Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo

5 from 12 votes

Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Orzo

This cheesy chicken broccoli orzo recipe is a one pot wonder that's easy and fast! This weeknight meal has pasta, rotisserie chicken, cheddar cheese, and plenty of broccoli.

Prep Time10

Cook Time20

Total Time30

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheesy chicken broccoli orzo

Servings:

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 medium onion chopped
2 cups broccoli cut into bite-size florets
3 cloves garlic minced
1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup heavy/whipping cream
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
2 cups cooked shredded/rotisserie chicken
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
Add in the broccoli and continue cooking for another 2 minutes, stirring often.
Stir in the garlic, Italian seasoning, and orzo, and cook for about 30 seconds.
Add in the chicken broth, cream, and Worcestershire sauce. Once it just starts to boil, reduce the heat (to medium or even medium-low) and continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. It should gently (but steadily) bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked.
Stir in the chicken.
Take the pot off the heat, stir in the cheddar until it's completely melted in, and season with salt & pepper (I am fairly generous with the salt). If needed, cover the pot and let it sit for a few minutes to let the sauce thicken.

Notes

Troubleshooting tip: if the pasta is soaking up the liquid too fast (like before the orzo is cooked), turn the heat down and/or add a splash more broth or cream. If there's too much liquid, cover the pot for a few minutes before serving and the orzo will absorb it quickly.
The broccoli gets quite soft in this recipe as long as the florets are cut small. If you prefer it to be slightly firmer (but still tender-crisp), skip the 2 minutes of cooking in step 2. You could even add it in partway through step 4 if you prefer crisp broccoli. You may want to sauté the onion for a tad longer (until lightly browned) if you go this route.
Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat and what else it's served with.
Orzo is pasta. If you want to make this with rice, I recommend trying my similar Cheesy Chicken, Broccoli, and Rice.

Nutrition