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One Pot Parmesan Chicken and Orzo has all the flavors of chicken parmesan, but without all the work of making it! This easy weeknight meal is sure to please the whole family!
If you love chicken parmesan inspired recipes, be sure to try these chicken parmesan meatballs and this chicken parmesan soup!
This post and recipe have been updated since it was originally published on 11/26/2018
Why You’ll Love Chicken Parmesan Pasta
One Pot Pasta – One pot pasta recipes are great for a couple reasons. You don’t have to keep an eye on the pasta while you cook the chicken and sauté the veggies and there’s less dishes to wash.
Family-Friendly – This orzo pasta recipe is one the whole family will enjoy. It’s reminiscent of spaghetti thanks to the marinara sauce and there’s plenty of melted gooey cheese. Adults will enjoy the addition of the chicken and extra flavor from the garlic, onions and Italian seasoning.
Quick and Easy – Chicken and orzo pasta takes a little over 30 minutes from start to finish to make. There’s almost no prep work involved and thanks to it being a one pot dinner, cleanup is a breeze!
Ingredients for Parmesan Chicken Orzo
- Onion and garlic powder – Aromatics that give the dish tons of flavor.
- Chicken – Chicken breasts or thighs may be used.
- Italian Seasoning – A dried spice blend made up of basil, thyme, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, and oregano.
- Spinach – Use a bag of baby spinach to make this recipe extra easy!
- Basil – Fresh chopped basil adds a wonderful fresh herb flavor. Flat leaf parsley can also be used.
- Marinara Sauce – Jarred marinara sauce gives the pasta so much flavor. I love using Rao’s Marinara.
- Balsamic Vinegar – Balsamic vinegar adds a subtle sweet rich flavor. It balances the acidity from the tomatoes.
- Orzo – A short, rice shaped pasta.
- Mozzarella and Parmesan Cheese – Parmesan cheese gives the pasta that classic chicken parmesan flavor, while the mozzarella provides a gooey, cheesy consistency.
How to Make Parmesan Chicken and Orzo
This is an overview of the recipe with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions can be found in the recipe card below.
Add the chicken to a deep skillet, Dutch oven, or stock pot. Season it with salt, pepper, and Italian season. Cook until it’s golden brown and cooked all the way through, then remove it onto a plate.
Add the onion, garlic powder, and spinach into the pot. Sauté over medium heat until the spinach is wilted and the onion has softened.
Pour in the marinara sauce, water, and balsamic vinegar. Stir everything together. Bring it to a boil. Pour in the orzo and stir together. Turn the heat down to medium-low, so it’s gently simmering.
Stir the orzo frequently so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pot. Once the orzo is tender, about 18-20 minutes, add the chicken back in and half of the cheese. Stir until the cheese is melted.
Top with the remaining cheese and cover with a lid for a minute or until it’s melted. Garnish with Italian seasoning or fresh chopped basil.
Substitutions and Variations
- Make it vegetarian. Simply omit the chicken and follow the recipe as instructed.
- Instead of spinach try using kale or omit if you have picky eaters.
- Swap mozzarella cheese with provolone.
- Orzo can be replaced with any short pasta such as macaroni, shells, or cavatappi.
Recipe Tips
- Cut the chicken into equal sized pieces so they cook evenly.
- Grate the cheeses from a block vs. buying pre-shredded. They will melt into the pasta and sauce better and the flavor is superior.
- Stir the orzo every couple minutes or it will stick to the bottom of the pot.
- If the sauce gets too thick and the orzo hasn’t finished cooking, stir in an extra 1/4 cup of water at a time until the orzo is tender.
Storage, Reheating and Freezing
Storage – Store the parmesan chicken and orzo in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Reheating – The pasta can be reheated in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stovetop over medium-low heat until hot. If the pasta seems dry add in additional marinara sauce.
Freezing – This one pot pasta is freezer friendly! Once it’s cooled, store it in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Defrost it in the refrigerator overnight before reheating it.
More One Pot Dinner Recipes
Did you make this parmesan chicken and orzo? I’d love if you’d leave a recipe rating and review below.
One Pot Parmesan Chicken and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts, cut into 1 inch chunks
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, I used approximately 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic powder or 2 cloves minced garlic
- 5 ounces baby spinach
- 24 ounce jar marinara sauce
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar, optional
- 2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
- 12 ounces uncooked orzo
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- To a large pot, dutch oven or deep skillet, add the olive oil and heat it over medium-high heat. Add in the chicken and season with the Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Cook until chicken is cooked through then remove it onto a plate.
- Add the onion, baby spinach, and garlic powder to the pot and cook 2-3 minutes or until the spinach is wilted an onion is soft. Pour in the marinara sauce, water, balsamic vinegar, and chopped basil. Stir and bring it to a boil.
- Stir in the orzo and lower the heat to medium-low, so it's gently simmering. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the orzo is tender. Stir every couple minutes to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot. If the sauce gets too thick before the orzo has finished cooking, stir in 1/4 cup of additional water at a time.
- Add the chicken back into the pot and stir in half of the cheese and taste for seasoning. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top of the dish, cover with a lid and cook another minute or until the cheese has melted. Garnish with fresh chopped basil or Italian seasoning if desired.
Notes
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!