Chicken Pesto Orzo is such an easy one pot meal and great for a quick weeknight dinner. It's ready to eat in under 40 minutes and really balanced with chicken, pasta and even a bit of veggies!
Get ready for Summertime comfort food! I make meals like this all Winter long, but something about adding in pesto and fresh basil makes this dish scream Summer.
For more popular one pot meals, check out this Lemon Chicken Thighs with Potatoes, Broccoli Cheddar Pasta, Creamy Beef Tortellini, and Marry Me Tortellini.
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Why You'll Love This Recipe:
- Quick. Ready to eat in just 40 minutes.
- Easy. Simple step by step instructions to follow.
- One Pot Recipe. Minimal mess with all the cooking in one dutch oven.
- Big on Flavor. Heavy cream, pesto sauce and parmesan cheese make the most creamy sauce for orzo and chicken.
- High Protein. Almost 40 grams of protein per serving!
Love Pesto Sauce? Try this Pesto Cream Pasta, Chicken Pesto Sandwich, Pesto Chicken Pasta Salad, and Pesto Gnocchi.
Ingredients:
Chicken Breast: Smart Chicken is my favorite chicken breast. It's air chilled and tastes so much better than other brands. Plus, it's always clean from the package and requires minimal trimming.
Chicken Stock: Use stock over broth for more flavor. Chicken stock is cooked with the bones and has a rich, deep taste.
Parmesan Cheese: I highly recommend Parmigiano Reggiano cheese for it's superior quality. Also, you want to shred it yourself from the block. This will allow the cheese to melt immediately as it hits the creamy sauce.
Peppadew Piquante Peppers: Sweet and a bit of spicy peppers packed full of flavor. These taste amazing in pastas and on pizza. They can be tricky to find, but if the grocery store carries them, they are usually near the olives and roasted red peppers.
*For the full recipe ingredients and quantities, visit the recipe card below.
Substitutions and Variations:
- If you want a prettier green colored sauce, use fresh homemade pesto and consider cooking the chicken breast in a different pan or cleaning it out before cooking the onions. This will reduce the amount of brown bits and make the sauce lighter in color. I like the flavor the chicken browned bits make, so I cook it all in one pot. Plus, less dishes.
- Peppadew piquante peppers are hard to find sometimes. As a quick substitute you can use roasted red peppers.
How to Make Chicken Pesto Orzo:
Step 1: Trim the chicken breasts and pat dry. Slice in half, though the width, to create 4 thinner chicken breasts total. Season both sides with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and dried basil.
Step 2: Place a 6 qt or larger dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat and add in olive oil. Allow to heat up for a minute and add in chicken breast without overlapping them. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil.
Step 3: Optional: For a less brownish sauce, you can allow the pot to cool and clean before starting the next step. I like to leave it for flavor, but if it's really black bits, I would wash it because it may be bitter tasting. Reduce the heat to medium low and add in the butter. Toss in the onions and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for a few minutes until softened.
Step 4: Add in garlic and orzo pasta and cook for about 90 seconds, stirring often.
Step 5: Pour in chicken stock and ½ cup heavy cream. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 6 minutes, then uncover, stir and cook for another 5-7 minutes covered until the orzo is tender.
Note: If the liquid has soaked up too much and the orzo isn't tender yet, stir in a few tablespoons of chicken stock and cover for a few more minutes. Repeat if necessary.
Step 6: Once the orzo is tender, reduce the heat to low and pour in remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, lemon juice, pesto, and peppadew peppers. Stir to combine. Toss in the parmesan cheese and stir to combine. It should melt almost immediately.
Step 7: Slice the chicken into strips or dice and serve on top of the orzo pasta. Sprinkle over fresh basil and extra lemon wedges if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Expert Tips:
- The Chicken won't continue to cook in the sauce, so make sure it reaches 165 degrees before removing from the pan.
- Shred the cheese fresh from a block for the best melt. Bagged, pre-shredded cheese have anti-caking agents that don't melt well.
- If the chicken has cooled too much, cover in pot for 1-2 minutes on low heat.
For more orzo recipes, check out this Orzo Vegetable Soup, Chicken Orzo Bake, and Orzo Pasta Salad.
Storage & Reheating:
Store in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days. To reheat, place back into the dutch oven and heat on medium low covered until hot again, 7-9 minutes. I recommend adding about 1 tablespoon chicken stock and 1 tablespoon of heavy cream to avoid drying it out.
More Chicken Recipes to Try for Dinner:
If you tried this Pesto Orzo Chicken Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it goes in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!
PrintRecipe
Creamy Chicken Pesto Orzo (One Pot)
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4-5 servings 1x
Description
Chicken Pesto Orzo is such an easy one pot meal and great for a quick weeknight dinner. It's ready to eat in under 40 minutes and really balanced with chicken, pasta and even a bit of veggies!
Ingredients
- 2 large chicken breasts, about 1 lb.
- 1 teaspoon + ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon dried basil
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salted butter
- ½ cup yellow onion, diced fine
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 cup dried orzo pasta
- 1 and ⅓ cup chicken stock
- ½ cup heavy cream + 2 tablespoons
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons pesto sauce, homemade pesto sauce or store bought
- ¼ cup peppadew piquante peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, grated fine from the block
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil, cut fine in a chiffonade *to cut: stack 5 leaves, roll them up into a cylinder and cut perpendicular thin slices with your knife
- Optional: Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Trim the chicken breasts and pat dry. Slice in half, though the width, to create 4 thinner chicken breasts total. Season both sides with 1 teaspoon salt, pepper, garlic powder, oregano, and dried basil.
- Place a 6 qt or larger dutch oven on the stovetop over medium heat and add in olive oil. Allow to heat up for a minute and add in chicken breast without overlapping them. Cook for 4-5 minutes, then flip and cook for another 4-5 minutes until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil.
- Optional: For a less brownish sauce, you can allow the pot to cool and clean before starting the next step. I like to leave it for flavor, but if it's really black bits, I would wash it because it may be bitter tasting. Reduce the heat to medium low and add in the butter. Toss in the onions and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt and cook for a few minutes until softened.
- Add in garlic and orzo pasta and cook for about 90 seconds, stirring often.
- Pour in chicken stock and ½ cup heavy cream. Stir to combine. Cover and cook for 6 minutes, then uncover, stir and cook for another 5-7 minutes covered until the orzo is tender. Note: If the liquid has soaked up too much and the orzo isn't tender yet, stir in a few tablespoons of chicken stock and cover for 1-2 minutes. Repeat if necessary.
- Once the orzo is tender, reduce the heat to low and pour in remaining 2 tablespoons of heavy cream, lemon juice, pesto, and peppadew peppers. Stir to combine. Toss in the parmesan cheese and stir to combine. It should melt almost immediately.
- Slice the chicken into strips or dice and serve on top of the orzo pasta. Sprinkle over fresh basil and extra lemon wedges if desired. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The Chicken won't continue to cook in the sauce, so make sure it reaches 165 degrees before removing from the pan.
- Shred the cheese fresh from a block for the best melt. Bagged, pre-shredded cheese have anti-caking agents that don't melt well.
- If the chicken breast has cooled too much, place on top of orzo and cover for 1-2 minutes on low heat until warm.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Holly says
Obsessed with one pot meals and this is one delicious!!
Tara Smithson says
I love one pot meals and plan to make lots more once the weather cools off. Thanks for the review.