Marry Me Chicken Orzo
Marry Me Chicken Orzo is a super fast, creamy, one-pan meal with so much flavor. Everything cooks together in one skillet for easy cleanup too!
A 25-Minute Dinner Recipe
I have been having a lot of fun creating different versions of the classic Marry Me Chicken! It takes all those same flavors: seasoned chicken, heavy cream and sun-dried tomatoes and combines them with orzo pasta for a filling but easy meal! It looks like you put a lot of work into it but it is truly a simple one pan meal. This one really is a winner winner, chicken dinner!
This dish was so flavorful and easy to make. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out great! I will be making this dish again!
– Sharon
Frequently Asked Questions:
Serve with a crusty bread, Dinner Rolls, and a side salad, if desired. I think it would be good with Garlic Bread as well. This is a true whole meal in itself though. Or try some steamed veggies.
For a more forward tomato taste, add 1 Tablespoon of tomato paste when adding the broth. To add a little spice, you can add some red pepper flakes. Bulk this out more by adding some veggies like mushrooms, bell peppers, or zucchini.
Yes! In fact, I love this recipe so much, I’ve made it with a few other variations already. You can make Marry Me Chicken Gnocchi, Marry Me Chicken and Rice, and my Marry Me Chicken Pasta. This flavor is soooo good, it’s so easy to change it up and enjoy it a variety of ways.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
This dish does not freeze well because of the heavy cream (the sauce can separate when thawing then reheating).
Ingredients Needed: (See Recipe Card Below For The Full Recipe)
- chicken breasts– cut into bite-sized cubes. You could use chicken thighs instead.
- garlic powder – this is to season the chicken. It will have a slight garlic flavor along with the additional garlic we’re adding to the sauce.
- oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar – I use this to cook the chicken in. I experimented with this recipe by using it to cook the chicken in and we ended up really enjoying the light additional flavor it gives the chicken. I had not done that before but I think it is a great way to make use of the oil!
- garlic – I really love fresh garlic for this. I think it gives you the best flavor but if time is an issue then you can certainly use the jarred stuff.
- sun-dried tomatoes– I prefer using chopped sun-dried tomatoes as opposed to whole because they’re typically smaller and more tender. It’s one of the key ingredients to any Marry Me Chicken recipe. If yours are kinda large, then I would suggest chopping them up a bit.
- Italian seasoning
- paprika
- low-sodium chicken broth– If you use anything but low-sodium chicken broth, leave out the salt until you taste the dish to ensure it won’t be too salty. You can use your Homemade Chicken Broth where you would know exactly what you’re using ingredient wise too. Vegetable broth is another option if you’re in a pinch. Use bone broth instead of regular broth to add more protein in this dish.
- orzo pasta – this works best with this smaller pasta. A larger pasta noodle might need additional liquid. If you want to use a larger pasta, try my recipe for Marry Me Chicken Pasta as that one was created for a larger pasta shape.
- heavy cream – it really needs to be heavy cream. That is an essential ingredient in marry me chicken. Some people have told me they have used evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream but I haven’t personally tried that.
- packed baby spinach– If you want smaller pieces of spinach, you can chop it into smaller pieces after measuring it.
- parmesan cheese– freshly grated or shredded works best to use as a garnish as it melts nicely, but if in pinch, you could use the green bottle stuff.
How To Make Marry Me Chicken Orzo:
In a mixing bowl add the cubed chicken. Sprinkle the salt, pepper, and garlic powder over the top. Toss to combine. In a large skillet set over medium-heat add the oil. Once hot add the chicken pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes, it won’t be cooked through.
Add the garlic, sundried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Add the broth and orzo and stir.
Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 10-13 minutes. Stir every few minutes to make sure the orzo doesn’t stick or burn on the bottom of the pan. Once the orzo is tender, add the cream, spinach, and parmesan cheese. Stir and let sit until the spinach is a little wilted.
Remove from the heat and sprinkle with more parmesan to garnish. Serve hot.
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Marry Me Chicken Orzo
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces (can use thighs or tenders)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
Orzo
- 2 Tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar
- ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes (oil drained and reserved – can chop[ them up if large)
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup orzo pasta (measured uncooked)
- ½ cup heavy cream
- 2 cups packed baby spinach
- ½ cup freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese (plus more for garnish)
Instructions
- In a bowl add 1.5 pounds chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces. Sprinkle ½ teaspoon salt. ¼ teaspoon pepper and ¼ teaspoon garlic powder over the top. Toss to combine.
- In a large skillet set over medium-heat add 2 Tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomatoes jar. Once hot add the chicken pieces and cook for 3-4 minutes, it won’t be cooked through.
- Add the garlic, ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes, 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning, 1 teaspoon paprika, ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Stir and cook for an additional 3-4 minutes. Then add in 3 cloves garlic, minced and cook just until fragrant (about 30 seconds.)
- Add 2 ¾ cups low-sodium chicken broth and 1 cup orzo pasta and stir. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for 10-13 minutes. Stir every few minutes to make sure the orzo doesn’t stick or burn to the the bottom of the pan.
- Once the orzo is tender, add ½ cup heavy cream, 2 cups packed baby spinach and ½ cup freshly grated or shredded parmesan cheese. Stir and let sit until the spinach is a little wilted.
- Remove from the heat and sprinkle with a little more grated parmesan to garnish. Then serve!
Notes
- Please refer to my FAQ’s (Frequently Asked Questions) and ingredient list above for other substitutions or for the answers to the most common questions.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
wonderful recipe. everyone loved it, even my picky grandson
My husband made this for me and it was absolutely delicious! I knew he probably wouldn’t take the time to come back and comment so I am doing it for him 🙂
Thanks so very much Jess! You were so kind to come back and let me know!!
This dish was so flavorful and easy to make. I followed the directions exactly and it turned out great! I will be making this dish again!
Thank you so much Sharon!! Thank you SO much for taking the time to come back and comment, I really appreciate it!
I’ve made Marry Me Chicken with chicken breasts and penne pasta and really enjoyed it, never thought of making it with orzo. This recipe looks great and I may substitute boneless chicken thighs this time. I love the idea of using the oil from the sun dried tomatoes to add even more flavor. You really need heavy cream for this recipe to get the rich, creamy thick sauce. I tried evaporated milk once because that was all I had and it just didn’t do it for me. If I’m going to make this I going to do it right. I already gave it 5 stars as I know it will be fantastic.
Thanks so much Sue! I definitely feel the same way about the evaporated milk. Some have told me they think it works fine but I think it throws the flavor off a bit. I really appreciate your comment – thank you!!