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This one-skillet Roasted Herb Butter Chicken and Orzo is the perfect cozy dinner. Pan-seared seasoned chicken in an herb butter gravy-like sauce. Cook the chicken together with orzo pasta for a complete dinner made in just ONE skillet. The secret here, a touch of curry powder. It adds a really nice rich flavor to this chicken and orzo dinner. 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. Oh, and be sure to add crusty bread for mopping up all the extra sauce.
And I’m back with another chicken and orzo dinner. I hope you’re not over these types of recipes that we here clearly find so delicious.
But this is a special one. It’s inspired by my mom and her love of soup, chicken, and noodles. I wanted to create an all-in-one dinner similar to the dishes we would make when I was growing up in Cleveland.
This time of year always makes me think back to those days. When I was in 2nd and 3rd grade I would get out of school almost 2 hours earlier than my brothers, at 2:45 pm. These were my greatest school days. I LOVED getting out early and having that special time with my mom.
In the late fall and winter, a lot of times my mom would cook me the Lipton noodle dishes that came in a pouch. They were noodles in a creamy chicken broth. We both used to eat them huddled by the fire, loving every bite.
We don’t cook those anymore, but I’ve always wanted to recreate the flavors.
And I finally did! Look, I’ve made a ton of skillet chicken and orzo dishes. But I’m telling you, this one might just be my favorite of the bunch. And it’s so easy.
The details
I love a one-skillet dinner, so that was key for this recipe.
Start off by cooking the onion, then add a mix of chicken breasts and thighs. I always use skinless chicken, because my family is weird and they will not eat skin-on chicken. Use whatever type of chicken you and you’re family love!
The next ingredient is what makes this dish. A small amount of curry powder. I know that sounds really odd, but the curry powder adds a bright color and subtle warm flavors that are just right. It’s almost like a golden butter chicken soup, but not quite a soup. Either way, it’s completely delicious and sets this dish apart.
Now toss in the butter, add some celery and carrots, some thyme and sage, and then pour over the apple cider and broth. Add a whole head of garlic and a parmesan rind, then place the entire skillet in the oven to finish cooking.
During the last 10 minutes is when I add in the orzo. If you want this to be brothy, you can add additional broth. We like it brothy, but still thicker than soup.
For serving
I usually add a little fresh parsley or thyme and some black pepper and sea salt. and again, crusty bread on the side is a must.
It’s a little different twist on chicken and pasta, but so, so good. And who couldn’t love how easy this is? It’s fancy, but then it’s not. Great for this time of year!
Looking for other simple? Here are a few ideas:
Crockpot Garlic Butter Chicken Meatballs with Creamy Orzo
One Pot Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Orzo
Creamy White Bean Noodle Soup with Rosemary Bacon
Mustard Herb Chicken and Creamy Orzo
Crockpot Crispy Buffalo Chicken Tacos with Jalapeño Ranch
Slow Cooker Saucy Sunday Bolognese Pasta
Slow Cooker Herbed Chicken and Rice Pilaf
Crockpot Spaghetti Squash Lasagna Bolognese
Lastly, if you make this Roasted Herb Butter 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 Roasted herb Butter Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 560 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 teaspoon yellow curry powder
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
- 1/3 cup white wine or apple cider
- 4-5 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 shallots, halved
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 4 carrots, chopped
- 1 head garlic
- 3/4 cup dry orzo
- 1 parmesan rind
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. Cook the olive oil and onion in a large oven-safe skillet with sides, over medium heat, until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Push the onions to the side. Add the chicken and sprinkle with the curry powder. Season with salt and pepper. Add the butter, shallots, celery, carrots, thyme, and sage. Season again with salt and pepper. Cook another 5 minutes. 2. Pour in the apple cider, 2-3 cups broth, and lemon juice. Add the garlic and parmesan rind. Transfer to the oven and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. 3. Pull the skillet out, add 1/2 cup of broth and the orzo. Return to the oven and cook 10-12 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. If you want more broth, add the remaining 1-2 1/2 cups.4. Serve the chicken over the orzo and broth. Top with parmesan (if desired), plus thyme or parsley.
Made this tonight and the flavors are phenomenal! So herby and fresh. Will definitely make again.
Hey Kelly,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
Huge hit for my entire family (which is rare)! I did everything on the stovetop, just covered it and the chicken turned out perfect.
Hey Leslie,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review:)
I haven’t made this yet, but planning to tonight. I’ll be using one large boneless chicken breast. Should I cut it up?
Hey Lorri,
I would slice it horizontally. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Wowza. Incredible flavor. This will be a staple!!!
Hey Kelly,
Happy Wednesday! So glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it and sharing your review:)
So delicious! Easy to come together once ingredients are prepped. Love a one pot dinner, this one is a cozy winner!
Thanks so much Taylor!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it! xT
Another winner. Made this recipe as written with the addition of red pepper flakes. It was quick and full of flavor .. fantastic! Can’t wait to make it again next week when my kids come home for the holiday. I’ll add mushrooms next time just to squeeze in some additional veggies.
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Hey Amy,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
A new staple in the rotation, absolutely delicious. Didn’t read about the whole head of garlic until after so I add mine minced up with the onions. Came out great thank you for sharing!
Hey Alex,
Perfect!! Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for trying it and sharing your review! xT
My family’s preference:
Cook veggies (carrots & celery) longer. They were too raw and crunchy for us. Add 2x as much orzo – 1 1/2 cups. We were looking for more stew than soup. The taste was spot on / delicious! A keeper with a few tweaks for our tastes.
Hey Deb,
Thanks for sharing your feedback and what your family prefers:) So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed! xT
Just finished dinner and this was SO good!!! I made as follows with the following tweaks: I added about 10 cloves of smashed garlic instead of a intact head of garlic. I added a cup of orzo and did not add more liquid. I did 3 cups of chicken stock and 1/3 cup of white wine and the lemon but didn’t add any other liquid. Final product came out with perfect amount of sauce without being soup. Really can’t believe how incredible this tasted. Will be making again on sunday when my parent come over!!
Hey Connie,
Fantastic!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for sharing what worked well for you!! xT
Made this for dinner tonight. Super yummy. I only change i made was to double the orzo, became more like a stew then a soup.
Hey Cassandra,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
So delicious!!! I adapted it for the slow cooker and paired it with rice pilaf and used the broth from the crockpot. Insanely good! Thank you!
Hey Imelda,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
Delicious, but not clear about garlic. Do you mince the head, slice them peel them and leave them whole…
Hey Ron,
So glad to hear you enjoyed this dish!! You just leave the garlic head whole and slice the top off so it can just infuse everything. I hope this helps! xx
Delicious! I only added half the broth and covers the pan when I added the orzo and it came out thick and delicious! I also peeled the individual Clive’s of garlic the added to the pan. Great meal with a salad and fresh bread!
Hey Joyce,
Amazing!! Thanks so much for sharing what worked well for you and giving this dish a try! Happy Monday! xx
Do you cut the head of garlic in half and add or separate each clove and remove skin and add to the dish?
Hey Jan,
You are just going to cut the top off of the head of garlic so that that cloves are exposed. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Absolutely delicious! So many flavors. Wish we added another lb of chicken. We added some jarred artichokes too with the orzo and was fantastic. It was more soupy than expected but so delicious nonetheless
Hey Nikki,
Happy Tuesday!! Thanks a lot for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out tasty for you! xT
What an amazing recipe, such a wonderful flavor. I did use two pounds of chicken and separated the garlic cloves with the skins on into the broth. It was to die for.
Hey Shelly,
Happy Monday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks so much for making it! xT