If you’re a fan of risotto, I reckon you’ll love this one-pot chicken, bacon and mushroom orzo just as much. It’s equally as delicious, with a very similar taste, but is quite a bit simpler to make.
You could call this chicken, bacon and mushroom orzo ‘risotto for lazy people’!
Personally, I’m very partial to a lovingly-stirred risotto, but let’s face it, it can be a bit of a bore to make. Add the stock too quickly, or fail to stir the rice enough, and you won’t end up with that lusciously silky, creamy result that makes a good risotto so darn delicious.
But what I discovered at the weekend when I made this one-pot chicken orzo was that it ends up tasting remarkably similar to a risotto. But after pan-frying your onions, herbs and chicken for a few moments, you simply dump in your dried orzo (a sort of rice-shaped pasta, just in case you were wondering!) and stock… and leave to cook. Well OK, you stir it a few times to stop it sticking to the pan, but essentially once you’ve added everything, this pretty much cooks itself. I’ll take a bit (or a lot) of that!
There’s so much flavour in this! The juicy chicken thigh, smoked bacon, and tasty brown mushrooms (we’ll be having none of those boring, watery button mushrooms), all give a good hit of flavour for starters. Then the big half-cupful of parmesan you dump in at the end brings out the flavours even more, giving the dish a gorgeous ‘umami’ quality.
Oh, and did I mention how creamy this is? But there isn’t a drop of cream in it. Just like a risotto, the dish ends up quite creamy anyway, from the starch in the pasta I suppose, but also from the huge handful of parmesan. I like to add a tablespoon of cream cheese to this dish at the end, too. You don’t have to do that, especially if it means buying a tub of cream cheese especially, but if you happen to have some in your fridge already… well, it would be criminal not to, wouldn’t it now?
The final little ‘touch’ to my creamy chicken orzo is wilting in some big handfuls of spinach. Because, you know… extra nutrition and colour and all that. Frozen peas would do the same ‘healthifying’ job, of course.
This is one of those dishes that I could eat until I’m uncomfortably full (not that I’m speaking from experience of course).
You might think it’s a bit of a wintery-sounding dish, but I’d prefer to call it a ‘meal for all seasons’. Serve with a simple green salad and a crisp white wine and I’d say it’s also a perfect light meal for a warm summer evening.
It’s just a shame we STILL don’t have any warm summer evenings around here. We’ve had the most miserable June you can imagine, with grey skies and rain almost every day. Something tells me it must be time for Wimbledon! 😉
One-pot creamy chicken, bacon and mushroom orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter for cooking
- 1 onion chopped finely
- 2 garlic cloves crushed
- 1/2 teaspoon each dried thyme and oregano
- 4 slices smoked bacon chopped
- 12 ounces skinless boneless chicken thighs I used 5 small ones, chopped into pieces
- 9 ounces dried orzo pasta (about 1 ½ cups )
- 4 1/4 cups chicken stock
- 5 ounces mushrooms sliced
- 6 ounces fresh spinach
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tablespoon cream cheese or a drizzle of cream
- salt and pepper to taste
- a squeeze or two of lemon
Instructions
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Melt the butter in a large pan on a medium heat, then add the onion. Cook, stirring, for a few minutes until softened, then add the garlic and herbs. Cook for a minute or so longer.
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Add the bacon and chicken pieces to the pan and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until cooked on the outside.
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Add the dry orzo to the pan and stir in well, then pour in the chicken stock. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan too much.
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Add the mushrooms and simmer for about another 10 minutes, or until the dish has thickened (there will still be some liquid, which is fine).
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At the last minute, stir in the spinach until wilted, then stir through the parmesan cheese and the tablespoon of cream cheese. Add salt, pepper, and lemon to taste.
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Serve immediately in bowls with more parmesan on top.
Recipe Notes
*Orzo looks like big rice, but it's actually pasta! You can get it from large supermarkets in the UK - in other countries, try an Italian deli if you're struggling to find it!
Try re-heating leftovers the next day in the microwave. It won't be quite as rich and creamy, but it still makes a darn good tasty lunch!
Add a small drizzle of cream to the finished orzo instead of cream cheese if you prefer. If you don't have either cream or cream cheese, don't worry - it'll still be lovely and creamy without.
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Karly says
30 Jun 16 at 3:16 pmCream, chicken, bacon, bliss. For real, this is everything I love in one and I cannot wait to give it a try. Looks amazing!
Helen says
30 Jun 16 at 9:10 pmHi Karly! Thanks so much for taking the time to visit and comment. So glad you like the sound of this, and hope you give it a go! 🙂
Marissa says
01 Jul 16 at 12:32 amAs I have a lazy-lean myself, this looks like a wonderful and quick risotto alternative. Plus, who doesn’t love chicken, bacon and mushrooms together? This looks wonderful, Helen!
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:03 pmSo glad I’m not the only one with the lazy lean! 🙂
Shashi @ RunninSrilankan says
01 Jul 16 at 9:22 pmHelen, WOA – this looks so creamy – And, with no cream and plenty of brown mushrooms, spinach and bacon – this is my kinda chicken and orzo dish!
You are indeed right, this would be perfect any time of the year – so comforting and delicious!
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:02 pmThank you, dear Shashi! I love year-round dishes!
Marlene says
01 Jul 16 at 9:56 pmThis looks delicious, Helen. And yes, the addition of spinach to make a one-dish dinner is perfect. I do that often with my curries. This is going on my must-try list.
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:02 pmHello Marlene. Thank you so much! I’ve got the left-over spinach stashed away in my freezer ready to stuff into loads of other things!
[email protected] says
01 Jul 16 at 11:46 pmThis is a delicious bowl of comfort food and very flavorful too. Lovely recipe.
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:01 pmThank you so much, dear Janette!
Kathleen | Hapa Nom Nom says
02 Jul 16 at 3:32 amMy stomach literally just growled looking at this dish! This is genius, Helen! Get that creamy risotto texture with orzo and with way less baby sitting, is just brilliant! Not to mention those incredible flavors you’ve got going on – chicken thighs, mushrooms, BACON. I gotta make this!
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:01 pmSo happy to have got a growl out of your stomach, Kathleen! 🙂
Lorraine @Not Quite Nigella says
02 Jul 16 at 3:25 pmThis would disappear in no time in our household I think! I love orzo and it’s such a quick cook sub for rice!
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:00 pm🙂
Eva says
03 Jul 16 at 9:22 amTon plat me fait vraiment envie, il est parfait pour moi parce que en été, je deviens un peu plus paresseuse, je passe moins temps dans la cuisine, en plus j’adore le plats uniques, complètes. Cette recette a tous pour plaire. Bon dimanche Helen.
Helen says
06 Jul 16 at 6:00 pmMerci, Eva… bon mercredi! 🙂
Mariana says
07 Jul 16 at 12:29 pmThis recipe has two of my favourite things: one pot and orzo! Looks perfect for summer nights
Helen says
07 Jul 16 at 8:36 pmThanks Mariana… glad you like this! 🙂
Chrissy says
13 Jul 16 at 3:11 amNot a huge pasta fan but orzo is my one weakness! Probably because it does just feel like risotto!
Helen says
13 Jul 16 at 6:39 pmHi Chrissy! Hope you give it a go!
Amy says
22 Jul 16 at 1:25 pmThis is absolutely delicious food for lazy people 🙂
Helen says
25 Jul 16 at 5:36 pmHi Amy, and thanks for passing by and commenting. Hope you give this a go some time – I love it!
Jacquelyn to uh ota says
19 Jan 17 at 1:41 amCant wait to make this dish ive got all the ingredients now, its on tomorrow night, prep it tonight so that all my sesoning marinate overnight, my 17 year old high school son and his friend will truly enjoy this with brown rice and a side of corn on the cob with a warm butter milk home make biscuit.
Helen says
20 Jan 17 at 9:40 amHi Jacquelyn! Really happy you’re going to give this a go, and hope you enjoy it!
Sarah says
15 Apr 17 at 9:46 pmHi! I was googling orzo recipes and came across your blog. This was delicious and will be added to my list of go-to recipes. A couple of days later I made your pastitsio, the yogurt dressing was much easier. Looking forward to trying lots of youryr other recipes.
Helen says
16 Apr 17 at 12:32 pmHi Sarah – thank you so much for taking the time to leave your feedback. This sort of comment always makes my day. I’m so glad you enjoyed the recipes. If you enjoyed the pastitsio, you might enjoy my moussaka too. I have a lower calorie turkey one with the yogurt topping and a regular one made with beef mince. 🙂
Tiffany Webber says
21 Aug 17 at 2:22 amThis was amazing!! My whole family loved it. I even had a little bit left over for my lunch the next day!
Helen says
21 Aug 17 at 4:27 pmHi Tiffany. Really happy you enjoyed this – thanks so much for leaving your feedback!
Jennifer says
06 Jan 18 at 7:52 amI made this and it was so delicious. I absolutely love risotto, but it’s so hard to find restaurants that make it well, and I have been to scared to try to cook it myself. This was an awesome alternative and totally satisfied my risotto craving. I ate way too much. Oh, and the kids liked it and hubby who is not really a fan of parmesan.
Helen says
06 Jan 18 at 9:54 pmHi Jennifer! Thanks so much for leaving your feedback. My husband loved this too, and he really doesn’t like risotto. You’ve made me want to make it again soon now! I’ve got another chicken orzo recipe on the blog that you might be interested in – baked Greek chicken orzo (https://scrummylane.com/baked-greek-chicken-orzo/) We love this one too!
Lou says
25 Jan 19 at 3:01 amI’m making this tonight… looks amazing but the hubby has just called to say he’s not home for dinner! Would it freeze and reheat well do you know? Lou.
Helen says
25 Jan 19 at 3:43 pmHi Lou! I don’t think I’ve ever tried freezing this before, but honestly I don’t see why it wouldn’t be OK. You might find it’s a little less ‘saucy’ than when fresh, but if so try drizzling a bit more water into it.
I hope it goes OK. Fingers crossed!
(P.S. This is an edited version of my reply to you, just in case the first version came through to your email! I mistakenly thought you were commenting on my latest recipe – so sorry for any confusion!)