chicken pot pie orzo;
Chicken pot pie orzo is a weeknight meal that’s both comforting and easy! Take the chicken and veggies you love from pot pie and mix them with cheesy rice-like pasta for a one-pot meal!
The key to starting off is mise en place, or prepare all your ingredients before starting. There’s a fair amount of chopping, and the last thing you want is to be rushing through chopping when you’re making a one-pot meal.
When it comes to chopping, it’s helpful to attempt to dice all the veggies into even sizes. I say attempt, because onions, carrots, and celery are all different shapes and sizes, so it’ll never be perfect. And this recipe is pretty forgiving, but you want all the vegetables to be done cooking at the same time, so keeping them roughly the same chop is helpful for cooking time.
I typically throw onions and carrots in the mix together as the first step because I think they both really benefit from some extra time in the pan. Onions get nice caramelization from the hot pan, and carrots are much denser and harder so it’s nice to start the cooking process a little earlier than more delicate veggies. I also think they soak up the onion flavor and add extra depth to the sweetness of the carrot itself.
I toss the carrots in the pan first alongside the onion to help with cooking the dense root vegetable and soak up extra flavor.
Secret to success
One of the lovely things about any pot pie recipe is that it is very easily customizable. Got some leftover potatoes to use up? Add them in. Hate onions? Thank you, next. Height of hot sticky summer? Toss in some sweet corn that’s never been sweeter. Just make sure you take into account the fibrousness and thickness of the veggie, so you cook them for the appropriate amount of time. No one wants a half-raw potato, so I would peel them and cut them pretty small for this particular recipe. Small enough to guarantee they’re cooked by the time the whole chicken pot pie orzo simmers and comes together.
Once the veggies are sautéed, you add the orzo and broth and let it simmer. You get so much flavor in your chicken pot pie orzo from the broth. Simmering the orzo in chicken stock soaks all that flavor up into every bite.
If you were going to leave one thing to chop for later, the chicken is a contender. While the orzo and veggies simmer, you can take your knife to the rotisserie chicken. I still recommend deboning the chicken ahead of time because it’s very messy and slippery. If you feel rushed to get everything done, you may not be as thorough, or you could slip and make mistakes. But also sometimes we work with what we’ve got, and we need to get dinner on the table.
You could chop the chicken while the orzo simmers but I recommend just preparing mise en place with your other ingredients early on.
Secret to success
The thing that puts this chicken pot pie orzo over the top, though, is actually finishing it with a bit of Parmesan cheese. I thought it was a bit odd of an introduction from the original recipe, but man oh man, it really works in chicken pot pie orzo. It helps thicken the dish just a tiny bit, but the sharpness really ties all the ingredients together. I mean, it probably shouldn’t surprise me; I put cheese on chicken and veggies pretty much wherever I can swing it.
The cheese makes this recipe for chicken pot pie orzo a little somethin’ somethin’ different than a classic chicken pot pie. It’s subtle but somehow creates a unique dish that’s sure to become a family staple! P.S. It’s really great as a meal prep dish too!
secrets to success;
Want all the best tips and tricks to make this recipe a success? Check out the blog post above to find out more!
more recipes;
Looking for other easy weeknight meals? Check out these go-tos:
- This butter chicken curry and naan is surprisingly easy, but so flavorful you’ll think it took ages to make! Plus a recipe for the easiest naan you’ll ever make!
- Another family favorite, ever since we discovered soy glaze we put it on everything and soy glazed meatloaf is so, so good.
- Another simple classic, rosemary cream chicken is quick and delicious, best served over pasta!
chicken pot pie orzo;
Ingredients
- 6 Tbsp butter
- 3 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 sweet vidalia onion chopped
- 1 Tbsp fresh thyme (optional)
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups carrots chopped
- 2 cup frozen corn or peas, to preference
- 1 cups broccoli chopped
- 2 cups orzo pasta
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken cooked and chopped into chunks
- 1 cup milk or heavy cream
- 1 cup parmesan grated
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add 6 Tbsp butter and 3 Tbsp olive oil to a large pan with a lid over medium heat.
- Add diced vidalia onion and cook over medium heat until translucent and fragrant, roughly 4-5 min.
- Add 6 cloves minced garlic, 2 cups diced carrots, 2 cups corn or peas, and 1 cup chopped broccoli. Add thyme, if using, and add a pinch of salt. Cook down until fragrant and the carrots begin to get tender.
- Add 2 cups orzo pasta and 4 cups chicken broth, and stir to coat everything. Allow to reach a simmer, then cover and cook for approximately 5 minutes.
- Remove the cover to add 3 cups diced chicken and 1 cup milk. Cook another 4-5 minutes uncovered or until preferred thickness is achieved. (Note that you'll want to finish a few minutes before your "perfect" texture as it will continue to cook and the cheese will thicken the dish.)
- Remove from the heat and stir in 1 cup parmesan cheese and season dish with salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm or portion into meals to store in the refrigerator.
