Mushroom Orzo and Chicken Skillet

Looking for a super easy one pot dinner recipe? Try my Mushroom Orzo and Chicken Skillet! So easy to prep, mostly bakes in the oven, and perfect for a family meal!

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Baking Time: 25 mins

Total Time: 1hr

Servings: 6 servings

INGREDIENTS:

6 skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs patted dry

salt and black pepper

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 small onion finely diced

1 small leek white and pale green parts only, chopped (optional)

10 oz brown button mushrooms sliced

1 clove garlic minced

8 oz uncooked orzo pasta

⅓ cup dry white wine OR more broth

2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

juice from 1 lemon chopped parsley, shaved parmesan cheese and black pepper, to serve

INSTRUCTIONS:

Heat oven to 400°F. Season chicken all over with salt and pepper.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a medium (around 9 inches) ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken skin-side down in the hot oil and cook until skin is crispy, about 5 minutes. Flip and brown on the other side for 2-3 minutes, then remove to a plate and set aside.

In the same skillet over medium heat, cook onion and leek (if using) until starting to soften, about 3 minutes. Stir in the mushrooms and garlic and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.

Stir uncooked orzo into skillet and cook for another minute, then pour wine (OR extra broth) into skillet, scraping any browned bits off the bottom.

Once wine has almost cooked away, stir chicken broth into skillet. Bring to a boil, then take off the heat. Nestle chicken on top and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until orzo is cooked and chicken is done to the bone.

Serve with lemon juice, chopped parsley, parmesan shavings and freshly cracked black pepper.

Notes:

Ingredient notes

Chicken: Skin-on, bone-in chicken thighs are my favorite here, but feel free to use boneless chicken thighs if you prefer, they’ll cook in the same amount of time. You can also use chicken breast, it will bake in 15-20 minutes – make sure the orzo is done, otherwise remove the chicken breasts and bake the orzo for another 5 minutes.

Leek: Feel free to leave this out if you’re not a fan.

Mushrooms: If you don’t like mushrooms, leave them out, but you’ll lose some bulk and flavor. Chopped broccoli would work as well, or stir a few handfuls of baby spinach into the orzo once it’s finished.

Broth: If you don’t have chicken broth on hand, vegetable broth is a good substitute.

Recipe tips

Use the right size skillet – you don’t want it too small or the broth will flow over. You also don’t want it too large, or the orzo may burn. Mine in the photos/videos is definitely too small, but I really wanted to use a black skillet for the photos and I don’t own a different size. Around 9-10 inches is a good size for this recipe.

Brown the chicken skin well for the best flavor.

Make sure to cook the mushrooms until they have fully softened, and their juices have evaporated. Otherwise, the orzo may come out too soupy!

Make sure you do not pre-cook the orzo! It really does go in uncooked.

Nutritional Info: