One Pot Chicken Marsala Orzo
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Chicken Marsala Orzo is made in one pot in under an hour. Secretly healthy, high protein and absolutely delicious!
This easy one-pot chicken marsala orzo recipe has all of the delicious flavors of a traditional chicken marsala with no butter or cream!
The chicken, mushrooms, marsala wine, and orzo cook in one pot and get tossed with parmesan cheese to create an easy weeknight meal that comes together in just 45 minutes.
This is another traditional Italian dish that we modified to make easier and healthier. If you’re looking for other lighter Italian dishes, take a look at our healthy pasta fagioli, healthy baked chicken parm, or this healthy chicken piccata recipe.
Tyler’s Tips for the Best One Pot Chicken Marsala Orzo
- Slice the mushrooms thin so they take less time to cook and release moisture; this will help speed up the cook time and make for tender, flavorful mushrooms.
- Make sure to cut the chicken into small pieces
ingredients
substitutions
Olive Oil: You could use avocado oil or beef tallow, but we really recommend extra virgin olive oil.
Chicken Breasts: You can substitute with boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenders but we like the texture of the chicken breasts the best. We have not tried this with cubed pork tenderloin or pork chops, but that may also work.
Mushrooms: Baby bella mushrooms, also known as crimini mushrooms, are ideal for this recipe but portobello mushrooms could be an easy substitute for this if needed.
Onions and Garlic: Dried onions and garlic can be used in place of fresh; 1 teaspoon of each if needed.
Marsala Wine: The marsala wine really gives this dish the traditional marsala flavor, so we don’t recommend substituting it unless you can’t locate this item or you can’t have any alcohol. It can be omitted, but the marsala flavor will be lacking; white wine can also be used in place.
Orzo: Dried orzo is great for this recipe, but other pasta shapes like ditalini and orecchiette can work too. Swap the orzo for brown rice or white rice to make this gluten-free.
Broth: Any broth or stock (broth and stock are the same) can be used in any soup recipe. Beef Broth, Chicken Broth, or vegetable broth all work interchangeably. I always use low or no salt broth.
Parsley: Fresh parsley adds some fresh flavor and brightness to this dish, but a teaspoon of dried parsley can be used in place of it.
Parmesan Cheese: The Parmesan cheese stirred into the dish is delicious, but substitute asiago cheese or even mozzarella for some different textures and flavors.
How to Make Chicken Marsala Orzo
- Season chicken pieces with salt and pepper, then brown in oil over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, then set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add mushrooms, onions, and garlic, and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add the marsala wine and cook for another 3 minutes.
- Stir in the cooked chicken, chicken stock, and dried orzo, cover and cook over medium low for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in chopped parsley and Parmesan, then serve.
What to Serve with Chicken Marsala Orzo
We love adding a side of green beans or this healthy zucchini tomato bake!
You could also serve this with a spinach strawberry salad or some bread!
storage
Storing: These leftovers will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing this recipe as pasta gets mushy when reheated.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove. You may need to add a little more chicken broth when reheating on the stove.
other One Pot recipes:
One Pot Chicken Marsala Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in ¼ inch cubes
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups thinly sliced baby bella mushrooms
- ½ cup minced onion
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ¼ cup marsala wine
- 1 ¾ cup low sodium chicken stock
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- ¼ cup Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Cut chicken into ¼ inch square pieces. Season with black pepper and salt.
- In a large sauté pan, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat.
- Add the chicken to the pan and let it cook for 10 minutes until the chicken is brown on the exterior. Make sure to stir occasionally to brown all sides.
- While the chicken is cooking, chop the mushrooms, onions and garlic.
- Once the chicken has browned, remove it from the pot and set aside in a bowl.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add mushrooms, onions and garlic to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until soft and translucent. If you need to add a splash of oil to the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, go for it!
- Add the marsala wine and cook for another 3 minutes or until most of the liquid has evaporated.
- Add the cooked chicken, chicken stock, and dried orzo to the pot and stir.
- Cover the pot and cook over medium low heat for 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to make sure the orzo does not stick to the bottom of the pot
- After 10 minutes, the orzo should be fully cooked.
- Stir in chopped parsley and Parmesan.
Notes
Slicing the mushrooms thinly allows the cook time to speed up and the moisture to be released.
Quick and easy meal for a busy weeknight.
This recipe was so good! I doubled it directly as written. Most importantly it came together quickly and in one pot! Thank you 🙂
Delicious, quick easy recipe! I will definitely make it again!
What would be a substitute for the wine?
All of our blog posts have a green substitutions box where we cover this: The marsala wine really gives this dish the traditional marsala flavor, so we don’t recommend substituting it unless you can’t locate this item or you can’t have any alcohol. It can be omitted, but the marsala flavor will be lacking; white wine can also be used in place.