Tuscan Chicken and Orzo is a 30 minute one pan dinner that’s rich with flavors from garlic and sun-dried tomatoes! If your family is anything like mine, they’re going to be head over heels in love with this easy Italian pasta! It’s full of flavor and is guaranteed to fill you up.
When I want to make a simple, delicious dinner, I always rack my brain for a one pan/pot recipe! This Tuscan chicken and orzo one pan dinner always satisfies, so it’s safe to say that it’s a fixture in my weeknight routine. It’s got carbs, protein and veggies all in one pan. On those crazy busy weeknights at home (I’ve got two young sons, so you can imagine the level of crazy), I love tossing together an entire meal in just one pan. Plus, it’s ready to go in just 30 minutes. This Italian dinner checks all the right boxes, and then some!
What’s in Tuscan chicken and orzo?
This recipe has everything you love about Tuscan chicken, plus orzo to fill out the dish and help soak up all that creamy sauce! Here are just a few of the ingredients in this easy recipe:
- Chicken: While chicken thighs are my personal favorite for this recipe, you can use pretty much any type of chicken you’d like.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: If they’re in oil, make sure they’re drained well before chopping.
- Parmesan Cheese: For the very best flavor and texture, consider freshly grating your own cheese right off the block. When you buy pre-shredded cheese, it’s coated in a powder that will cause it to seize up when mixed into the pan.
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How to Store and Reheat
Have any leftovers? Great! I love eating these leftovers for lunch the next day!
In an airtight container, these chicken thighs and orzo will stay fresh for up to 3 days.
When you’re ready to enjoy your leftovers, just toss it all back into your pan and reheat it over medium high. Stir often, and toss in a bit of olive oil or heavy cream to add moisture if needed.
Notes and Tips
- Double check that your chicken is fully cooked by inserting a meat thermometer into the thickest part of it. If it reads at least 165°F, it’s fully cooked and safe to eat!
- Finely chop the sun-dried tomatoes so their flavor is spread evenly throughout the dish. If you leave them as whole pieces, you won’t get their flavor in every bite.
- If you really love garlic, don’t be afraid to throw another garlic clove or two into the mix! When it comes to Italian, is there even such a thing as too much garlic?!
Top Reader Review
“This recipe is out of this world good. My family said it “looked like a professional chef made it”. And they devoured it. Will be making again and again!!” – Michelle B.
Tuscan Chicken and Orzo Skillet
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- ½ onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- ⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes chopped
- 1½ cups orzo
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 cups fresh spinach
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Fresh chopped parsley
- Squeeze of lemon juice
Instructions
- Season the chicken thighs with salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.1½ pounds chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat.4 tablespoons olive oil
- Once heated, add in the chicken thighs, cooking for 3-4 minutes on each side until browned.
- Remove the chicken from the pan. Add in the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil.4 tablespoons olive oil
- Add in the onions, sprinkle with salt, and cook for a couple minutes until softened.½ onion
- Add in the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Cook for another minute.4 cloves garlic, ⅔ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- Stir in the orzo.1½ cups orzo
- Add in the chicken broth.3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Place the chicken thighs back in the pan.
- Cover the pan and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the orzo is cooked.
- Remove the chicken thighs from the pan once again.
- Stir in the spinach, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese.3 cups fresh spinach, ½ cup heavy cream, ¼ cup grated parmesan cheese
- Return chicken thighs to the pan.
- Finish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley, more parmesan cheese and a squeeze of lemon juice.Fresh chopped parsley, Squeeze of lemon juice
The recipe instructions call for chicken broth and there isn’t any in the ingredients!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
3 cups!
I printed this recipe before the amount of broth was added, so I guessed and used 2 1/4 cups. My stores were all out of heavy cream so I used half and half and I forgot the lemon juice. I also guessed and used boneless thighs. This was good, but with the corrected amount of broth, the right cream and the lemon juice–I’m sure it will be even better. I also think next time I will add some mushrooms and rosemary. My husband and I enjoyed it and will make it again!
Thanks for sharing, Vivian!
So yummy!!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was so simple and delicious! I added mushrooms because I had some i wanted to use up and a full 9oz package of fresh spinach and it was perfect. There is a lot of orzo left so next time I may add a larger package of chicken. Overall, this is a 10!
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I just made this and it was amazing. We had lots of leftover orzo, so I am going to save it as a side dish for fish. So delicious!
This is similar to a Greek recipe ( I live on Corfu ) ..But obviously no Italian seasoning, cream or parmesan. Oregano and Kefalotyri are used instead and no cream. So I am going to cook this and make a big batch and invite my Greek friends for dinner..
Sounds like a great plan!
It was really good and I’m definitely making it again!
That’s great!!
Loved this recipe! I used thin cut chicken breast cut I chunks. Turned out perfect!
Thanks for sharing, Terri!
Quick question before I make this. Are you using dried sun-dried tomatoes or jarred in oil? Thank you.
Either work!
This is a family favourite. So much flavour and easy to make
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So delicious. I’m supposed to be eating low fat, so I switched out the heavy cream for 1/2 cup milk with 1 Tbsp cornstarch and it worked great. I’m sure it tastes even better with the cream. (Sigh.) It’s also good enough that you could probably skip that step and just let it cook with the lid off for a few minutes to evaporate excess liquid. I skipped the spinach because I was already pushing it with my family by adding the tomatoes (which my husband thought were bacon…hah!). I’ll add the spinach when I reheat as leftovers. I would absolutely make this again.
Thanks for sharing your process with us, Rea!
Keeper but curious if anyone has made this with boneless/skinless chicken thighs! Didn’t want to eat the fatty skin and cutting around the bone was a hassle. Otherwise it was very good!
You definitely can! Just keep an eye on the cook time, since boneless, skinless thighs take a bit less time to cook than bone-in.