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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.
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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
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.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Another winner! I would say at this point 80% of what I cook is a recipe of yours. Thank you for all your pour into cooking and sharing 🙂
Even my very picky 6 year old ate it and enjoyed it!
Aw thanks Susan! So happy to hear that! xT
This was easy, fast, flavorful and delicious! One to add to the rotation. Thank you!
Thanks so so much Sarah! xT
Amazing! I made your skillet caprese prosciutto chicken last week and had leftover prosciutto AND noticed in the Insta reel you had it on there, so I added it too. 😉 My husband basically begged me to make this again in a couple of weeks. I love to try new recipes and very few make it in “the folder,” but I’m about to add it now. I used gluten free orzo, and it turned out great. Yum-o!
Awesome! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Have a great week! xT
Love this recipe. I’ve made it several times. It’s a simple but elegant dish.
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try! I really hope you enjoyed it! xT
Everyone in the family went back for seconds! I went back for veggies, my husband took all the cheese and the kids had extra chicken. I love your one pan dishes! Yum!!!
Thanks for giving the recipe a try! I’m so glad you enjoyed it! xT
Probably a 2.5 ⭐️ and not nearly as good as her other chicken orzo bakes, which are just fabulous. The combination of ingredients just didn’t work for me. Won’t make it again.
Thanks for the feedback! I’m so sorry it didn’t work out for you! xT
This recipe was very bland. Will not make again. The review that said that she was going to add some lemon juice to give it some zing was a good idea. I have leftovers to eat!
I’m so sorry about that! Thank you for letting me know! xT
This was delicious!!! Thank you so much for your amazing recipes. You have made me a great cook in my husbands eyes 😀
Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! So happy to hear it was enjoyed! Have an awesome week! xT
Delicious and easy, but mine came out greasier than I expected. I made the brown butter and ended up not using it because I didn’t want to add to the oiliness. I will make again, but cut the butter in the cooking portion. I’ll also probably add some lemon. Could use some zing!
Thank you for the feedback! xT
Made this tonight. Was tasty especially with fresh zucchini from the garden! My only question is – it says to top with garlic butter but I didn’t see garlic added to the butter in the instructions. Thank you for sharing your recipes!
Really liked this one. My orzo was still a bit undercooked so, I added more wine and water. I might add some additional veggies next time, maybe some cherry tomatoes at the end. Happy to report that the time listed to prep and cook was accurate. Will definitely add this to the rotation!
Awesome! Thank you, love to hear this! xT
Entire family loved it! We didn’t have any wine so subbed in some chicken broth. Not sure if the butter finish was necessary ( likely still tasty without) but I wasn’t going to skip it and so glad I didn’t . Easy , one dish (almost), and so yummy. Def recommend!
Thanks so much Sheri! xT
Such a quick and flavorful recipe! I needed it to be GF so I subbed one 10oz box of Barilla chickpea orzo plus 2.5 cups chicken broth. Delicious!
Thanks Tara! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Have a great day! xT
Loved this recipe! I had to half it to fit in my skillet and sliced the chicken in half horizontally to cook through. Wasn’t dry which was so exciting! I didn’t do the extra step with the butter on top to save time and thought it was still plenty flavorful. I appreciated how easy it was too!
So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Have a great day! xT
Not a fan of this recipe. The entire dish is over seasoned with the Italian spices….and then add to the butter for garlic butter? I did that, but didn’t at all care for it. I was disappointed in the recipe…1TBSP of the Italian spices in the chicken would’ve been plenty and none in the garlic butter would have been better ….just garlic and butter would’ve been so much better…..I will not be making this one again! Also very heavy!
I use some of your recipes over and over again, like your Spanikopita……
Oh no I’m so sorry to hear that Pamela! Thank you for letting me know! Is there anything I can do to help? xT