This wealthy and savory rooster orzo recipe is loaded with juicy rooster items, recent asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed along with tender orzo pasta in a creamy sauce.
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Close up of creamy chicken orzo with asparagus and tomatoes in a large pot with a spoon.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/creamy-chicken-orzo-2.jpg)
This household favourite rooster orzo dish, that includes crisp asparagus and juicy, ripe tomatoes, shouldn’t be solely easy to organize but in addition bursting with taste. It’s the right answer for an easy weeknight dinner that’s positive to please all the household, and it even leaves you with scrumptious leftovers for the times to come back.
Why We Love This Creamy Hen Orzo Recipe
- Fast and comfortable. Have an enormous bowl of comforting rooster orzo prepared in underneath an hour. This recipe is without doubt one of the finest throw-it-together dinners for weeknights.
- Wealthy, creamy sauce. Get pleasure from a wealthy and creamy sauce that completely coats all of the elements on this dish. It’s simple to make and full of a strong Parmesan taste.
- Customizable. You’ll be able to customise this dish along with your most popular pasta, greens, proteins, and so forth. If in case you have further elements hanging out within the fridge, this recipe is the right manner to make use of them.
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Side overhead view of a bowl of creamy chicken orzo with asparagus and tomatoes.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/creamy-chicken-orzo-7.jpg)
What Is Orzo?
Orzo is a kind of pasta constituted of durum wheat or semolina flour, the identical flour used to make couscous and most Italian pasta. Orzo is somewhat chewy, with a refined, nutty style. You’ll discover orzo in a number of Mediterranean and Center Japanese cooking, and it’s a well-liked pairing with rooster, as in rooster in a pot with lemon orzo and rooster orzo soup.
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Overhead view of all the ingredients that will be used to make chicken orzo.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/chicken-orzo-ingredients.jpg)
Components For Hen Orzo
- Orzo Pasta: You should use complete wheat orzo or white flour orzo, cooked based on the bundle instructions.
- Hen: Skinless, boneless rooster breasts or thighs, minimize into even-sized cubes.
- Veggies: Recent chopped asparagus and ripe cherry tomatoes or any veggies of your selecting.
- Olive Oil, Butter, and Flour: You’ll whisk them collectively to type a roux, which is the bottom to your cream sauce.
- Hen Broth: I like to recommend low-sodium rooster broth, or you may also use vegetable broth.
- Milk: You should use complete milk, 2%, or skim milk.
- Parmesan: Freshly shredded is finest.
How you can Make Hen Orzo
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Sauteed chicken, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes on a skillet.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chicken-Orzo-03-683x1024.jpg)
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Orzo pasta added to a saucepan with cream sauce.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chicken-Orzo-08-683x1024.jpg)
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Cooked chicken, asparagus, and cherry tomatoes added to a large pot with orzo and cream sauce.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Chicken-Orzo-09-683x1024.jpg)
- Boil the orzo. In a big pot of salted water, boil the orzo to al dente.
- Cook dinner the rooster and veggies. In the meantime, sauté the rooster items and asparagus in a big skillet with oil. When the rooster is browned, stir within the cherry tomatoes. Set the skillet apart.
- Make the sauce. In a separate pan, whisk collectively flour with melted butter and oil to create a roux. Add rooster broth and milk. Lastly, take the pan off the warmth and stir in your grated parmesan cheese.
- Mix. Drain the cooked orzo, and add it to the sauce along with your rooster, asparagus, and tomatoes. Stir every little thing collectively, season to style, and serve!
Recipe Ideas And Variations
- Use leftover rooster. If you have already got cooked leftover rotisserie rooster or poached rooster readily available, it makes this recipe even faster!
- To prepare dinner orzo, you’ll boil it in a pot and drain it the identical as you’d every other sort of pasta. Most orzo cooks al dente (with a chunk) in about 8 minutes.
- Salt the pasta water. Add 2 tablespoons of salt to the water you’ll use to prepare dinner your orzo. The important thing to flavorful pasta is well-seasoned pasta water.
- Add lemon. Stir in some recent lemon zest and a squeeze of lemon juice to spice up the flavors.
- Completely different veggies. Instead of asparagus, attempt broccoli florets, celery, carrots, kale, peas, or every other vegetable you could have readily available. You may also like this tacky rooster orzo recipe with recent spinach.
- Completely different protein. Instead of rooster, attempt steak bites or air fryer meatballs. Crumble in some cooked, smoky bacon for further taste. Or, do that one pot shrimp with orzo.
- Herbs. Sprinkle in Italian seasoning, or recent herbs like parsley, basil, oregano, or cilantro. Add crushed purple pepper flakes for a bit of warmth.
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Creamy chicken orzo with asparagus and tomatoes in a large pot with a spoon.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/creamy-chicken-orzo-1.jpg)
What Can I Substitute for Orzo?
- Pasta: Make this recipe with penne, fusilli, rigatoni, or lengthy pasta varieties like spaghetti, linguine, or fettuccine.
- Gluten-free: One of the best gluten-free substitutes for orzo are arborio rice, quinoa, or millet.
- Grain-free: Substitute orzo with ready cauliflower rice or lentils.
- Different: Attempt one other grain, like farro and pearl barley.
Serving Strategies
Hen Orzo ticks all of the containers for a meal in a single, however you’ll be able to at all times spherical out your dinner with do-it-yourself focaccia bread or garlic breadsticks. This mild and simple Caesar salad, or this Mediterranean white bean salad are additionally nice! I additionally like to serve it with my simple oven roasted greens, these savory roasted mushrooms, or crispy air fryer roasted broccoli.
![This easy chicken orzo recipe is loaded with tender chicken pieces, asparagus, and ripe tomatoes tossed with orzo pasta in a creamy sauce. Close up of chicken orzo with asparagus and tomatoes in a large pot.](https://diethood.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/creamy-chicken-orzo-4.jpg)
How you can Retailer and Reheat Leftovers
- To retailer, switch the rooster orzo to an hermetic container and refrigerate it inside 2 hours of cooking. It’s going to maintain within the fridge for as much as 3-4 days or within the freezer for two months. Defrost within the fridge in a single day earlier than reheating.
- Reheat on the stovetop or within the microwave till the rooster is scorching all through.
Extra Hen Pasta Recipes to Attempt
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Put together orzo per instructions on the field. Drain and put aside.
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Within the meantime, warmth 3 tablespoons olive oil in a big skillet set over medium-high warmth.
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Add rooster items and asparagus; season with salt and pepper and prepare dinner for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, till rooster is cooked and browned on all sides.
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Add tomatoes and proceed to prepare dinner for two to three minutes or till tomatoes are tender; put aside.
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Warmth olive oil and soften butter in a separate giant pan over medium-high warmth. Sprinkle with flour and whisk to mix, whisking and cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
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Whisk within the rooster broth till completely mixed. Whisk within the milk, and produce the combination to a simmer; permit to prepare dinner for 1 minute or till thickened.
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Take away from warmth, add parmesan cheese, and season with salt and pepper; stir till the cheese is melted.
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Drain the pasta and add it to the sauce with the rooster, asparagus, and tomato combination. Toss nicely to mix. Style for salt and pepper and modify if wanted.
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Serve.
- Greens: Swap the asparagus for different choices like broccoli, celery, carrots, kale, peas, or any veggies you could have out there.
- Proteins: As a substitute of rooster, think about using shrimp, steak bites, or crumbled cooked bacon.
- Herbs: Add taste with Italian seasoning or recent herbs equivalent to parsley, basil, oregano, or cilantro. For a spicy kick, sprinkle in some crushed purple pepper flakes.
- Orzo: For those who don’t have orzo, make this recipe with penne, fusilli, rigatoni, or lengthy pasta varieties.
Energy: 383 kcal | Carbohydrates: 27 g | Protein: 26 g | Fats: 19 g | Saturated Fats: 5 g | Polyunsaturated Fats: 2 g | Monounsaturated Fats: 11 g | Trans Fats: 0.1 g | Ldl cholesterol: 62 mg | Sodium: 268 mg | Potassium: 734 mg | Fiber: 3 g | Sugar: 5 g | Vitamin A: 1136 IU | Vitamin C: 23 mg | Calcium: 162 mg | Iron: 3 mg
Dietary information is an estimate and supplied as courtesy. Values might range based on the elements and instruments used. Please use your most popular dietary calculator for extra detailed information.