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This One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo is the perfect winter dinner…quick, easy, hearty, and delicious! Pan-seared Italian seasoned chicken breasts in a creamy sun-dried tomato and spinach sauce. Cooked together with orzo pasta for a complete dinner made in just ONE skillet. Truly one of those all-in-one dinners that everyone at the table will love. Great for a weeknight, but equally fancy enough to serve up at your next holiday dinner. You can’t go wrong with this warming skillet dinner.
It’s hard to believe that we’re entering the second week of December and are only just two and half weeks out from Christmas…and only three and half weeks from the New Year. Where is the time going!?
As I type this up I’m getting ready to take-off for NYC. By the time you all read this, I will be in the city. I have to say, I’m really excited for this trip, but equally excited to return home on Thursday, and finally be HOME for the remainder of the year. I know many of you travel for work weekly, but as you all know, I’m such a homebody at heart. So I’m excited to have some time to enjoy the remainder of December with my family. Anyone else in the same mindset?
With that in mind, I’m always looking for the easiest recipes this time of year. The days are incredibly short and things are busy between work and holiday prep. Quick and simple dinners that everyone at the dinner table will eat are what I strive to create.
Enter this skillet creamy sun-dried tomato chicken and orzo.
To make this all-in-one dinner…
Start with a skillet. I love using a cast iron skillet, but any oven-safe skillet or even dutch oven works great. You’ll want to season the chicken up with a few dried herbs and spices…oregano, paprika, and just a pinch of crushed red pepper flakes. Then sear the chicken until it’s golden.
PS. if you don’t have a cast iron skillet, check out the current Staub giveaway we’re hosting on Instagram!
Next up, remove the chicken from the skillet, add a bit of butter, plus some shallots, garlic, and orzo. I love toasting the dry orzo pasta in butter for additional flavor. The butter browns and the orzo takes on a delicious nutty flavor.
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Moving along, add a splash of white wine. Then add pretty much everything else. Cream, a little parmesan cheese, fresh spinach and of course sun-dried tomatoes. Slide the chicken right into the sauce, then transfer the whole skillet right to the oven. Bake for about ten to fifteen minutes…
And then? Dinner is done. Yes, this is that SIMPLE.
So how does it taste?
I know simple skillet dinners can get a bad rap for being boring, but this is anything but boring. The sauce is creamy, hinted with lemon, garlic, and just a touch buttery too. The orzo is perfectly cooked and has a little nutty flavor.
And the chicken has a wonderful herbed flavor with a bit of heat from the crushed red pepper. It’s everything you’d expect out of a multi-step recipe, but made all in one skillet…and all SO GOOD.
What I love most about this recipe is the fact that it’s a complete dinner all-in-one. You have your protein, your carbs, and even your vegetables. I can serve this up on busy weeknights, but it’s equally great for holiday dinners with friends and family. I’ll be remaking this as soon as I get home. My family members are slowly starting to make their way back to Colorado for Christmas, so this is going to be on repeat.
Looking for other one skillet dinner ideas…check out these.
If you make this one skillet creamy sun-dried tomato chicken and 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!
One Skillet Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken and Orzo.
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 530 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 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or small thighs
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup dry white wine, such as Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach
- 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained
- juice of 1 lemon
- fresh rosemary, for serving (optional)
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.2. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet set over medium-high heat. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil, the oregano, paprika, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet.3. To the same skillet, add the butter and shallot, cooking until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and orzo, cooking until lightly golden, 2-3 minutes. Add the wine and de-glaze the pan. Add 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cook 3-5 minutes, then add the cream, mustard, parmesan, spinach, and sun-dried tomatoes, stirring until the spinach has wilted. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered for 10-15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.4. Serve the chicken topped with lemon juice and rosemary, if desired.
This post was originally published on December 9, 2019
Easy, delicious, and full of flavor. Made it using boneless, skinless chicken thighs. Will be making this again.
Thank you so much Susan! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
One of my favourite HBH recipes yet! My parents and sister DEVOURED it. It has such a lovely, unique brightness, its not nearly as overwhelmingly rich as you would think. Lemon works miracles for that! And the sun dried tomatoes were so perfect.
Thank you so much Tammi! I am so glad this turned out so well for you and your family!! xTieghan
Just found you on Instagram so this is the first recipe I’ve made of yours…absolutely delicious!! I look forward to trying many more…thank you!
Welcome! I am so glad you loved this recipe, Diane! I hope you love all others you try of mine! xTieghan
This was DELICIOUS!! Directions and cooking times were perfect. Thank you so much.
Thank you Donna! I am so glad you liked this! xTieghan
Hi – trying this tonight – question – should the cream be boiling? Or do I turn down the heat after boiling the water then add the cream?
Hi Joy! The cream can boil, but turn the heat down to medium. Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan! I’m an avid HBH follower but have never commented before! I LOVED this recipe! Flavor was amazing and it was so easy to whip together! I do have one question. When it was all done, there was a significant amount of oil sitting on top. Did I add too much of something? Or should I add less of something in the future to avoid the oil excess?
Thanks again! I truly love your recipes and they have gotten double Thumbs up from all family/friends that I make them for!
Hi Kristen! Hmm, not sure why there would have been oil. Next time, try really drain off the oil from the tomatoes. My only though is that your tomatoes could have had a lot of oil on them from the jar. I think that might help! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I am so glad you loved this recipe! Thank you for all your kind words! xTieghan
I made this last night and my family loved it! My husband called it “restaurant good”. I used coconut milk in place of the heavy cream and used a little more spinach just because. Thank you! Can’t wait to make this one again.
Thank you so much Martha! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I am SO not a cook, but a friend and I tried this for dinner tonight (literally my first time cooking dinner) and it was so delicious! It was so easy that the hardest part was figuring out how to trim chicken lol!! Plus Salted Carmel Pretzel Snickerdoodle cookies for dessert which were just heavenly! We were so proud of ourselves and are now both feeling the cooking bug!! Thank you so much! love all your recipes and cannot wait to try more!
That is so great! I am so glad you loved this recipe and I hope you continue to enjoy others! Thank you Elisabeth! xTieghan
This. Is. Amazing. I doubled it since my husband and I always have dinner for lunch the next day and it still fit in one pan! Barely ? subbed regular milk instead of heavy cream and added a little extra cheese. Its unreal good and super easy. This will be in the regular rotation for sure!
Thank you so much Lyndsey! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I just discovered your blog a week ago. This recipe is the third one I have made in a week. My husband and I loved this! I had half a jar of roasted red peppers so I added those to use them up. I used chicken tenderloins and they were perfect. Thank you so much for such a great recipe!
Thank you Jonette! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan
I’ve made this twice now!! Amazing both times and everything cooked up exactly as it was supposed to. For once the chicken actually didn’t stick and browned perfectly. I think I’ve always flipped it too soon. Wish I could post a pic cause it’s so beautiful and looks exactly like the posted one!!! ❤️
Thank you so much Stacy! xTieghan
My husband said it was one of the best meals I’ve ever made and my 2 year old loved it too. Thanks for providing consistently delicious meals.
That is so great! Thank you so much Alison! xTieghan
Do you think this would be good with chicken and shrimp mixed? I’m not sure I have enough chicken In the freezer for four of us, but have frozen raw shrimp.
Hi Danielle! I am sure adding some shrimp would be delicious. Great idea! Please let me know if you have any other questions. I hope you love this recipe! Thank you! xTieghan
Very easy and delicious. Thank you!
Thank you Carmen! xTieghan
Hi, made this tonight for dinner and it was fantastic! Easy to make and the flavors are just perfect together. We used both chicken breast and boneless chicken thighs as that’s what my family prefers. Once again, your recipes never fail to impress. Easy and full of flavor!
Thank you so much Amy! I am so glad this turned out so well for you! xTieghan