Say hello to your new weeknight hero: Chicken Orzo Bake! This creamy, flavorful dish is made with tender chicken, hearty orzo, and a medley of fresh carrots, celery, and onion—all brought together with zesty lemon, fragrant thyme, and a touch of indulgence from half-and-half.
The best part? It’s ready in just 35 minutes and made in a single pan for easy cleanup! Whether you’re feeding the family or meal-prepping for the week, this recipe is a must-try.
If you like this recipe, you’ll love my Artichoke Chicken.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s ready in just 35 minutes.
- Made in a single pan for minimal clean up.
- Perfectly comforting, delightfully simple, and oh-so-satisfying!
Chicken Orzo Ingredients
Chicken
A go-to lean protein, boneless chicken breasts or thighs are best for this dish.
Orzo
If you’ve never tried orzo, it’s a must! This rice-like pasta is perfect in soups and dishes like this Chicken Orzo Bake.
Veggies
The fancy French word for the variety of vegetables in this dish is: Mirepoix. But don’t let that scare you off from this “Meat & Potatoes” type of dish. Mirepoix is simply a mixture of celery, carrots, and onions. A clove or two of garlic is also added.
- Carrots
- Celery
- Onion
- Garlic
Stock & Such
The last few ingredients needed for this Chicken Orzo Bake are:
- Chicken Stock
- Lemon Juice
- Thyme
- Half & Half
How to Make Chicken Orzo Bake
Before you start prepping this meal, figure out which pan to use. I like to use a stainless steel 12″ skillet with lid. See below for more information on pans that will work.
1.) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2.) In pan heat oil on medium high and sear both side of chicken for a few minutes, then remove from pan.
3.) Add veggies and orzo sauté for a minute. Add stock, scraping bottom of pan to release flavor bits.
4.) Put lid on pan and place in oven for 20-30 minutes until chicken is at 165 degrees and orzo is al dente.
5.) Once chicken is cooked to 165 degrees, remove pan from oven. Remove chicken and place on cutting board. If half and half is straight out of the fridge, temper it by adding a spoonful of hot liquid in pan to half and half and stirring. This helps prevent curdling. Repeat this until half and half is no longer cold. Add half and half, thyme, and lemon juice into the pan and stir.
6.) Cut or shred chicken and place back in pan. Enjoy!
What type of pan?
For a one-pan meal, use a pan that can go from stove top to oven. These include any pans made entirely of metal or enamel (ceramic) coated: like stainless steel or cast iron. Wooden or plastic handles should stay out of the oven. Check with the manufacturer on non-stick pans.
What If You Don’t Have a Stove Top to Oven Pan?
Don’t worry, you can still make this comfort meal. Follow the directions, but instead of placing pan in oven, carefully transfer the food in pan to an oven safe baking dish with lid or a 9×13 pan. Pro Tip: while oven is preheating, place baking dish in oven, so it’s warmed up. This way the food will be continually cooking. If using a 9×13 pan, carefully cover with aluminum foil once it’s filled with ingredients.
What is Tempering?
Tempering is a cooking technique that gradually heats and cools ingredients to prevent curdling or seizing. If you add cold cream to a boiling pot it will curdle. Yuck. Prevent this by adding, in small doses, some of the hot liquid to the cold liquid. Little by little the cold ingredient is warming up, making it ready to add to the big pot.
If the half and half is straight out of the refrigerator, you will need to temper it. Tip: when you start making this dish, measure out the half and half you will need and set aside on the counter. That way it comes to room temp by the time it’s ready to be used.
What to Serve with Chicken Orzo?
This dish has your veggies, carbs, and protein all in one. But if another side is needed a salad would be a nice option. Here are a few of my top salads:
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Chicken Orzo Bake
Equipment
- 1 12" sauté pan with lid that can go from stove top to oven (see post)
Ingredients
- 2 Chicken Breasts
- 1 cup Orzo
- 3-4 Carrots peeled and diced (1-1/2 cups)
- 1 Celery stalk diced (1/2 cup)
- 1 cup Onion diced
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil or Avocado Oil
- 2 cups Chicken Stock low sodium
- 1/2 cup Half and Half
- 1 Lemon juiced
- 1 tbsp Fresh Thyme chopped
- 1 tsp Sea Salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉. Measure out 1/2 cup of half and half, set aside. Heat skillet on medium heat, add 1 tbsp oil to pan. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with a little salt. Sear chicken a few minutes on each side. Remove from pan, set aside.
- Add carrots, celery, and onion to pan. Sauté for 1 minute. Add in 1 cup of orzo, and sauté for 1 minute. Add garlic, sauté for 30 seconds, then add in 2 cups chicken stock and remaining salt. With wooden spatula scrape the bottom of the pan, removing the brown flavor bits.
- Place chicken breasts back in pan. Put a lid on pan and carefully place in preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until chicken is done (165 ℉). (Sometimes, one breast is done before the other. Take the cooked one out and allow the other to continue cooking).
- Once chicken is cooked to 165℉ remove from oven. Remove chicken from pan. Add lemon juice from 1 lemon. Temper half and half, if needed (see post for tempering), add half and half to pan along with thyme. If more stock is needed add 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
- Shred or chop chicken, add back into pan. Stir. Salt to taste and enjoy.