Creamy Chicken Orzo With Mushrooms And Bacon (One Pot)
This creamy chicken orzo is a risotto-like family dinner packed full of comforting chicken, bacon and mushrooms - that's actually made with rice-shaped pasta... and no cream! Super easy to make with simple ingredients and all in one pot.
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.
1 tablespoon butter, 1 onion, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon dried thyme, ½ teaspoon dried oregano
Add the bacon and chicken pieces to the pan and cook, stirring, for a few minutes until cooked on the outside.
Add the dry orzo to the pan and stir in well, then pour in the chicken broth/stock. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally so that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan too much.
9 ounces orzo pasta, 4¼ cups chicken broth
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).
5 ounces mushrooms
At the last minute, stir in the spinach until wilted, then stir through the parmesan cheese and the tablespoon of cream cheese. Add the salt, pepper, and lemon juice.
6 ounces fresh spinach, ½ cup parmesan cheese, 1 tablespoon cream cheese, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ½ lemon
Serve immediately in bowls with fresh parsley, more parmesan and lemon segments (if desired) on top.
¼ bunch fresh parsley, a little more grated parmesan cheese, lemon segments
Notes
What's orzo? Orzo looks like big grains of rice, but it's actually pasta! You can get it from large supermarkets, or try an Italian or other European deli if you're struggling to find it. Alternatively, use another 'small' pasta such as small elbow macaroni.Chicken: I prefer chicken thighs, but feel free to use chopped chicken breasts instead. You can even use leftover cooked chicken such as rotisserie chicken. However, I think that cooking the chicken in the dish makes the dish the most flavorful. Got leftovers? Try re-heating any leftover creamy orzo chicken the next day in the microwave. You might like to add a drizzle of extra broth or water beforehand. Simply cover and microwave on 80% power for 3-4 minutes until piping hot again.Can you freeze it? You can. Simply cool, then freeze in an airtight container for up to 2 months for best results. Let defrost in the fridge overnight before reheating as above.No cream cheese? Add a small drizzle of heavy cream to the finished chicken orzo instead of cream cheese if you prefer. If you don't have either cream or cream cheese, add extra parmesan cheese, or simply don't worry - your chicken and mushroom orzo will still be wonderfully creamy and delicious!