Who doesn’t love an easy one pot meal for busy weeknights? This recipe for Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach couldn’t be simpler! It’s loaded with Chicken, Orzo, Mushrooms, Onion, Spinach and a rich cheese sauce to give you a complete meal packed with protein and vegetables, all in under 40 minutes.

Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach

Yield: 5-7

This Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Orzo with mushrooms and spinach is loaded with chicken and vegetables in a creamy cheese sauce.

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Ingredients

2 pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, Diced
1 Garlic Clove, Minced
1 Medium Onion, Diced
3 Cups Spinach, Frozen or Fresh Chopped
8oz Mushrooms, Fresh Sliced
16oz. Chicken Broth
1 Cup Water
1 1/2 Cup Orzo, Uncooked
1/2 Cup Parmesan, Shredded
8oz. Cream Cheese, cubed
1/2 Cup Half Half
4 Tbsp. Butter
4 Tbsp. Olive Oil
3 tsp. Salt
1/4 tsp Ground Black Pepper
1 tsp. Onion Powder

Instructions

In a medium stock pot or Cast Iron Dutch Oven, add 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil and heat on medium heat until butter is melted. Then, add 1 tsp. salt, chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, diced onion and minced garlic clove. Cook until onions are tender then remove these ingredients from the pan and set aside.
In the same pot or Dutch Oven, add in another 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. oil and heat on medium heat until butter is melted. Next, add diced chicken, 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp. onion powder and cook until chicken is almost fully cooked.
Into the same pan, along with the chicken, add uncooked orzo, 16 oz. of Chicken Broth, and 1 cup. water then bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer on low heat. Cover with pan lid and cook 15 minutes, stirring halfway.
After orzo has cooked 15 minutes, check to make sure the orzo is done. If not, cover again and cook for an additional 3 minutes.
Once orzo is cooked add in cubed cream cheese and stir until it is fully melted.
Next, add back in the spinach/onion mixture and 1/2 cup. half & half. Stir ingredients together and then allow to warm on low heat until fully warmed.
Finally, stir in 1/2 Cup. shredded Parmesan Cheese and add additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
Store leftovers in the refrigerator and consume within 3-5 days.

The Best Cheesy and Creamy Chicken Orzo

Our family loves easy meals and this recipe is one we will be making on repeat. We prefer rich, hearty soups in this house and this creamy dish is definitely that! Creamy Orzo combines veggies and a homemade creamy cheese sauce with chicken which makes for such a cozy, comforting dish. It’s the perfect fall/winter soup that feels a little elevated even for an easy weeknight dinner.

What is Orzo you may ask? It’s actually a type of pasta that looks a lot like plump rice. It absorbs the broth in this soup as it simmers making it packed with flavor. And, it cooks so much faster than noodles or rice which is just another reason to love this Creamy Chicken Orzo recipe!

Key Features In This Chicken Orzo Recipe:

A creamy Orzo recipe made in one pan in under 40 minutes– So simple to prepare, the final dish tastes amazing and is full of flavor.
Packed with Chicken, Veggies and creamy cheese goodness– We love that this Creamy Chicken Orzo is an easy, complete meal full of creamy cheese sauce that satisfies your craving for comfort food.
The broth base included in this recipe provides extra protein– Chicken + chicken broth make this creamy soup the perfect high protein, nourishing meal for cold evenings.
An elevated weeknight dinner- Never had Orzo before? This is a easy soup to make that will leave you craving more! We love these plump, rice shaped noodles that cook fast.

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Ingredients Needed for Easy One Pan Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach:

an up close shot of ingredients needed to make Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach

Chicken Breasts – I used boneless & skinless breasts, diced into medium size pieces.
Yellow Onion – I used an onion from our garden but feel free to use, yellow, sweet or white onion.
Garlic Clove – One clove, minced, adds so much flavor!
Mushrooms – This recipe has sliced white mushrooms but you choose what kind you prefer.
Spinach – Frozen or fresh spinach works fine as long as it is finely chopped.
Orzo – This quick cooking, yummy pasta can be found in the noodle aisle at your grocery store.
Chicken Broth – I used Organic Chicken Bone Broth in this creamy soup.
Cream Cheese – We love how the cream cheese adds so much rich, creaminess to this soup.
Parmesan Cheese – We prefer to buy a block so we can finely shred it ourselves but pre-shredded is fine as well.
Half & Half – We combine half & half, cream cheese, and chicken broth to make the coziest broth in this recipe.
Salt – We always recommend Redmond’s Real Salt but a quality Sea Salt works well too.
Ground Black Pepper
Onion Powder
Real Butter & Olive Oil for sautéing

Recommended Kitchen Tools

We regularly use a medium sized stainless soup pot and have recently added this Cast Iron Dutch Oven and have been enjoying it.
We love thrifting a lot of our cooking utensils but a solid stirring spoon or serving ladle is needed in this recipe.
We love this inexpensive knife block with an assortment of knives. This handy little knife sharpener works so well too!
Misc tools needed for this recipe: garlic press, measuring spoons, and cutting boards.

Step by Step Instructions for how to make Easy One Pot Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms & Spinach

In a medium soup pot or Cast Iron Dutch Oven, add 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil oil. Heat pan on medium until the butter is melted. Add 1 tsp. salt, chopped spinach, sliced mushrooms, diced onion and the minced garlic clove. Sauté until the onions are tender then remove these ingredients from the pan and set aside.
In the same pot or dutch oven, add another 2 tbsp. butter and 2 tbsp. olive oil then heat on medium until butter is melted. Add diced chicken, 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp ground black pepper, 1 tsp. onion powder and cook until chicken is almost fully cooked.

Next, add uncooked orzo to the same pan with the chicken, 16 oz. of Chicken Broth and 1 cup. water then bring to a boil. Once it has started to boil, reduce to low heat to simmer. Cover with pan lid and cook 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
After the orzo has cooked 15 minutes, check to make sure the orzo is done. If not, cover again and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

Once orzo is cooked, add cubed cream cheese and stir until it is fully melted. Add back in the spinach onion mixture and 1/2 cup. half & half then stir ingredients together. Allow soup to warm on low heat until fully warmed. Finally, stir in 1/2 Cup. shredded Parmesan Cheese and then add additional salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!

From Scratch Kitchen Tips

What is Orzo made of? Orzo is not a grain, it’s actually a pasta! Made from semolina wheat flour and shaped into rice shaped noodles, this pasta quickly cooks in the broth of the soup. It’s a delicious, light pasta that adds so much to any soup recipe.
Can this Creamy Chicken Orzo be reheated? Yes, as with any soup, simply reheat on the stovetop in a soup pan. If you find that it has thickened in the refrigerator, simply add another splash of half & half or milk to thin it out and then season to taste.
Looking for more cozy, winter soups? Try our Cheeseburger Soup, Homemade Chicken Soup With Dumplings, or our Crockpot Vegetable Beef Soup.