding some of your favorite hot sauce, some red pepper flakes, or some cayenne pepper to the sauce.
Serving Suggestions
The beauty of one-pot recipes is that they really are great just on their own. Making a whole dinner in one pot is the dream, right?!
If you want to fill it out to make it go further, or if you want some extra nutrients in your meal you can add some colorful side dishes.
Some delicious recipes I often serve on the side of one-pot meals like this include Air Fryer Broccoli, Air Fryer Green Beans, Roasted Vegetables, Green Beans with Bacon, and even this Easy Broccoli Salad.
We love having bread on the side as well. Try my Homemade Crescent Rolls, this No Knead Artisan Bread, Cheesy Garlic Bread, or Mom’s Homemade Buns.
More Delicious One-Pot Recipes to Try
One Pan Tuscan Orzo with Chicken
written by Ashley Fehr
Ingredients
Chicken
- 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts about 2 lbs
- 1 tablespoon oil
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon paprika
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Orzo pasta
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2½ cups low sodium chicken broth
- ⅓ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup sun dried tomatoes drained and sliced
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups uncooked orzo pasta 250 grams
- 1½ cups fresh spinach roughly chopped
- ¼ cup Parmesan freshly grated
Instructions
Chicken
- Place chicken breasts on a cutting board and cover with plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to pound the thick ends so they are an even thickness.
- Preheat a large skillet to medium-high heat. Add the oil.
- Stir together the salt, Italian seasoning, paprika, and pepper and sprinkle over both sides of the chicken.
- Sear chicken on both sides until golden brown. Remove and keep warm.
Orzo pasta
- To the same skillet, add the tomatoes and cook 3-4 minutes until they start to blister.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken broth, cream, sun dried tomatoes, salt and pepper and bring to a boil.
- Stir in the orzo, and add the chicken back on top of the orzo. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes until the orzo is al dente.
- Stir in spinach and Parmesan before serving. *Note that it may look quite thin right after you finish cooking but it will thicken considerably in the first 10 minutes as it sits off the heat.
Notes
tomatoes: I love blistered cherry tomatoes and the do add some tomato-y flavor to the sauce. If you don’t enjoy tomatoes you can leave them out, or you can add in extra vegetables and just give them a saute before adding the liquid.
chicken broth: I always choose low sodium chicken broth and add salt as needed. Feel free to adjust the salt based on your tastes and which broth you have.
cream: heavy creamy makes for a very rich and flavorful sauce. A lighter cream will not thicken the same way, so if you do use a lighter cream I recommend reducing the broth by ¼ cup. orzo: almost any short pasta will work here! Storage:
- Store: Store this dish cooked and cooled in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in portions in the microwave, or cover an oven-safe dish with foil and reheat in the oven until piping hot.
- Freeze: Store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then warm with a splash of broth in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Nutrition Information
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Jennifer Yeh says
My husband and I loved the recipe. It was very tasty
Toni Walsh says
Used sun-dried tomatoes that were in my refrigerator use fresh tomatoes, cherry Really good however I’m just wondering if there are different shades of sun-dried tomatoes because it seems like my sauce is a little darker than yours. It turned out a little darker help.
Mary Beth says
Can you make this the day before and bake it in oven?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Mary Beth, when reheating I would do it on the stovetop. Enjoy!
Hannah says
This recipe is absolutely delicious and incredibly easy! I only changed one thing. Lol. I started cutting up the sun dried tomatoes and they completely grossed me out. I have never cooked with them before and I just couldn’t do the texture. I used fire roasted canned tomatoes instead. Oh, and I did use bnls/sknls thighs. So Soo yummy! Thankyou for sharing this!
Rose Marolf says
I made this tonight. Sooo delicious and easy! I omitted the cherry tomatoes bc I didn’t have any and I used half and half and cut back on the broth. I will definitely make this again! Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Glad you enjoyed it, Rose. Thank you!
Holly Driver says
This was so delicious!!! Left out the sun dried tomatoes(my family doesn’t like them) and used chicken thighs (that’s all I had on hand). Definitely going to make this again! Quick, easy, YUM!!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Holly! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
Kristen says
Easy and delicious! The chicken and orzo turned out perfect. The spinach and tomatoes add a great freshness to dish. Thank you!
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Kristen! So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for this kind review!
Eric says
Can I substitute coconut milk instead of heavy cream? If so, should I use a thickening agent?
The Recipe Rebel says
Hi Eric! I’ve only tested the recipe as is so it would be hard for me to say for sure. If you decided to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!