Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo is an easy one-pot recipe the whole family will love!
We absolutely love one pot pasta dinners like this Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo.
Any one pot meal, really!
With only 7 ingredients, this dish has become one of my go-to dinner recipes.
We change it up by using a different vegetable and type of cheese.
The recipe I found calls for peas and Asiago cheese.
I had Parmesan cheese on-hand so I used it and peas the first time I made this dish.
Other types of commonly found cheese you could use in this Cheesy Chicken Orzo:
- Parmesan
- Asiago
- Monterrey Jack
- Colby Jack blend
- Pepper Jack
You could also use a combination of these cheeses, or your favorite that isn’t on this list.
Some other vegetable ideas for this dish:
- peas
- corn
- zucchini
- cauliflower
- green beans
You might have to adjust the cooking time for different vegetables.
For example, frozen or canned peas or corn would only take 2-3 minutes because you are essentially just heating them up.
Cauliflower would probably take a minute or two longer and zucchini would probably take a minute or two less.
Of course, that also depends on the size of the vegetables you are using.
Even though I use low-sodium broth in this recipe canned broth is fairly sodium heavy.
So is cheese.
We are always looking for ways to lower our sodium intake so we try to add as little as possible.
And so I only add a sprinkle to this dish, not a measurable amount.
I am sure this makes our doctor very happy because he doesn’t have to prescribe higher doses of our blood pressure meds!
You could use a different kind of pasta in this recipe if you would like.
I have not seen wheat orzo in our local grocery stores but I have found it online.
I also have not seen orzo made out of chickpeas or other vegetables.
If you would like to use one of those types of pasta you might need to change the cooking time.
We believe the mantra – everything in moderation – and do limit our pasta consumption to once a week.
We eat regular, wheat, no yolk, and smart pasta.
Still not more than once a week, even if it is a healthier type.
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Some other one pot pasta dinners you will love:
- Alfredo Chicken Pasta & Broccoli
- Chicken Spinach Tortellini Alfredo
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Cheesy Italian Shells
- Homemade Hamburger Helper Chili Mac
- One Pan Beef Stroganoff
- One Pot Beefy Pasta
Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth low sodium
- 1/2 cup water
- 8 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast one small breast
- 1/2 + 1/8 cup orzo
- 2 cups broccoli florets
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
- Dash salt
- 1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
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Instructions
- Bring broth and water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.
- Stir in chicken and orzo and return to a boil, reduce heat to medium to medium-high heat and simmer for 6 minutes, add broccoli and simmer for about 6 minutes longer, or until pasta and broccoli are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Remove from heat and stir in salt, pepper and cheese. Serve immediately.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Recipe adapted from myrecipes.
Can I just cook the chicken separately. Do.not like it boiled. And how would I go.about the rest of the recipe?
You can cook the chicken in a skillet and then add it in at the end with the cheese. It should come out close to the same I think, but I have never done it that way.