Quick and delicious Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus that can be on your dinner table in only 30 minutes! Cheesy, creamy, delicious goodness!
This creamy, cheesy, Parmesan orzo is my kind of dish and the kind of dish I could have every single night for lunch or dinner. What’s not to like? You’ve got your proteins, your veggies, and my favorite part, the Parmesan orzo.
This dish is everything. This is all I need to be a happy girl.
But you know what’s great about this Parmesan orzo? Is how easy it is to make and how quick. Orzo takes only about 10 minutes to cook! And yes, orzo is a pasta, not rice as some may think. But this dish could be made with rice as well, it will just take a little bit longer to cook.
Orzo is perfect for when you want a quick dinner, or a quick side dish and don’t want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, because who does? As much as I love cooking, I still always look for quick and easy meals. Baking on the other hand, is a different story which I’ll leave for another time.
Give this Parmesan Orzo with Chicken a try, you’ll love it!
More Delicious Recipes To Try
- Easy Alfredo Pasta
- Cheesy Taco Pasta
- Asian Style Pepper Steak
- No Knead 1 Hour Cinnamon Rolls
- Sheet Pan Sausage And Veggies
- Pesto Chicken And Veggies
- Skillet Pizza Pesto Orzo
Craving More? Follow Along:
Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast boneless and skinless (about 3)
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon paprika
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 cup asparagus chopped
- 1 large onion chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cups orzo uncooked
- 2 cups half and half
- 3 cups chicken broth low sodium, or water
- 1½ cups Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 tablespoon parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt, pepper and paprika on both sides.
- In a large skillet heat the 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for about 5 minutes per side, or until golden brown and cooked through. Depending on the thickness of your chicken you might need longer time. Transfer the chicken to a warm plate; set aside.
- In the same skillet add the asparagus and saute for about 3 minutes, just until it starts to soften and starts to brown a bit. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- In the same skillet add the onion and garlic and saute for about 3 minutes until the onion is translucent and the garlic becomes aromatic. Add more olive oil if needed.
- Add the orzo to the skillet and saute for just one minute, to get it a little toasted, this will give it a nutty flavor. Add the half and half, chicken broth and stir.
- Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to a medium-low, cover with lid and let it cook for 10 minutes.
- Remove the lid and stir in the Parmesan cheese. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
- Add the asparagus back and stir it in. Slice the chicken into thin slices. You can either add it to the skillet and stir it in, or as seen in the photos, arrange over the orzo.
- Garnish with more Parmesan cheese if preferred, and parsley. Serve warm.
Video
Tips & Notes:
- Half and half is equal parts whole milk and light cream and it usually averages 10 to 12% fat, which is usually less than light cream.
- This dish is quite versatile. Add more nutrition to it by adding in more veggies such as spinach, broccoli, mushrooms or peas.
Pip says
This was delicious! I added Mushrooms when I added the onions and garlic. I also doubled the asparagus and only used 2 chicken breast to have itt more veggie forward. I took someone else’s advise and used a little white wine and fat free half and half to make it less caloric. And plenty of leftovers for lunches tomorrow.
Joanna Cismaru says
Glad you liked it!
Jami says
Any thoughts on adding white wine and decreasing the chicken broth? When would you add the wine?
Thanks
Joanna Cismaru says
I wouldn’t substitute it completely but maybe 1/4 cup of it and add it after cooking the onion for 3 minutes. Add the wine and cook for a couple minutes until most of it evaporates.
Ann says
I followed the recipe exactly, except replaced the half and half with fat free half and half. It was still delicious! Thank you, my family loved it.
Alice Fjeldal says
Absolutely delicious! Didn’t have the asparagus so replaced it with spinach. My 21 year old son loved it and took the leftovers back to college with him! He even asked for the recipe! Now I’d consider that a glowing recommendation
Joanna Cismaru says
Wow that’s so great! Happy you guys enjoyed this!
Dana Pasetta says
My family loved this!! I replaced the asparagus with broccoli and added sausage with the chicken. They ate every bite and wanted me to make it again tonight. Thank you for sharing!!
Joanna Cismaru says
My pleasure! Glad you guys enjoyed dit!
Kathy says
This was absolutely delicious!! I used broccoli as that is what I had on hand. After cooking put into a casserole dish and baked. Delicious and will make again!!
Joanna Cismaru says
So happy you liked it!
Jenn says
This recipe is delicious & our whole family loves it! I cook the asparagus with a little lemon juice in the skillet which gives a little zing in all that creamy goodness. I made this for a meal train for a family whose father passed last week & received a message of how delicious it was. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Joanna Cismaru says
Thanks, Jenn! So glad you guys enjoyed this recipe!!
Sherry says
Just came across this recipe and I can’t wait to make it. Looks Delicious! What pan did you use? It looks like a great pan from oven to table.
Joanna Cismaru says
It’s a Le Creuset brainer, you can find it here: https://amzn.to/2SNsxfQ
Sarah says
This was the bomb! I didn’t have asparagus so I used long green beans instead. I also used the thin sliced chicken breast from the store instead of regular breasts only because they cook faster. Otherwise I followed the recipe exactly. Next time I’ll have to see if I can double the recipe to have leftovers for lunch the next day!
Heather says
This is a delicious recipe to add to our cooking nights! I used Alfredo sauce instead of the half and half as I had leftover Alfredo in the fridge. For some reason, half and half is also hard to find in my area!
We also had zucchini that needed to be used so we used this instead of the asparagus. It was delicious but also interested in trying with spinach or asparagus.
Made four servings and only a tiny bit leftover. Between our 17-year old and my husband, not much leftover! And for someone that doesn’t enjoy leftovers, I would have been interested in taking to work tomorrow. Thanks for a great recipe!
The only downside is the amount of cleanup from auger-omg the chicken and zucchini. The stove was a mess!
Edgar says
This was really good. It was a hit with the kids as well. I substituted asparagus for broccoli. Will be adding this one to my favorites.
Amanda says
Can you replace the orzo with rice?
Nicole Beaulieu says
You can, but you’ll need to adjust to amount of liquid to suit the type and brand of rice you’re using. Use the package as a guide!
Claudia Watkins says
Made this tonight. It was over the top good. Will definitely make again.
Cara says
I made the orzo in a separate pan to cut down on cooking time and only used 2 cups of chicken stock. It turned out great and is a recipe we all loved and want to keep in the rotation
Andrea says
I added lemon juice to asparagus as it was cooking and dried theyme to sauce while cooking orzo. Lemon cuts the richness nicely. Family loved it!