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–+ servings
Baked Chicken Orzo close-up.
Tara Noland

Baked Chicken Orzo Recipe

If spinach artichoke dip shows up at every holiday party, game night, or potluck, you already know how good that creamy, savory combination is. This recipe takes those same flavors - artichokes, Parmesan, garlic, and spinach - and turns them into a full meal with roasted chicken and orzo.
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Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Course: dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 586
Ingredients Equipment Method Nutrition Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 1½ lb boneless skinless chicken breasts cut into 1½-inch pieces
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ½ teaspoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon onion powder
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 red bell pepper diced
  • 1 cup dry orzo
  • 2½ cups hot chicken stock
  • ½ cup cream or whole milk
  • ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
  • ¾-1 cup sliced canned baby artichokes well drained
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup baby spinach

Equipment

Method
 

Roast the chicken and red peppers
  1. Preheat oven to 450°F.
  2. In a 9×13-inch baking dish, combine cubed chicken, olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, onion powder, garlic, and diced red pepper.
  3. Toss well and spread into an even layer.
  4. Roast for 8 to 10 minutes, until the chicken is just turning opaque and lightly golden at the edges. It should not be fully cooked through. It will finish cooking with the orzo.
  5. This quick roast removes the raw edge from the garlic and ensures the chicken cooks properly once the liquid is added.
Add the orzo and artichokes
  1. Remove the dish from the oven.
  2. Add orzo, hot chicken stock, cream or milk, Parmesan, drained artichokes, and oregano.
  3. Stir well, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the dish. Make sure the orzo is mostly submerged.
  4. Cover tightly with foil. I also recommend using a baking sheet under the casserole dish at this point, simply for ease and safety of transferring the casserole dish full of liquid into the oven!
Bake until tender
  1. Reduce oven temperature to 400°F.
  2. Bake covered for 35-45 minutes, until the orzo is tender, the chicken is cooked through, and most of the liquid is absorbed.
  3. If it looks slightly loose, uncover and bake 3–5 minutes more.
Finish
  1. Stir in the spinach. It will wilt immediately from the heat.
  2. Taste and adjust seasoning. Let rest 5 minutes before serving to allow the sauce to thicken.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 586kcalCarbohydrates: 47gProtein: 55gFat: 20gSaturated Fat: 6gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 121mgSodium: 1493mgPotassium: 1089mgFiber: 6gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 2459IUVitamin C: 43mgCalcium: 219mgIron: 4mg

Notes

See the post for more information, photos and tips. 

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