Creamy Tuscan Chicken Orzo Easy Weeknight Dinner
Creamy Tuscan Chicken Orzo is a tasty easy dinner perfect for any weeknight meal. This family dinner features tender chicken, sun dried tomatoes, spinach, and creamy orzo pasta delivering a delicious Tuscan chicken recipe everyone will love.
- Method: Stovetop
Ingredients
Scale
- 2 large boneless skinless chicken breasts or 4 small
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes chopped
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- 1 tablespoon butter
Instructions
- Dry the chicken breasts and season them evenly with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning on both sides.
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat and cook the chicken for about 5 to 6 minutes per side until golden and fully cooked through. Remove and keep aside.
- Lower the heat to medium then add butter to the same pan and sauté the minced garlic briefly until it releases its aroma.
- Add the orzo pasta and stir it for 1 to 2 minutes until it gets lightly toasted.
- Mix in the chopped sun dried tomatoes and pour in the chicken broth, bringing the mixture to a gentle simmer.
- Cover the pan and cook for roughly 10 minutes, stirring sometimes, until the orzo softens and most liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese until the sauce becomes smooth and creamy.
- Fold the chopped spinach into the sauce and cook until it wilts down.
- Return the cooked chicken pieces to the skillet, spooning sauce over them, and let everything simmer together for 2 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
- Calories: 450 kcal
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 700mg
- Fat: 25g
- Saturated Fat: 12g
- Unsaturated Fat: 8g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 30g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 35g
- Cholesterol: 110mg