One Pot French Onion Orzo with Chicken
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This easy One Pot French Onion Orzo with chicken recipe is a delicious spin on the classic french onion soup! Simple, tasty, and high-protein!
We love to take classic recipes and put a healthier spin on them while making them easy to make and meal prep.
French onion soup is one of our favorite indulgent soups, so we took all the spices and flavors from this and turned it into a one pot orzo recipe that is packed with protein and delicious caramelized onions.
One pot orzo recipes (like broccoli cheddar, red pepper, and one pot chicken orzo) are simple and only use a few ingredients, and make clean up and prep quick and easy.
It’s also great for meal prep—just store it in airtight containers in the fridge. Make a double batch and enjoy it all week for easy lunches or dinners that reheat so well!
Looking for other healthy one pot recipes? Here are a few of our favorites: Buffalo Chicken and Rice, Chicken Parmesan Pasta, and Beef Butternut Squash.
liz’s top tips for french onion orzo
- Leave your chicken out at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before cooking. Placing cold chicken into a hot pan prolongs the cooking time and does not allow you to get that nice golden brown crust.
- When olive oil just begins to shimmer in a pan, it’s the perfect temperature to add protein into and get a nice sear and golden brown exterior.
- Save some time: Ask your local butcher at the supermarket to cube the chicken for you in advance and save some prep time. Prep the onions, garlic, and cube the chicken the day before, to cut your prep time in half! Heat your chicken stock up in the microwave in advance of adding to the pot, this helps speed up the orzo cooking process.
Ingredients:
Substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute avocado oil, butter, or ghee.
Butter: Butter adds a bit of richness to this recipe. You can substitute with olive oil if necessary.
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.
Onions: Yellow onions are highly recommended for this recipe, we don’t recommend substituting with white onions or red onions as the flavor will totally change.
Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce is recommended for this recipe but you could try to substitute for coconut aminos or soy sauce, the flavor profile may not be the same.
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. Another short grain pasta like ditalini may work, but I can’t be sure without trying! We also love this one pot French Onion Pasta.
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.
Cheese: Gruyere cheese is the traditional cheese for french onion soup but we use a mixture of mozzarella and asiago which give a similar flavor and texture. You can also use a mixture of parmesan, provolone, swiss, or fontina.
Spices: Bay Leaves, dried thyme, salt and pepper are the spices we recommend for this recipe and there are not too many adjustments that we would recommend.
More Veggies: Add some frozen spinach or peas for some added veggies in this recipe.
How to Make French Onion Orzo
- Heat olive oil in a pan. Cook cubed chicken for 5-7 minutes. Remove and set aside in a small bowl.
- Lower heat to medium, add butter to the pan with chopped onions and garlic, and cook uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Stir in ¼ cup chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for another 5-10 minutes. Stir in orzo and spices, allowing the orzo to toast for 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds.
- Add cooked chicken and chicken stock to the pot. Cover and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the orzo does not stick to the bottom.
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard. Add your shredded cheese to the pot and stir together until it’s melted into the sauce, serve and enjoy!
What to Serve with this Recipe:
This One Pot French Onion and Chicken Orzo is a complete meal as is, but if you are looking for some extra veggies, be sure to try these recipes:
Storage
Storing: This french onion chicken orzo will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container.
Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing pasta. It can get mushy when frozen and reheated.
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove. Add a little extra water or chicken broth when reheating to bring back some of that creamy texture.
Other healthy one pot dinner recipes:
Want more easy meals? Check out these Healthy Dinner Recipes. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
One Pot French Onion Orzo with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1.5 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in small 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon garlic minced
- 4 cups thinly sliced onions (3 medium sized onions) 1/4 inch thick, cut into half moons
- ¼ cup chicken stock for deglazing the pan
- 2 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 3 bay leaves
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 ¼ cup shredded cheese 3/4 cup mozzarella and 1/2 cup asiago
Instructions
- Remove the chicken from the packaging and cube chicken in 1/2 inch pieces by cutting into even strips and slicing on a cutting board.
- Heat olive oil in a pan over medium high heat for 2-3 minutes or until the oil begins to shimmer.
- Cook cubed chicken on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes or until golden brown. (If there is some excess liquid released during the cooking process of the chicken, remove some of the liquid by placing a few paper towels in the bottom of the pan and discarding. Removing some of the liquid will allow for a nice golden brown exterior on the chicken.)
- While the chicken is cooking, chop your onions and garlic and measure out the spices.
- Remove the cooked chicken from the pan and set aside in a small bowl. Lower the heat to medium.
- Add the butter to the pan with chopped onions and garlic, stir together with a spatula.
- Cook the onions and garlic uncovered for 5 minutes.
- Add ¼ cup of chicken stock and Worcestershire sauce to the pot, stir together and scrape the bottom of the pan to remove any bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the onions start to get dark and caramelized.
- Add the orzo, bay leaves, salt, pepper, and dried thyme to the pan and stir together, allowing the orzo to toast gently for about 2 minutes, stirring every 30 seconds. So it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Add the cooked chicken and chicken stock to the pot. Cover the pot and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently so the orzo does not stick to the bottom. (about every 2 minutes)
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot and discard.
- Add your shredded cheese to the pot and stir together until it’s melted into the sauce, serve and enjoy!
My husband and I really like this recipe. It was different than anything I’ve ever had before. I will recommend it to anybody who likes onions. And I will definitely make it again. Great recipe!
Thank you! This was delicious! Great for a little meal prep for single folks.
This was amazing! Will definitely be making again! Thank you
This is sooo tasty!
I just made this for dinner and it was SO good. Will be adding it to my dinner rotation from now on.
Oh my word. Amazing. Littles kiddo said to give it a star and an A+! We will absolutely make this again. Wow.
This recipe was super delicious! My husband and I enjoyed and savored every bite! Looking forward to the leftovers tonight. Your recipes are always superb!
Made this the other night, it was so delicious and super easy. Flavors blend so well together and the best part is it cooks all in one pan. Your site is always my first stop when looking for a recipe, everything is always delicious and easy. Thank you!!
Made this recipe for the first time and it was delicious!
Easy to make and even liked the asparagus with this!
I love all your recipes. I made this the other night and it was so delicious, just like all of them. So easy and I love how you turned it into a chicken dish!
We love LOVE this recipe. It’s a huge hit with even our sometimes selective eating kiddos. Plus the cleanup is minimal; always a plus in our busy house!
I LOVE this meal. I make a big batch at the beginning of the week because my husband and I love it so much. We could have it for dinner every night.
This recipe is amazing. I added extra seasoning (double) because we like our food extra flavorful and it was sooo good. Think French onion soup meets pasta. I made broccoli florets on the side and it was the perfect compliment. Definitely adding this to our regular rotation. Great job, guys!
Ps. Love all your photography too! 😘
We recently tried the One Pot French Onion Orzo With Chicken, and honestly, it blew us away! If we could give it more than 5 stars, we absolutely would. Every bite was like a warm hug on a cold winter day.
The flavors were hearty and satisfying, perfect for a cozy meal when the temperatures drop. The dish was beautifully balanced – rich, comforting, and just the right level of seasoning. Our 5-year-old even loved it and asked for it to be made again because it was so yummy!
The texture was also spot on – everything was cooked to perfection, leaving us feeling full without feeling heavy. It’s the kind of meal that makes you want to curl up by the fire with a big bowl.
This is now a family favorite, and we’ll definitely be making it again. If you’re looking for a meal to warm you up and bring everyone to the table, this is the one!
So glad you all enjoyed it 🙂
SO good! Everyone in my family gobbled it up! I love that it’s all made in one pan too!