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One Pot Parmesan Chicken, Spinach and Orzo has all the flavors of chicken parmesan, but without all the dishes! This easy weeknight meal is sure to please the whole family!
Thanks to my friends at Just BARE Chicken for sponsoring this post. As always all opinions are my own.
Tis the season of running around like crazy people trying to squeeze 26 hours worth of things that need to be done into 24. It’s officially the holiday season and the time of year filled with parties, school commitments, shopping, decorating, cookie baking and so much more! With everything going on I’m sure deciding what to make for dinner isn’t very high on your list of priorities.
Well, I’m here to cross one thing off your list. No need to figure out what to make for dinner because this One Pot Parmesan Chicken, Spinach and Orzo is going to be your new best friend!
One pot and skillet dinners are my favorite way to cook. I love them so much that I even have a whole recipe section dedicated to this easy way of cooking. For the most part they usually don’t take more than 30 minutes to make and if they do it’s not time that you’ll be standing in the kitchen doing work…just remember to set a timer if you’re like me so you don’t forget about it.
I decided to go Italian for this One Pot Parmesan Chicken, Spinach and Orzo because it seems to be a cuisine most people enjoy. If you have picky eaters, the flavors in here are basic enough that you shouldn’t hear a bunch of “Eeww! What’s this?”, but rather, “Can I have some more?”
This recipe is about as simple as it gets. Orzo pasta, marinara sauce, spinach, some spices you probably already have, cheese and chicken breasts. Whenever I cook with chicken I always use my favorite brand, Just BARE® Chicken. For the past couple years I’ve completely converted to eating organic meat so I was happy when I discovered that Just BARE had a USDA certified Organic line.
There’s a few reasons I cook and eat Just BARE Chicken. First is because it tastes great. Some chicken I’ve bought in the past doesn’t have much flavor or it has an odd texture after cooking it. Just BARE’s always comes out juicy and full of meaty flavor. Another reason I always opt for their chicken is because of how the chickens are raised.
They’re never given antibiotics during any point in their life cycle. They’re only fed 100% Organic feed and are raised on organic family farms with access to the outdoors. Knowing where our food comes from and how it’s raised is so important and I’m glad that Just BARE is candid with sharing this information with consumers.
For this particular recipe I used Just BARE’s Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts. It’s the product I use most and it works perfectly in this one pot meal. The chicken is partially cooked then removed from the pot and placed onto a plate while the onion and spinach sauté. After that everything except the cheese is added back into the pot and simmers away for about 10-15 minutes.
The finishing touches are the parmesan and mozzarella cheeses, because is it really Italian food if there isn’t cheese involved? This hearty dinner is delicious the day you make it and the leftovers reheat well too, which means less cooking and more time crossing things off your holiday to-do list. Enjoy!
More One Pot / Skillet Dinners
Skillet Enchilada Chicken with Black Beans and Corn
Maple Mustard Chicken, Sweet Potato and Apple Skillet
Apricot Chicken Thighs with Root Vegetables
One Pot Parmesan Chicken, Spinach and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 1 pound 1 package Just BARE Organic Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, cut into bite sized pieces
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
- Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 24 ounces jarred marinara sauce
- 20 ounces water
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar optional
- 12 ounces orzo
- 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To a large pot or skillet, add the olive oil and heat over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and season with the Italian seasoning, granulated garlic, salt and pepper. Cook about 4-5 minutes or until chicken is mostly cooked through. Remove to a plate.
- Add the onion and baby spinach to the pot and cook about 2-3 minutes or until soft. Pour in marinara sauce, water and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil, then reduce to a strong simmer.
- Add in the chicken and orzo, stir, then cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until the orzo is cooked to your liking. Stir in 1/4 cup each of the Parmesan and mozzarella cheese and taste for seasoning. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the dish and cook another 2-3 minutes or until cheese is melted. Garnish with fresh chopped basil or parsley if desired.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Could this be made a head and reheated? Or made to a certain point and then cooked? Looking for a meal to deliver for a friend in. Red for a meal train
Yes. You can make this a day or two in advance and it can be reheated in the microwave or in a a saucepan on the stove. I don’t recommend freezing it.
Do you know the size of one serving?
Holy huge quantity! Made this and it was delicious and VERY filling, however I didn’t anticipate how much it would make. Our family of three could eat this for a week. Will definitely have to cut it in half next time!
Italian (and Italian-inspired) food is one of my favorites! This recipe looks so delicious, I can’t wait to make it!! By any chance, can this be frozen, and if so how?
I made this yesterday! It was so good! I used my Instant Pot. I followed the instructions based on the steps using a regular pot on the stovetop. Except for the cheeses. I did that after the pressure naturally dropped. It reminded me of an elevated Chef Boyarde! So good!!
12 oz. orzo is 1.5 cups?
I made this and it was quite good! I didn’t have any mozzarella so used a chunk of Boursin cheese instead. Made a nice creamy yummy sauce.
I love this substitution Valerie, thanks for sharing!
I made this and, though it was tasty, it was rather soupy. Next time I will cut down on the water. Thank you for sharing!
woohoo, you did ROCK the parmesan chicken spinach!!! So impressive!
Btw, you used it the rice, right? I didn’t see it in the recipe :)
– Natalie
Rice would work but Orzo is actually pasta. You might also find this type of tiny pasta referred to as risoni.
I LOVE italian flavors and anything with marinara sauce…YUM!
Thanks Audra!