Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach (30-Minutes, ONE-PAN)

Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach is a 30-minute one-pan well-balanced weeknight meal that has everything: protein, veggies, and pasta! Skinless boneless chicken thighs are pan-seared with paprika and Italian seasoning. It's the perfect comfort food that will surely become one of your family's favorite dinners! My other favorite quick and easy orzo pasta recipes are pesto chicken orzo with tomatoes and reader-favorite Tuscan shrimp orzo.

Ingredients

Chicken

1.3 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs

1 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon salt or to taste

2 tablespoons olive oil

Mushrooms

1 tablespoon olive oil

8 oz baby bella mushrooms or crimini

salt and pepper

Creamy orzo

1 cup orzo uncooked

2 cups chicken broth or stock

5 cloves garlic minced

½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence

½ teaspoon paprika or more

¼ teaspoon salt or more to taste

5 oz fresh spinach

½ cup heavy cream

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes or more to taste

Instructions

Cook chicken

Season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt.

Heat an empty, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat through.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. This allows the chicken to sear.

Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it's cooked through.

The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Cook mushrooms

Add sliced mushrooms, generously seasoned with salt and pepper, to the same, now empty, skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes (flipping once) until lightly browned and softened. Remove half of the cooked mushrooms from the skillet to a plate.

Make creamy orzo

Add uncooked orzo, chicken broth, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the same skillet with half of the cooked mushrooms.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (medium-low) and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan until the orzo is cooked through.

Add fresh spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking the orzo.

Add ½ cup of cream. Stir everything on low-medium - do not bring the sauce to a boil.

Season with salt and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Assembly

Stir in the remaining half of cooked mushrooms.

Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Reheat gently on low heat.