Marry me chicken orzo
Be prepared to fall in love with our marry me chicken orzo recipe, featuring golden chicken and a sauce so seductive it is practically a proposal in a pan. Sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, chilli flakes, and a splash of cream are all that it takes, and once the orzo absorbs the savoury stock, you will have a meal so good you will be ready to say "I do" to a second helping instantly.
Ingredients
|
Oil
|
1 tbsp |
|---|---|
|
Chicken breast fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces
|
2 |
|
Salt
|
½ tsp |
|
Freshly ground pepper
|
|
|
Mushrooms, quartered
|
200 g |
|
Onions, cut into thin wedges
|
2 |
|
Garlic cloves, crushed
|
3 |
|
Sun-dried tomatoes in oil, roughly chopped
|
150 g |
|
Dried thyme
|
4 tsp |
|
Dried chilli flakes
|
1 tsp |
|
Pasta orzo
|
300 g |
|
Chicken stock
|
750 ml |
|
Cooking cream
|
200 ml |
|
Salt
|
1 tsp |
|
Fresh spinach
|
200 g |
Instructions
Recipe tips
It’s often the small details that make the biggest impact in the kitchen, so we’re sharing the tips we rely on when cooking and creating recipes
After browning the chicken and mushrooms, you will notice a few caramelised bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Keep them there. As the stock and cream heat up, scrape them loose with a wooden spoon so they melt into the sauce. It gives the orzo a deeper, more savoury flavour throughout.
Let the orzo cook in the pot for a minute or two before pouring in the stock and cream. Stir it around with the mushrooms, onions, and sun-dried tomatoes so it lightly toasts in the oil. It gives the pasta a light golden colour and releases a nutty aroma.
Orzo tends to settle to the bottom of the pot as it cooks, so give it a stir every now and then throughout the simmer. It prevents pasta from sticking and keeps the sauce smooth and creamy, rather than catching on the bottom.
Orzo absorbs liquid quickly as it cooks, so keep an eye on the pot while it simmers. If the sauce starts to look too thick before the pasta is tender, add a splash of extra stock or water. It keeps the texture creamy and helps the orzo cook evenly.
FAQ: Questions about marry me chicken orzo
Marry me chicken orzo usually comes with a few cooking questions along the way, so we have answered them all below to help you along.
What is orzo?
Orzo is a small pasta made from wheat flour and shaped to look like large grains of rice. Despite its appearance, it is not rice but a true pasta variety. Since it cooks quickly and absorbs sauces well, it is often used in creamy dinners, soups, and pasta salads.
What is marry me chicken orzo?
Marry me chicken orzo is a creamy one-pot variation inspired by the popular marry me chicken recipe. Traditional marry me chicken is usually served with pasta, mashed potatoes, rice, or crusty bread, while this version cooks the orzo directly in the sauce with the chicken, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, and cream.
What if the sauce is too thick or too thin?
If the sauce is too thick, stir in a splash of extra stock or water until the orzo loosens up and turns smooth again. If it seems too thin, let the marry me chicken orzo simmer uncovered for a few extra minutes, stirring regularly so the orzo releases more starch into the sauce.
Nutritional values per serving
Energy:
504 Kcal
| Energy distribution % | Nutritional values per serving | |
|---|---|---|
| Fibre | - | 10.6 g |
| Protein | 28.3 % | 35.1 g |
| Fat | 14.2 % | 8.1 g |
| Carbohydrates | 57.5 % | 71.3 g |
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A one-pot twist on marry me chicken
If you know marry me chicken, you know it usually comes with pasta or rice waiting patiently on the side. Our recipe does away with that entirely by cooking the orzo straight in the sauce, and since everything comes together in one pot, it is even easier to prepare.
Marry me chicken itself is rooted in Tuscan chicken, a rustic Italian-American-inspired dish that has been charming dinner tables for years with its creamy, herby, garlic-infused sauce. And this version with orzo might just be the best it has ever been.
Tender chicken pieces in a rich, creamy sauce
What makes this marry me chicken so comforting is the sauce. It starts with cream and chicken stock, which already sets a promising base, gradually deepening into a rich, glossy, and deeply flavourful sauce as it cooks. The chicken pieces cook through in the sauce, absorbing all those notes and becoming wonderfully tender in the process.
With orzo pasta to soak up every drop of flavour
Orzo suits this recipe especially well because its small, rice-like shape and relatively high starch content make it particularly good at absorbing flavour as it cooks. Unlike larger pasta shapes, orzo has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio, meaning more of the pasta is in direct contact with the sauce at any given time.
This gives the finished dish an almost risotto-like quality, where the pasta and sauce become one rather than sitting separately on the plate, with the flavour cooked into every piece rather than just coating the outside.
With sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and wilted spinach
A trio of vegetables brings contrast in flavour, texture, and colour to the sauce. Sun-dried tomatoes offer concentrated, tangy sweetness and a slight chew that breaks up the creaminess, while the mushrooms add a soft bite and a deep umami note. The spinach wilts within seconds at the very end, contributing a fresh, earthy note to the finished dish.
Perfect for busy weeknights and cosy dinners in
Whether you are rushing to get food on the table after work or settling in for a quiet night at home, this one-pot marry me chicken orzo is a quick and easy recipe you can always rely on. Everything simmers together in a single pot, not only saving time but also filling the kitchen with the warm scent of garlic and thyme. Once it is ready, all you need to do is serve it up and enjoy.
Hungry for more? Our red pepper soup, aubergine tomato pasta, and stuffed mushrooms are all just as quick, easy, and comforting.
Make this creamy orzo dish your own
Our recipe for marry me chicken with orzo leaves room for a few personal touches. Herbs are a great place to start, especially since the creamy sauce benefits from a little freshness to balance it. Parsley offers a light pepperiness, oregano a woodsy undertone, rosemary a pine-like fragrance, and basil something sweet and fresh. Both fresh and dried work well, so use whichever you have to hand.
The orzo also lends itself well to a risotto-style finish. Stir in a knob of butter and a generous handful of Parmesan at the end, which adds an extra layer of richness, while mascarpone makes it creamier still. For a slightly lighter touch, crème fraiche works well too, introducing a mild tang to offset the sauce.
Even though it might not be the go-to for most people, orzo is still one of the most popular pasta types. If you like cooking with pasta and need to broaden your horizons, look for your new favourites in our quick and easy pasta recipes. We also have a collection of summer pasta recipes that are perfect for warmer days.
