Description
Amazingly creamy orzo with juicy chicken, mushrooms and baby spinach. All made in one skillet, even the uncooked pasta!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 8 ounces cremini mushrooms, halved
- 2 large shallots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 4 cups baby spinach
- 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
Instructions
- Season: Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Sear: Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the Dutch oven in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Sauté: Add mushrooms and shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Stir in garlic and thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Thicken: Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Deglaze: Stir in chicken stock and Dijon, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in orzo; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Simmer: Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 6 minutes. Stir in spinach, Parmesan and heavy cream until the spinach has wilted, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Serve: Serve immediately, garnished with parsley.
Notes
Use a heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, for even heat distribution. Use low-sodium stock to control salt levels. Heavy cream should be added slowly at the end to prevent curdling.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 650 kcal
- Sugar: 6 g
- Sodium: 950 mg
- Fat: 32 g
- Saturated Fat: 14 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 18 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 42 g
- Fiber: 4 g
- Protein: 45 g
- Cholesterol: 135 mg
Keywords: one pot dinner, creamy orzo, chicken and mushrooms, easy skillet meal