Broccoli Cheddar Orzo with Chicken
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Broccoli Cheddar Orzo with Chicken is an easy one pot meal that your whole family will love. Secretly healthy, high protein and super cheesy!
This broccoli cheddar chicken orzo is an easy weeknight dinner that we absolutely love. Made in one pan, it’s quick to make, healthy and delicious!
We love one pot chicken orzo, and love our healthy broccoli soup so we figured.. why not combine the two? The result is a cheesy, creamy dinner that is absolutely delicious!
If you love broccoli cheddar soup, you’re going to love this recipe!
It’s simple to make with basic ingredients, is a one pot meal (easy clean up!), and has over 55g of protein per serving and 1.5 cups of vegetables per serving!
liz’s top tip for broccoli cheddar orzo
- To save time, you can heat your chicken broth in the microwave before adding it to the pot!
Ingredients
You’ll also need a large skillet for making this recipe. This is our favorite pan for one pot meals. You could also make this in a dutch oven!
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil or melted butter
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders. To make this an even faster dish, you can skip the first 2 steps and use pulled or chopped cooked chicken folded in at the end.
Broth: Broth and stock are the same thing! You can use any broth or stock interchangeably. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Orzo: I have only tried this recipe with orzo pasta. I’m not sure how gluten free pasta will work in this recipe. You can’t omit the orzo completely, because you need something to absorb the chicken broth. You can usually find orzo in the pasta isle or near the rice.
Milk: You can use whole milk, skim milk, or dairy free milk in this recipe.
Parmesan Cheese: We haven’t tried this with any other cheese and wouldn’t recommend swapping anything for the parmesan! It wouldn’t have the same flavor. Feta can be sprinkled on top of this dish but would give it a totally different flavor. If you like cheesy orzo, this Pesto Chicken Orzo is also delicious
Gluten Free: We only tested this recipe with regular pasta. Gluten free pasta cooks very differently, and we find that it can get very gummy/mushy. It’s hard to know if it will work in this recipe without trying it. Because the orzo cooks in the pan with everything else, the ratios in the recipe would need to change. You could try reducing the broth and cooking it in a separate pot, but I really don’t know how it would come out. If you try it, let me know.
Dairy Free: While I personally have not made this recipe, readers have made our other One Pot Chicken Orzo dish and used dairy free milk + cheese with success!
Veggies: I used precut fresh broccoli florets in this recipe that I roughly chopped. I think frozen chopped broccoli might be too mushy in this recipe. For the carrots – you can use the precut matchstick ones or grate them with a cheese grater. We also love Lemon Chicken Orzo with Peas.
How to Make Broccoli Cheddar Orzo
- Brown chicken in oil over medium heat for about 10 minutes. Add onions and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes.
- Add the spices, orzo, broccoli, carrots and chicken broth. Stir to combine and cover with a lid. Simmer for 6 minutes covered, then remove cover and cook for 2 minutes.
- Stir in the milk and both kinds of cheese. Stir over low heat for one to two minutes more until heated through. Serve immediately.
Serving Suggestions:
This is a complete meal as is, it’s got protein, veggies and carbs! But if you’re looking for a side dish to make you could try one of these salads:
- Peach Salad with Goat Cheese
- Quick Marinated Vegetable Salad
- Strawberry Goat Cheese Salad
- Apple Walnut Salad
It would also be yummy with some bread on the side – we love this bread brand!
Storage
Storing: This cheesy broccoli orzo makes for great leftovers and high protein meal prep! It will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe. Pasta does not freeze well, and can often get mushy when thawed/reheated.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove. I recommend adding a splash of chicken broth to the pot when reheating.
Other one pot dinner recipes:
If you like one pot meals, check out these Healthy One Pot Dinner Recipes. Or click here to get our free one pot dinners cookbook.
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Broccoli Cheddar Orzo with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in ½ inch square pieces
- 1 cup yellow onion chopped about ½ a medium onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 garlic cloves
- 4 cups fresh broccoli spears cut into 1 inch pieces 10 oz bag
- 1 cup grated carrots
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 ¼ cup dry orzo 8 oz
- 3 teaspoons garlic powder
- 3 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes optional
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 bay leaf
- ⅓ cup milk
- 1 cup freshly grated cheddar cheese
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large high sided pan over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the chicken. Brown the chicken and let it cook for about 10 minutes.
- After the chicken has browned for 10 minutes, add the onions and garlic and sauté for about 3 minutes, until they start to soften.
- Add the broccoli, carrots, chicken broth, orzo, and spices. Stir to combine.
- Cover the pan with a lid and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan. (Tip: You can microwave your broth before adding it to the pan to speed up cooking time) Cook for 6 minutes covered, then remove cover and cook for an additional 2 minutes.
- Stir in the milk and cheeses. Stir over low heat for one to two minutes more until heated through.
- Serve immediately.
Video
I loved this! It’s great for leftovers too!
Has anyone made this recipe dairy free?
I personally haven’t tried it, but I think dairy free cheese and almond milk would work!
It was delicious and quick and easy to make. Loved the veggies in it and the flavour was great.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious!! Even my son who is a picky eater approved. He like broccoli so I was looking for recipes with broccoli on TikTok and this showed up. It will definitely be a repeat recipe. 10/10 recommend you try it.
This was delicious, u know it’s gonna be good when you add that many spices! The only thing I did differently was removed the chicken when I cooked the orzo and veggies, my chicken was already done and didn’t wanna over cook it with the orzo, just added it in at the end. Chefs kiss! 💋