Creamy Rooster Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach is a 30-minute one-pan well-balanced weeknight meal that has every little thing: protein, veggies, and pasta! Skinless boneless hen thighs are pan-seared with paprika and Italian seasoning. It is the right consolation meals that may certainly grow to be certainly one of your loved ones’s favourite dinners! My different favourite fast and straightforward orzo pasta recipes are pesto hen orzo with tomatoes and reader-favorite Tuscan shrimp orzo.
30-minute one-pan meal
When you’re searching for fast and straightforward recipes so as to add to your dinner rotation, this scrumptious creamy hen orzo with mushrooms and spinach is a must-try. Despite the fact that it takes solely half-hour from begin to end, the ultimate dish seems to be and tastes like an entree from a fine-dining Italian restaurant. It is a successful combo of substances: skinless boneless hen breasts, orzo pasta, spinach, mushrooms, and cream. The seasonings are spot on – paprika, Italian seasoning, garlic, and pink pepper flakes.
I hope you do this one-pot 30-minute pasta recipe – it would grow to be your new favourite consolation meals, particularly through the colder winter months! For extra hen orzo dinner inspiration, take a look at these 2 scrumptious recipes:
- Rooster Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, and Basil Pesto
- Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo with Sausage
Primary substances
- Rooster – I used skinless boneless hen thighs. They’re tremendous straightforward and forgiving to prepare dinner. You may as well use skinless, boneless hen breasts or hen tenderloins.
- Orzo is an Italian pasta that’s formed and appears like lengthy rice.
- Mushrooms. I used contemporary child Bella mushrooms. Different good choices are crimini, white mushrooms, portobello, or shiitake.
- Spinach is full of vitamins and antioxidants. It’s excessive in fiber and a superb supply of many nutritional vitamins and minerals. Spinach is a good supply of nutritional vitamins A and C, in addition to folic acid, iron, and calcium. I used contemporary spinach – it’s also possible to use frozen spinach – thawed and drained of any liquid. Or, use kale as a substitute.
- Seasonings embrace paprika, Italian seasoning, minced garlic, salt, and pink pepper flakes.
- Cream. I used solely ½ cup of heavy cream so as to add a contact of creaminess to the hen orzo.
- Olive oil is for sauteeing mushrooms.
- Rooster broth is used to prepare dinner the orzo. You may as well use vegetable or beef broth (or inventory). Or, even water if do not have hen inventory accessible.
Cooking Suggestions
- Use a high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet reminiscent of a cast-iron skillet or a good-quality stainless-steel pan. It will assist keep away from the burn spots and can guarantee even cooking with out meals getting caught to the underside of the pan.
- Scale back energy by utilizing chopped cauliflower or cauliflower rice as a substitute of orzo.
- You should utilize both heavy cream or half-and-half – each work equally effectively!
- Toppings. When serving, you possibly can add grated Parmesan cheese, pink pepper flakes, contemporary herbs, or cracked black pepper to the creamy hen orzo.
Tips on how to make it gluten-free
Gluten-free orzo is on the market on-line or in some grocery shops. Simply make certain to verify the label. You may as well use jasmine or basmati rice. All different substances are naturally gluten-free.
Tips on how to make it dairy-free
Use unsweetened coconut milk, oat, or almond milk as a substitute of cream.
Storage and reheating ideas
- Fridge. Retailer the leftovers in an hermetic container within the fridge for as much as 2 days.
- Freezer. I do not advocate freezing this, as cream-based sauces are inclined to separate when you thaw them.
- Reheat the refrigerated leftovers in a microwave oven in 30-second increments. Take away, stir, and style. Don’t overheat or the sauce will separate and switch into grease. Reheat for 30 additional seconds or extra, if wanted.
- Reheat on the stovetop. I like to recommend reheating this creamy hen orzo on the stovetop for the very best outcomes. After being refrigerated, the creamy orzo sauce will thicken. Reheat it slowly, over low-medium warmth in a high-sided skillet on the stovetop. Don’t overheat and don’t carry to a boil – or the sauce will separate and switch greasy. When utilizing this technique, add a small quantity of heavy cream, half-and-half, milk, or broth to skinny out the sauce when reheating.
Variations, substitutions, and add-ins
- Veggies. Add your favourite veggies. My favorites are arugula, kale, asparagus, broccoli, and bell peppers (along with spinach and mushrooms).
- Heavy cream or half-and-half – both works high-quality.
- Sprinkle with freshly grated cheese: Parmesan, Asiago, Gruyere, or Pecorino Romano.
- Add different toppings, reminiscent of contemporary herbs (basil, thyme, or oregano), chopped inexperienced onions, or chopped chives.
- Make it spicy. Purple pepper flakes will add warmth and taste! Use these sparingly to style in order that they do not overwhelm the dish.
What sides to serve with this meal?
- Retailer-bought or home made bread. Serve it with a slice of heat Italian bread, garlic bread, or olive bread loaf. Baguette or sourdough bread may also be scrumptious.
- Salad suggestions. Contemporary salad could be an effective way to chop the richness of this creamy hen orzo. do this easy spinach salad with pine nuts and Parmesan or cranberry spinach salad with cashews and goat cheese. Or, pair this pasta dish with the colourful and easy-to-make arugula salad with apples, cranberries, and pecans or fruit-packed arugula salad with pears, apples, cashews, and home made balsamic French dressing.
Different orzo recipes you may like
- Creamy Shrimp Orzo with Spinach, Artichokes, and Solar-Dried Tomatoes
- Rooster Orzo with Cherry Tomatoes, Spinach, and Basil Pesto
- Greek Shrimp Orzo with Tomatoes and Feta
- Lemon Shrimp Orzo with Asparagus
- Creamy Rooster Orzo with Butternut Squash and Spinach
- Italian Sausage Orzo Soup with Spinach and Portobello Mushrooms
- Creamy Butternut Squash Orzo with Sausage
Creamy Rooster Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach (30-Minutes, ONE-PAN)
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Elements
Rooster
- 1.3 lb skinless boneless hen thighs
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon salt or to style
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Mushrooms
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 8 oz child bella mushrooms or crimini
- salt and pepper
Creamy orzo
- 1 cup orzo raw
- 2 cups hen broth or inventory
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- ½ teaspoon Italian seasoning or Herbs from Provence
- ½ teaspoon paprika or extra
- ¼ teaspoon salt or extra to style
- 5 oz contemporary spinach
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ¼ teaspoon pink pepper flakes or extra to style
Directions
Prepare dinner hen
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Season the hen thighs with Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt.
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Warmth an empty, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (reminiscent of a cast-iron or stainless-steel pan) over medium warmth for two minutes. This permits the skillet to warmth by way of.
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Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add hen thighs. Prepare dinner the hen on medium warmth for five minutes on one facet, undisturbed. This permits the hen to sear.
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Flip the hen thighs over, scale back warmth to low-medium, and prepare dinner for about 5 extra minutes or longer on the opposite facet, with out shifting it, till it is cooked by way of.
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The meat thermometer ought to register 165°F (74°C) within the thickest a part of the hen. Take away the hen from the skillet.
Prepare dinner mushrooms
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Add sliced mushrooms, generously seasoned with salt and pepper, to the identical, now empty, skillet. Prepare dinner on medium warmth for about 2 minutes (flipping as soon as) till evenly browned and softened. Take away half of the cooked mushrooms from the skillet to a plate.
Make creamy orzo
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Add raw orzo, hen broth, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the identical skillet with half of the cooked mushrooms.
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Deliver to a boil, then scale back to a simmer (medium-low) and prepare dinner for about 5 or 10 minutes, sometimes stirring to forestall the orzo from sticking to the underside of the pan till the orzo is cooked by way of.
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Add contemporary spinach over the last 5 minutes of cooking the orzo.
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Add ½ cup of cream. Stir every little thing on low-medium – don’t carry the sauce to a boil.
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Season with salt and pink pepper flakes, if desired.
Meeting
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Stir within the remaining half of cooked mushrooms.
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Return cooked hen to the skillet. Reheat gently on low warmth.
Notes
- Make it DAIRY-FREE utilizing unsweetened coconut milk (full-fat or lite), oat, or almond milk as a substitute of ½ cup of cream.
- Make it GLUTEN-FREE utilizing GF orzo or long-grain rice with comparable cooking instances (or regulate cooking instances and liquid quantities).
- You should utilize half-and-half as a substitute of heavy cream to lighten it up.