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One Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken and Zucchini Orzo. Pan-seared honey Dijon chicken with garlic herb butter, cooked together with orzo pasta, fresh summer zucchini, and mozzarella, for an all-in-one dinner. Then go that extra step and serve this drizzled with delicious golden brown butter made with Italian seasoning. A dinner that everyone at the table will love.
I really do love this time of year. I forget just how nice it can be with all the fresh produce and longer days. It’s such a welcomed change from the short days of fall and winter. I’m soaking up every minute because before we know it, fall will be here.
The only thing I do wish we had is a real garden full of fresh herbs, tomatoes, zucchini, and maybe even some peppers too. Living where we live, it takes a little too much tender loving care for us to have real growth. So we stuck to just herbs this year, which I do, of course, love.
Still, I’m missing the real produce of summer! Of course, we do have Whole Foods to keep me stocked. They’ve had the prettiest zucchini and yellow summer squash this season. I picked up more than I really know what to do with, so this is me using it up!
Some of the inspiration for this recipe came from an older meatball recipe of mine. This time, I went with this simple skillet chicken and orzo.
It’s going to be a staple through September. The garlic butter really makes this special!
Here are the steps
Step 1: season and cook the chicken
Toss the chicken breasts or chicken thighs with olive oil, Italian seasoning, Dijon mustard, and honey. The Italian seasoning is the secret. It really adds so much flavor without having to add additional ingredients.
Now get a big oven-safe skillet. Sear the chicken on either side until it’s lightly golden. Then, remove everything from the large skillet.
Step 2: the orzo
When the chicken is out of the skillet, add the butter and orzo. Then add the garlic and fresh herbs. I like to cook the orzo in the butter until it’s lightly toasted.
Pour in some wine and water.
Step 3: finish the dish
Next, add the chicken right back to the skillet. Then take some mozzarella and arrange it around the chicken.
Alrighty – and now you bake. This will take about 10-15 minutes in the oven.
Step 4: the garlic butter (optional – uses one more skillet, but worth it!)
While the chicken cooks, add butter to a skillet with additional Italian seasoning and thyme. If you want, add some extra garlic here too.
Let the butter sauté and get to a light golden color.
Serve the orzo and chicken with garlic butter and I love topping with fresh basil. YUM.
This simple skillet dinner is such a crowd-pleaser. It comes out of the oven looking pretty but smelling and tasting even more delicious. I’m pretty sure you all will love this summer meal!
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Souvlaki and Potatoes
Browned Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Cheese Ravioli
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce
Lastly, if you make this Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken and Zucchini Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken and Zucchini Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 695 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Italian seasoning
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 shallots, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 3 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 2 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400° F.2. In a bowl, mix the chicken with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons Italian seasoning, Dijon mustard, honey, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. 3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes. Remove everything from the skillet.4. To the skillet, add 2 tablespoons butter, the orzo, shallots, garlic, and 2 tablespoons thyme. Mix in the zucchini slices. Cook until the orzo is toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the wine and 2 cups water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. Arrange the cheese around the chicken. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.5. Meanwhile, lightly brown 4 tablespoons butter in a small skillet. Add 1 tablespoon of Italian seasoning and 1 tablespoon of thyme. Season with salt, pepper, and chili flakes. 6. Serve the chicken and orzo topped with garlic butter and fresh herbs.
This post was originally published on July 17, 2023
This makes a beautiful, tasty, and easy weeknight dinner! The added small skillet sauce for the topping works so well for our family. We have some who like a bit of heat and others that do not. This was enjoyed by all with no negative comments. I can’t have cheese and it was very easy to make a portion without it. We had one member of our family running late for dinner and simply putting the lid on kept it piping hot for 20 minutes. I also wanted to add I purchased 2lbs of chicken cutlet that came as 2 large breasts. I cut them into serving sizes for the individuals I was serving ad it all came out together evenly cooked.
Hi Elizabeth,
Happy Wednesday! Thank you so much for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you! I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xx
Could you substitute the white wine for something else if you don’t have it on hand?
Chicken stock would work but the wine did add a nice flavor.
Hi Stephanie,
Of course, chicken broth is also great to use! Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
I was intrigued by the combination of all of these flavors and made it tonight! yum! Thanks for sharing!
Hey Kerry,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear this was enjoyed! xT
Will definitely make this again! I accidentally browned my butter quite a bit, but it was delicious!
Hi Shannon,
Love to hear this!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and your feedback! Have a great day! xT
This looks incredible. Can I sub rice for orzo, or maybe a bigger pasta since I already have those things? How would I adjust the liquid? Thanks, I always enjoy making your recipes.
Hi Grace,
Sure, rice will work, it may just take a touch longer to cook:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
Wowzers! Scrumptious! The chicken was so tender and juicy, the orzo was so flavorful, the lightly browned butter and herbs at the end put this meal over the top. Thanks for making me feel like a great cook with your yummy recipes! This one will definitely stay in our rotation this summer!
Hi Kelli,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you and appreciate you making it:) xT
This recipe looks/sounds delish! It’s baking in the oven right now. One question: Why is it called garlic butter when there is no garlic added to the last step, when making the herb butter?
Hi Mel,
Thanks for giving this recipe a try! There is garlic in the dish so that’s why I gave it this title:) Sorry for any confusion! I hope it’s delish! xT
Made this tonight delicious as always! Thank you for sharing your amazing talent with the world.
Thanks so much for your kind message Angela! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you and appreciate you making it! xT
This was great! I loved the flavours in it. My only foible was not reading the ingredients properly and using regular shredded Mozzarella instead of fresh mozzarella and it melted all weird into the orzo. Don’t be like me – use fresh Mozzarella. Still giving this 5 stars because it’s not Tieghan’s fault I can’t follow simple instructions.
Hi Christene,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! So glad to hear it was enjoyed:) Sorry about the mozzarella! xx
I made this amazing dish this evening for my family. A neighbor gave us one of her zucchinis that she grew & I used basil in place of the thyme. I have never cooked chicken this way and it was absolutely incredible!! The flavors that came through were outrageously outstanding and this will be a family staple through the year for us. THANK YOU for keeping our summer fun and delish!!
Hi Carissa,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that this dish turned out well for you and appreciate you making it:) xT
I usually like all Half Baked Harvest recipes and have the cookbooks but this recipe was disappointing. I’m spite of all the ingredients, this recipe had no flavor!
Hi Ann,
So sorry to hear this recipe did not turn out for you, thanks so much for making it! Please let me know if there is something that I can help with! xT
This looks delicious! Does regular pasta work also?
Hi Jennifer,
Sure, I would jut use something small like stars or elbow macaroni:) Let me know if you give this dish a try, I hope you love it! xT
I love your recipes, but I’m wondering if you could make some skillet meals without orzo. I’m gluten free (not a choice – a necessity). Could you do some with rice? I have substituted quinoa, but I haven’t gotten it quite right yet.
You can substitute chickpea rice for the orzo and it works wonderfully. Banza makes a great chickpea rice. I find mine at Target. It has the added bonus of adding more protein to the dish, so it really fills you up.
Hi Carole,
Thanks so much for sharing your feedback! I know a lot of readers have adjusted recipes like these using rice and had great results. Here is a dish you might enjoy:
https://fett-weg.today/cheesy-zucchini-chicken-and-rice-bake/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> I hope this helps! xT
Do you think I could make this ahead and just bake at the last minute?
Hi Stephanie,
Yes, that would be okay for you to do! Let me know how this dish turns out for you, I hope you love it! xT
Could you make this with rice in place of the orzo to make gluten free?
Hi Samantha,
Sure, the rice is going to cook differently than the orzo so I would just adjust accordingly! Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope it turns out well for you! xT
I sub in rice all the time, always seems to work. I find if I cook the rice before I add it, it absorbs all the flavors better. I do sometimes use gluten free orzo too.
Thanks so much Amanda!!