One-Pan Creamy Chicken Meal (Print)

A no-fuss creamy chicken and orzo meal that's great for busy evenings.

# Ingredients:

→ Base Ingredients

01 - 4-5 cloves of garlic, smashed into a paste
02 - 2 tablespoons of olive oil
03 - 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
04 - ¾ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil
05 - 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
06 - 2 teaspoons of Italian mixed herbs
07 - 1 cup of orzo pasta (risoni)
08 - ½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
09 - ¾ cup creamy coconut milk or rich heavy cream
10 - 2 ¾ cups water or chicken broth

→ Protein

11 - 1.5 pounds of chicken breast, boneless and skinless, cut into small cubes

→ Toppings & Finishing Touches

12 - ¾ cup shredded Parmesan cheese
13 - 2 generous handfuls of fresh spinach leaves

# Steps:

01 - Dry the chicken well using paper towels, then chop it into small, even chunks perfect for cooking.
02 - On medium heat, heat up a large pan, then pour in the olive oil. Let it warm just until it starts to shimmer gently.
03 - Toss the chicken chunks into the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring now and then. Let it start browning, but don’t worry about cooking it all the way through yet.
04 - Throw in the garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, mixed Italian herbs, paprika, salt, and pepper. Stir everything together and cook for around 3-4 minutes until you smell the garlic and everything starts coming together.
05 - Pour in the orzo along with the water or broth. Mix everything well, then drop the heat to medium-low. Cover it up and let simmer for around 12 minutes, giving it a stir every so often so nothing sticks.
06 - Once the liquid is mostly soaked up by the orzo, stir in the creamy coconut milk (or heavy cream) and toss in the spinach leaves. Keep stirring until the spinach softens and blends with the sauce nicely.
07 - Sprinkle on the Parmesan cheese and give everything a gentle stir so it melts into the dish, making the sauce velvety smooth.
08 - Take the pan off the heat and dish it out while still warm. It’s a satisfying and flavorful meal in one pan that’s hard to beat!

# Notes:

01 - Drying the chicken before cooking makes it brown better and taste great.
02 - Stir the orzo gently as it cooks so it doesn’t stick to the pan.
03 - Let the dish sit off the heat for a bit before serving if you want it to thicken up more.

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