This one dish Chicken Orzo Bake is the ultimate easy dinner! Juicy chicken thighs, tender orzo, fresh spinach, and parmesan cheese bake together in a single dish for a creamy, comforting meal with minimal prep and fewer dishes to wash.
If you love orzo, you’ll also love these Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Lemon Orzo!
What do you do when you get to the end of the day and you need to cook dinner, but you just don’t have the energy?
You make this easy Chicken Orzo Bake!
I’ve been there – believe me. I know that feeling when you just want to make the easiest thing possible, that doesn’t require a lot of thinking or doing. And this recipe really only takes a few minutes to prep. You throw all of the ingredients into a casserole dish together, and bake it. When it’s done, you have perfectly cooked orzo, tender, delicious chicken, and even some spinach in there for extra nutrition and flavor.
This is really one of those dinners that doesn’t take any brain space, but is so delicious you’ll want to make it over and over again!
Ingredients
- Chicken: I like to use chicken thighs. They are much more forgiving when it comes to cooking, and they actually have a better texture when cooked to a higher temperature than chicken breasts. Chicken breasts can overcook easily, so thighs work perfectly in this recipe. Plus, I think they have way better flavor!
- Seasonings: I kept things pretty simple, just seasoning the chicken with smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Orzo: If you haven’t tried orzo, it is a small pasta that almost looks like rice. You add it to the dish dry, and it will soak up all of the liquid and flavors and become the perfect addition to the chicken.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use a low sodium chicken broth so that I can have a little more control over the amount of salt.
- Cream: This is heavy whipping cream. I would not suggest subbing in milk here. You may be able to get away with half and half, but I have not tested it to see if it would work.
- Parmesan: For the best results, use freshly grated parmesan. It will melt into the sauce easier, and will have much better flavor than pre-grated.
- Lemon Juice: I like to use fresh lemon juice for the best flavor.
- Garlic: Again, fresh garlic is best. You can mince it, or to make it even faster, I will usually grate it.
- Spinach: I just use regular spinach and roughly chop it. If you want to use baby spinach, you may be able to add it in without chopping. The recipe calls for 2 cups of spinach, but this is one of those ingredients that is harder to measure. So really, just add as much as you want!
How to Make Chicken Orzo Bake
STEP 1: Season all sides of your chicken with the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.
STEP 2: Add the orzo to a 9×13-inch baking dish. Then pour in the chicken broth, cream, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and garlic. Stir, just until this is combined.
STEP 3: Take your seasoned chicken thighs and add them to the dish. You don’t need to submerge them, but the liquid will probably go about halfway up the chicken.
STEP 4: Take the spinach and add it in around the chicken, pressing it down into the liquid and orzo. I try to submerge it as much as possible. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and continue to bake until the chicken is cooked through and the orzo is tender.
Tips and Tricks
At the end of the cook time, not all of the liquid will be absorbed. But it will be a creamy sauce. The longer the dish sits, the more liquid will be absorbed, but I like to serve it while there is still a creamy, silky sauce.
Because the pasta continues to absorb the liquid, any leftovers will dry out a bit. You can add a splash of chicken broth or cream to loosen it back up.
This dish is really versatile. You can leave out the spinach. Or you can add in some complimentary flavors, like tomatoes or artichoke hearts. This is a fun one to play with!
More Chicken Dinners
White Chicken Enchiladas
Crispy Cajun Chicken and Pasta
Bruschetta Chicken
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Chicken Orzo Bake
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 1/2 cups orzo
- 3 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 2.5 oz finely grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups packed spinach chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400ºF.
- Season both sides of the chicken with the smoked paprika, salt, and pepper.2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- In a 9×13-inch baking dish, combine the orzo, chicken broth, cream, parmesan cheese, lemon juice, and garlic. Stir to combine.1 1/2 cups orzo, 3 1/2 cups chicken broth, 3/4 cup heavy whipping cream, 2.5 oz finely grated parmesan cheese, 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 2 cloves garlic
- Add the chicken to the dish. Take the spinach and add it around the chicken, submerging in the orzo mixture as well as possible.2 cups packed spinach
- Cover the dish with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and cook an additional 20 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the orzo is tender.
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