Dinner is made easy with this one pot 30-minute Boursin orzo with chicken recipe! It's like a risotto but much easier, and the creamy sauce is totally irresistible.
Love Boursin cheese? Try my Boursin Chicken, this Creamy Boursin Gnocchi, or Ridiculously Easy Boursin Pasta next.
Why you'll love it
My readers can't get enough Boursin, so I'll happily create more easy Boursin recipes! I suppose it was only a matter of time before I paired it with orzo, everyone's favorite rice-shaped pasta. This one pot chicken pasta is creamy, herb forward, and has a hint of garlic. That means it'll be a hit with even the pickiest of eaters in your home.
Busy weeknights will get a whole lot easier when you add this really simple Boursin pasta to your rotation. It's got a short list of ingredients, and fewer dishes means less time spent at the sink and more with the family. This is also a super convenient and tasty way to use up rotisserie or leftover chicken. I hope you're as excited about it as I am!
What you'll need
- Olive oil and butter - for sautéing
- Onion and garlic - our tasty aromatics. I prefer Vidalia (sweet onions), but yellow is fine. I use this garlic press to mince the cloves to avoid sticky fingers.
- Orzo - it looks like rice, but it's actually pasta. You'll find it in the dry pasta aisle.
- Chicken broth - to infuse more savory flavor into the sauce
- Boursin - it's a very mild French cream cheese that's readily available in most grocery stores. I used the Garlic and Fine Herb variety here. It's a wonderful combo of buttery, creamy, herby, and salty.
- Spinach - for a pop of freshness
- Chicken - I just picked up a rotisserie chicken for convenience
How to make Boursin orzo
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
In a pot, sauté the onion in the olive oil and butter. Stir in the garlic and the orzo, lightly toasting it for a couple of minutes.
Pour in the chicken broth. Let it bubble gently, and simmer for about 10 minutes while stirring often. When it's reduced, stir in the Boursin until combined.
Take the pot off the heat, add in the cooked chicken and spinach, and cover. Let it sit for 5 minutes so the spinach wilts and the chicken heats through. Season with salt & pepper, and serve right away.
Pro tip
- Just like with any one pot pasta, stoves and cookware vary. If it looks like it's a bit dry before the orzo is fully cooked, simply turn down the heat and add a touch more broth. If there appears to be too much broth once cooking time has elapsed, just cover the pot and let it sit a little longer. The orzo will absorb the liquid quickly and thicken up as it cools.
Substitutions and variations
- Boursin has various flavors you can try, so swap if you see one that you like. I recently spotted one with truffle, and that sounds like a tasty option!
- To make it extra creamy and luxurious, you can substitute 1/2 cup of the chicken or vegetable broth with heavy cream.
- The cooked chicken can easily be swapped for cooked shrimp.
- Our kitchen has only tested this recipe with pasta. If you want to make it with rice, the proportions and timing may change.
Leftovers and storage
- This Boursin pasta will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for a few days, but it is best eaten right away as the orzo will soak up the sauce the longer it sits.
- Reheat in a small saucepan over a low heat slowly. Give it a splash of chicken broth if the sauce needs thinning out a bit.
- I don't recommend freezing leftovers of this one.
What to serve with Boursin orzo
- It's designed to be a complete meal in itself, but my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread is always a good pairing with any dinner! A slice of crusty bread works too.
- Try a side salad with mixed greens and Homemade Balsamic Dressing or my family favorite Copycat Olive Garden Dressing.
- If you want to leave out the chicken altogether, this makes a great side dish for many main courses. Try it with my Easy Baked Salmon or Best Baked Pork Tenderloin.
If you made this simple Boursin orzo or have any questions, talk to me in the comments below! You can also find me on Instagram to showcase your creations.
Boursin Orzo with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 2.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
- 5.2 oz/150g Boursin cheese softened
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- 2 cups cooked chicken chopped/shredded
- Salt & pepper to taste
- Fresh chives chopped (optional, to taste)
Instructions
- Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
- Stir in the garlic and orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring fairly often (this step infuses the orzo with more flavor and toasts it a bit).
- Pour in the chicken broth. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring quite often. You will need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). You want it to gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked (it this seems to be happening, add in a splash more broth as needed).
- Stir in the Boursin until smooth.
- Take the pot off the heat and stir in the spinach and chicken, then cover the pot for 5 minutes. The spinach will wilt, the chicken will heat through, and the sauce will thicken a little more.
- Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve with chopped chives sprinkled over top if desired.
Notes
- As pots/pans/stoves can all vary, cooking times are a guideline only. At the end of step 3, the bulk of the liquid should be absorbed and the pasta al dente. The orzo will absorb more liquid the longer it sits.
- Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta. If you want to make this with rice, you may have to adjust liquid measurements and cooking time.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Debbie says
Great recipe! I used broccoli cause that’s all I had. I par cooked my broccoli but everything else was the same. My family loved it!!!
Natasha says
Fantastic!!
Debbie says
This is super easy and delicious! I used mushroom broth and chicken broth and frozen spinach and rotisserie chicken chopped. It was delicious. Definitely will make again
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Thanks, Debbie!
Martha Papadakis says
Super recipe!! And so easy to make - we will be making it again!
Natasha says
Fantastic!!
Susie says
Wow this is so good! Made the first time and didn’t change a thing and was delicious. Made for the 2nd time and substituted frozen peas for the spinach. Again was absolutely delicious. Am thinking of adding sun dried tomatoes the next time, and there will be a next time!
Every recipe I have tried from Natasha has been amazing! Thanks for sharing!
Susie
Natasha says
You're very welcome!
Robin says
What a great recipe - for some reason in toasting the orzo I felt the urge to add a bit of tomato paste - I really recommend that for a twist on this recipe. Thank you so much for the inspiration Natasha.
Robin says
Also - was a bit low on chicken broth so added 1/2 c white wine to make up the difference....
Natasha says
Love that idea! Glad you liked it!
Cheryl Mikel says
Not enough adjectives to say how delicious this recipe tasted, fabulous, delightful, taste bud tantalizing!!! The recipe should have included your cheesy garlic bread. I saw it after we finished devouring this meal. Definitely will add the next time I make this.
Natasha says
I'm so happy to hear that!! 😀 Thanks for your 5-star review, Cheryl!
Sabine says
Made this a couple of days ago, it was a huge hit.
I've made a few of your recipes and love that even if it's a last minute thing, I have most, if not all ingredients on hand.
Thank you!
Natasha says
I'm thrilled to hear that, Sabine!! 🙂 Thank you!
Wendelynn says
This was easy, fast, and my family loved it! Thank you!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
That's awesome to hear! 🙂
Unni Nygaard says
I sautéed the uncooked chicken in small pieces together with the rice and onion before adding the liquid. Much easier and gives more flavor:)
Marilyn says
Really enjoyed this meal. Also liked the idea of leaving the chicken out to have a side dish with another meat.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Agreed.. the orzo/sauce could be suitable for all sorts of other proteins!
Juli says
Delish. I left out fresh garlic, added diced red pepper
So fast and easy and customizable with other veggies
This is a keeper. Thank you!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it!! 🙂
Deb Maue says
I’ve made this twice and my whole family loved it. Do you think it could be made with other pastas and if so, how would you modify the recipe?
Natasha says
Hi! I'm so glad you all enjoyed it! 🙂 Honestly, I really can't guess without testing. I'd say that keeping an eye on it is a good idea as you may need to add a little more liquid with larger shapes.
Diane Hanzlick says
Fantastic meal! I was surprised that both my boys are spinach for dinner. 🙂
Natasha says
Haha I love that!!
Sara says
Easy, quick & delicious! This was a huge hit with both my husband and my 1-year-old! Will definitely be making again. I threw in a large handful of frozen peas during the last minute of cooking the pasta for extra veggies and just bc I love peas in creamy pasta dishes.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Peas are a great idea! So happy your family liked it, Sara. 🙂
Tabitha says
Delicious recipe! Made exactly as instructed and it scratched the Mac-n-cheese but healthier than takeout itch. Thanks!
Natasha says
That's awesome!! 😀
Kim says
Was just told by family that this NEEDS to be a repeat!
I made it with 1 1/2 C orzo and 3 C chicken stock. I also added broccoli florets instead of spinach because my kids would like that better.
Seriously AMAZING!!!!
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Aw that's wonderful to hear! Thank you so much! 🙂
Rebecca says
Made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious. I slowly fryed my chicken earlier in the day with seasonings and then cut into bite size pieces and placed in the fridge until I prepared the recipe for dinner. I used 1 1/4 cups of orzo and added 3 cups of vegetable broth.
Loved it and will definitely make again !
Natasha says
Fabulous! I'm glad it was a hit, Rebecca! 🙂
Karen Rees says
Made this over the weekend and everyone loved it! Super cozy meal! I doubled the recipe and added a bag of matchstick carrots when I was cooking the onions!
Thank you for such a delicious easy one pot recipe!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! You're very welcome, Karen. I appreciate your 5-star review!
Tanya says
Very yummy! I would only say it’s probably best to use 3 cups liquid! But excellent recipe, thank you!
Natasha says
So glad you liked it! 😀 Yup, as pots and stoves and brands of orzo vary, you can definitely tweak the measurements a bit.
AngelaML says
Hi Natasha - Love Boursin cheese so knew this would be a winner from the start (even if it is a little bit of a cheat for me). Loved your earlier recipe for Boursin Chicken and this one even easier as I used Rotisserie chicken. The only change I made was to add some frozen peas along with the spinach. Will definitely be making this one again! ❤️
Natasha says
Yay!! That's great to hear, Angela!! 🙂 Appreciate your review as always! XO
Jo says
Really tasty and simple to make!
I only used 80g Boursin and used cream instead of half a cup of the vegetable stock and it was super tasty. Ended up turning the heat on to wilt the spinach more.
Will definitely make again!!
Natasha says
I'm so pleased it was a hit, Jo!! Thanks for sharing how you adapted it... I am sure this will help other readers too.
Whitney says
So good and such an easy weeknight dinner.
Miranda @ Salt & Lavender says
Fantastic to hear, Whitney! Thanks for giving it a try.
Jen Watson says
Super easy and delicious! I didn’t use quite as much boursin as recommended, and I also used pork meatballs abd it was still amazing!
Natasha says
Sounds good to me!
Renee says
This is YUMMM
I did it with your oven baked chicken breast on top instead of in the pasta, just because I had to cook my chicken while prepping the orzo. For a little more green, I added some frozen sweet peas at the same time as the spinach and it's really good !
Thank you for this quick recipe !!
Natasha says
I'm glad you enjoyed it!!
Letitia says
I liked this way more than I hoped I would. I ended up eating 3 bowls and now I can't move. Totally worth it though. Even all my picky kids loved it. It will definitely be on rotation at our house. Thanks for the great recipe!
Natasha says
Hahhahahaa I love that. 😀 You're welcome!
Lisa Campbell says
I have been to two stores looking for orzo, but they seem to be out of it. Can I substitute with a small/short pasta instead?
Natasha says
Hi! You could try, but I'd keep an eye on it in case you need to add more liquid or cook it a little longer.
Lisa says
Does the cooking time/amounts stay the same with gluten free orzo?
Natasha says
I have never cooked with gluten-free orzo before, so I am not sure.
Lisa says
The directions for gluten free orzo say to cook it for 11 minutes in boiling water. Not sure how that compares to regular orzo.
Natasha says
It sounds pretty similar, so I think you could give it a try. I'm not sure if it'll release starch the same way, though. Let me know... I am curious and I hope it works out for you!
Dana says
Made this tonight- delicious!!
Natasha says
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it, Dana!! 🙂 Thanks for your review!
Deborah Blackburn says
OMG this dish is incredible. I have never purchased Boursin cheese but now its on my weekly grocery list. This dish is YUMMY! Wonderful flavor. I used rotisserie chicken and it was so good. I only got 5 servings but that works since it's only the two of us. I will make this one again!!!!
Natasha says
That makes me so happy, Deborah!! Thanks for your review!!
Chef Mimi says
I know this is good, because I love Boursin! What a great idea to use it with orzo, chicken, and spinach!
Natasha says
Thanks!! Let me know if you try it, Mimi! 😀