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This simple Skillet White Pesto Chicken and Orzo is the perfect winter dinner. Quick, easy, and so delicious! Pan-seared Italian seasoned chicken in a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce. Cooked together with orzo pasta for a quick dinner made in one skillet. Everyone at the dinner table loves this dish. It’s great for a weeknight but fancy enough to serve up at your next holiday dinner. It’s a hit all around!
Ingredients
- Oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes
- Boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- All-purpose flour
- Italian seasoning
- Salted butter
- Garlic
- Dry orzo pasta
- Chili flakes
- Chicken broth
- Heavy cream
- Basil pesto
- Parmesan cheese
- Fresh thyme
December is always the craziest month. It’s my favorite month of the year but also the busiest. And this December has been a lot. But I’m so thankful for it and loving every second of the chaos!
On top of multiple work trips and my day-to-day schedule, there’s been holiday fun, and most of my brothers are now in town. My parent’s house is once again full! Per usual, this means they’re all looking for dinner. I always try to have simple recipes like this skillet chicken on rotation this time of year! Easy dinners are key to keeping everyone happy and well-fed!
Lately, everyone has requested the recipe I shared for Smothered Chicken a few months ago. They love that dish, especially the creamy sauce.
When I set out to make this, I used that recipe as my base. But then I turned it into a quick-cooking spicy Italian dinner with lots of delicious basil pesto in the mix!
Here are the details
Step 1: the sun-dried tomatoes
Start with the sun-dried tomatoes. I love using a jar of oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes. Not only are the tomatoes delicious, but I also use the oil from the jar to cook the chicken. The oil is always seasoned, so it adds even more flavor. Just make sure it’s extra virgin olive oil.
Most people will discard the oil, but you must use it! It adds a lot of flavor to recipes.
Step 2: season and sear the chicken.
Sear the chicken with salt and pepper. Then, take each piece and dip it through some flour. The flour gives the chicken a coating for the yummy sauce to stick to. Additionally, the flour on the chicken will help to thicken the sauce.
Pan-sear the chicken in the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Then, just before pulling the chicken out of the skillet, sprinkle each piece with Italian seasoning.
It’s a delicious mix and makes the chicken very flavorful.
Step 3: the orzo
When you pull the chicken out, add the orzo and some garlic. Then toss in some butter too. Let the butter toast around the dry 0rzo and add the chicken broth and cream.
Then mix in the pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and the chicken.
Step 4: bake
Next, add the parmesan cheese and take the whole skillet and put it in the oven to finish baking.
It’s going to smell wonderful as you pull the skillet out of the oven. Like your favorite Italian restaurant!
This dish is everything you’d expect out of a multi-step recipe, but made in way less than an hour. Plus, everything is made in one pot. Simple, simple – and we love that.
You can serve this up on busy weeknights, but I think it’s equally great for holiday dinners with friends and family. I’m sure I’ll be remaking this over the holidays; we’re having a very special Christmas this year.
Looking for winter pasta recipes? Here are a few ideas:
Pesto Tortellini Zuppa Toscana
Creamy Roasted Garlic Butternut Squash Pasta
One Pot French Onion Pasta with Crispy Prosciutto
Basil Parmesan Pasta with Crispy Chicken, Prosciutto, and Arugula
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
Lastly, if you make this Skillet White Pesto 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!
Skillet White Pesto Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 437 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
- 1/2 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, oil drained
- 6 boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- chili flakes
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/4 cup basil pesto
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F. Drain 3 tablespoons of oil from the sun-dried tomato jar into a large skillet with sides. Chop the sun-dried tomatoes and set aside.2. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow bowl. Dredge the chicken through the flour and toss to coat.3. Set the skillet with oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes per side. Sprinkle the chicken with 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning. Remove the chicken from the skillet to a plate.4. To the same skillet, add the butter, 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, garlic, orzo, and season with chili flakes. Cook until lightly golden, 2 minutes. Add the broth. Bring to a boil, cook for 3-5 minutes, then add the cream, pesto, and sun-dried tomatoes. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. Sprinkle over the parmesan. Transfer to the oven and cook, uncovered, for 10 minutes, until the sauce is bubbling around the chicken.5. Serve the chicken, orzo, and sauce topped with thyme. YUM.
Notes
Italian Seasoning: Mix 2 tablespoons dried basil, 2 tablespoons dried oregano, 2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, and 1 teaspoon dried sage. Store in a sealed container.
This post was originally published on December 14, 2023
Every time I say, “this is my favorite recipe,” I find one I love better. This is that recipe. It’s perfection – for cold winter nights as a family or for a dinner party with friends. I adore the simplicity, the flavors, & and the leftovers – when there are any.
Aw thank you so so much Lori! I really appreciate it! xT
Love this recipe! It was so quick and easy to make. I subbed 1/2 cup of the chicken broth with white wine and it made it so delicious. I love sun dried tomatoes so I added extra too. I also added diced onions with the butter first (before the orzo, garlic, etc.) and some fresh basil on top at the end.
Hi Lanna! Thanks so much for trying out the recipe! Love to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Tieghan – This sounds delicious. In your blog post it sounds like you pan sear the chicken and then dredge in flour and sear again. But in the recipe instructions you dredge first and then pan sear. Can you clarify which it is please?
This was fantastic!
Thanks Tieghan 🙂
Thanks so much Kelly! xT
Soooooo good! I might go with more sundried tomatoes next time.
Thank you sooo much Jeff! xT
Delicious and one of the simpler recipes I’ve made from Tieghan! Still carried so much depth and beauty!
So glad you enjoyed this recipe! Thank you for trying it out and leaving such a kind comment! xT
Made it tonight and it was so good. Really easy to make and full of wonderful flavours, ten out of ten!
Hi there! I’m so glad that you’re enjoying the recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! xT
This meal was easy and delicious. I added in some fresh chopped baby spinach and it was a good add! My entire family enjoyed this and asked for it on regular rotation! Thank you for another great family meal!
Thank you so so much Jen! xT
sounds like a meal for our corner neighbor crew, however one is somewhat dairy intolerant. What option would you suggest for the heavy cream? The cheese is not really a problem.
We are a dairy free household and violife is the best tasting/our favorite cheese. We use their shaved Parmesan for this recipe and I use Silk brand half &half/heavy cream or if I don’t have that on hand I will mix dairy free milk with kite hill brand cream cheese and use that mix as cream!
Hi there! I would use coconut milk as a sub! 🙂 xT
This is absolutely amazing! I made it for Christmas Eve dinner and it was so easy yet full of flavor. Probably one of the best dinners to come out of my kitchen! Thanks for such a great recipe!
Hi there! Thank you soooo much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
So easy to follow along! I don’t cook a lot so I was nervous but it turned out perfect. My family didn’t leave any crumbs and even my picky boyfriend wanted more! Absolutely delicious!
Hi there! Thank you soooo much for trying out this recipe! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Love how I had most of the ingredients already in my pantry. So delicious and easy!
Thank you so much! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed! 🙂 xT
This was absolutely delicious and I’ll definitely be making it again. the flavors all came together and the dish was to die for. Very happy I gave this recipe a try. Thank you for sharing it!!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an awesome New Year! xT
Can I sub out the orzo for arborio rice? Would I need to adjust the cooking times? TIA.
Hey Mark! I haven’t ever tried that before so can’t say for sure! So sorry! xT
This came out so well and was delicious! Fueled me up after a run. Thanks for this recipe and making cooking so approachable!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you have an awesome New Year! xT