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25 Minute Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Orzo. Trust me, this will become your new go-to for busy nights. Italian-seasoned chicken is mixed with marinated artichokes, spinach, garlic, and olive oil. It’s tossed together with orzo pasta, cream, and grated parmesan cheese. This one-skillet creamy orzo and chicken dish is completely fuss-free and totally delicious. Simply mix, bake, eat, and enjoy!
You all, I have to tell you, the change of seasons inspires me more than anything. I love it when the weather finally starts warming and, most importantly, the days continue to get longer and longer.
Even the way the sunlight hits the studio late in the afternoon of these spring days has inspired new recipes. I love it so much.
This incredibly quick and simple spinach and artichoke orzo is wonderful for this time of year. I created it on a whim, but I ended up falling in love with it.
Not only does this come together easily, but it’s simply really yummy food!! I’m looking forward to sharing this recipe today!
Here are the details
Step 1: cook the chicken
To ensure the chicken cooks at the same rate as the orzo, I cubed it before cooking. Then, in a big skillet (I use a 12-inch Staub skillet), I cooked the chicken with olive oil and Italian seasoning.
When the chicken is mostly cooked, add shallots and a couple cloves of garlic. Season everything with salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
Step 2: mix in the orzo
At this point, it’s time for the orzo. First, add butter, then mix in the orzo along with fresh thyme and the remaining Italian seasoning.
I love to cook the dry orzo in the butter for a couple of minutes until it starts smelling a little nutty and toasted.
Step 3: add water
OK, next mix in some water and let the orzo cook for 5 minutes.
Now mix in your choice of milk or cream (I use whole milk) and a couple of teaspoons of Dijon. Then add fresh baby spinach, marinated artichokes, and a bit of lemon zest.
Oh, don’t forget the parmesan cheese!
Step 4: it’s time to serve
The only thing left to do is serve the orzo. I always top this with lots of fresh basil, grated parmesan cheese, and, if I remember, a little fresh cracked black pepper too!
This orzo is wonderful paired with your favorite wine or springtime mocktail. It makes the night feel a little more special!
Looking for other easy pasta bakes? Here are my favorites:
Easy One Pan Spinach and Artichoke Orzo Bake
One Pot Sun-Dried Tomato Pasta with Whipped Ricotta
Creamy Sun-Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta
4 Cheese Sun-Dried Tomato and Spinach Pasta Bake
Lastly, if you make this 25 Minute Spinach and Artichoke Chicken 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 Spinach and Artichoke Chicken Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 568 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless chicken breasts, cubed
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 4 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- chili flakes
- salt and black pepper
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 cup milk or heavy cream
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 jar (12 ounces) marinated artichokes, quartered
- 2 cups baby spinach
- 3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 2 teaspoons lemon zest
- fresh basil
Instructions
- 1. Combine the chicken, olive oil, and 2 teaspoons of Italian seasoning in a large skillet. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Set the skillet on medium-high heat and cook for 5 minutes, until the chicken is mostly cooked.2. Add the shallots, garlic, and butter. Mix in the orzo, thyme, and 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning. Cook until lightly golden, 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups water. Bring to a boil, cook for 5 minutes, then add the cream and Dijon. 3. Stir in the spinach, artichokes, parmesan, and lemon zest. Cook another 8 minutes until the spinach is wilted and the orzo is al dente. 4. Serve the orzo topped with lots of fresh basil and parmesan. YUM!
Made this for dinner last night and it was good! Followed the recipe exactly and the dish looked just like the photo. Nice flavor and easy to make.
Hey Rebecca,
Fantastic!! I appreciate you trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
This was delicious. I think I had the heat too high when cooking the orzo as the liquid evaporated a bit too quickly. I turned the heat down and then popped a lid on so that condensation would run back into the pan. I added some lemon juice at the end. It turned out beautifully.
Hey Tracey,
Thanks so much for trying this dish! I’m so glad to hear it was enjoyed, thanks for your comment! xT
1 cup of orzo weights about 200g, not one pound. I suppose that it’s a mistake? I did use 2 cups of orzo(400g) that required about 3 1/2 cups of water to successfully make this recipe, but I think you might want to edit the ingredient list!
Hey Mitsi,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback!! You are just going to use 1 cup of orzo for this recipe:) I hope this helps for next time! xT
The metric conversion calls for 453.59 g orzo, which I believe is what this commenter is referring to. I would just remove the metric feature entirely since it is often inaccurate. Just my two cents!
Delicious but took an entire cup more water than indicated.
Hi Julie,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I’m so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! Sorry to hear you had to add some more water! xx
I was looking for a quick and easy meal to cook for my grandkids. This hit the spot. It’s so good and easy to make.
Hey Keli,
Wonderful!! So glad to hear that this dish was enjoyed, thanks for making it! Have a great weekend! xT
This is a keeper at my house, made it the other night to rave reviews and even as leftovers it reheats wonderfully. Had some leftover white wine in the fridge that I added in place of some of the water which was a good choice 😜
Hey Sandra,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your comment! Xx
We really enjoyed this. Made as directed and it was delicious. Thinking about adding white wine next time. Maybe we are big eaters, but for us, it didn’t serve 6. Will definitely make again!
Hey Sarah,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! I think white wine would be great:) So glad it was enjoyed! xT
Do you drain the artichokes before putting in? Thank you!
Hi Jean,
Yes, you can drain the artichokes:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
This was delicious! Thank you for always providing incredible recipes!
Thanks so much, Jean! So glad it was enjoyed:) xx
Going to try this tonight! Do you drain the marinated artichokes?
Hey Cindy,
Yes, you can go ahead and drain the artichokes. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this dish! xT
As usual it was delicious! And so quick to make. My husband doesn’t care for pretty much any of the ingredients and he liked this!
Thanks so much Peggy:) I appreciate you trying this dish, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Wow this is absolutely perfect T! You’re a genius! Really needed something simple and quick tonight and this sooo hit the spot!
Hey Bri,
Awesome! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your feedback, so glad it turned out well! Xx
Delicious recipe! When do you add in the chili flakes though and how much? I just did a pinch when I added the spinach and didn’t get much flavor from it.
Hey Amber,
Thanks so much for making this dish, I’m so glad to hear it turned out well for you! You can add a pinch or more to your liking of the chili flakes in step 1 with the chicken:) xx
So easy and very tasty! This came together quickly. Next time I will squeeze some of the lemon juice as well for extra brightness.
Hey Emily,
Wonderful! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you making it and your feedback! xT
The flavor was good, but I more than doubled the cook time and had to keep adding liquid and the orzo still wasn’t cooked in the end. The recipe also calls for chili flakes, but the instructions never say when to add them.
Hi Haley,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear you had issues with the orzo cooking. I think you lower your heat a touch when cooking the orzo that might help. The chili flakes can be adding when serving:) xx
As others have said, one pound of orzo was just too much. It stuck to the pan, I had to keep adding more liquid and all of the ingredients overwhelmed my 11-inch skillet. By the time it was done, the chicken was overcooked and it was not as creamy as I had hoped. I love so many HBH recipes. For this one the flavors were there, I wanted to love it but doubt I’d make again.
Hi Barbara,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. I’m wondering if the heat was just too high for the orzo? Let me know if I can help in any other way! xx
This was pretty good, but I struggled to get the orzo tender, added liquid, and cooked for much longer than the recipe stated. I’ve never cooked with orzo so that could be the issue. Curious if this issue of orzo/liquid ratio or cook times came up during recipe testing?
Hi Patty,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had some issues with the orzo. I think you just have to get used to cooking it, if I had had issues I wouldn’t have shared the recipe:) I would try turning your heat down next time in step 3 to allow the orzo to cook properly and for the liquid to not absorb so quickly. I hope this helps! xx