This one-pot chicken, spinach and artichoke orzo bake is such an easy and delicious comfort food recipe. It’s creamy, cheesy and loaded with savoury flavours. Make this baked orzo recipe once and you’ll want to make it time and time again. It’s that good.
If you love the flavours of spinach artichoke dip, then chances are you’ll enjoy this chicken, spinach and artichoke orzo bake too.
It’s creamy, cheesy, hearty and so cozy and delicious. Besides tasting great, this baked orzo recipe requires minimal fuss because a lot of the work is done by the oven (yay!).
Fan of orzo recipes? Check out this lemon chicken orzo soup with spinach! It’s so satisfying on a chilly day.
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- Butter: Use salted or unsalted, whatever you prefer.
- Veggies: Includes onion, garlic, spinach and artichokes.
- Orzo: Orzo is a type of pasta that is around the same size as a grain of rice (though it’s definitely not rice). You can usually find it in the grocery store right alongside other varieties of pasta.
- Cooked chicken: Store-bought rotisserie chicken is a great time-saver in this recipe. You can use a combination of white or dark meat (or one or the other). If you prefer to prepare your own chicken, that’s okay too.
- Seasoning: Includes salt, black pepper, ground nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Chicken broth: I prefer to use a lower sodium chicken broth. Veggie broth would also work.
- Heavy cream: Also known as “whipping cream” adds richness to the baked orzo.
- Cheese: This recipe calls for two types of cheese: mozzarella and Parmesan. Mozzarella is nice and melty, while the Parmesan adds more of a savoury, salty component. Some of the mozzarella cheese is mixed into the orzo partway through baking, then more is added to the top when the Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs are added. End result? Cheesy orzo deliciousness!
- Panko bread crumbs: Hello crunch factor! Just a little goes a long way. You can toast them prior to topping the orzo if you want to add extra golden brown colour to the finished dish.
How To Make Orzo Bake
Here is an overview of how to make this recipe for baked orzo (full details are in the recipe card below):
- In an oven-safe sauté pan, cook some onion in a little olive oil and butter until softened, then add garlic and cook until it’s nice and fragrant (already, you’re home will start to smell amazing).
- Stir in baby spinach (it’ll look like a lot at first, but it wilts down quite a bit).
- Stir in orzo, artichokes, cooked chicken, seasoning, broth and heavy cream. Bring that to a gentle simmer (you basically just want to warm through the broth and cream).
- Transfer the pan to a preheated oven and bake until the orzo is cooked and most (but not quite all) of the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in some shredded mozzarella cheese.
- Top with more mozzarella cheese, Parmesan cheese and panko bread crumbs, then bake again just until the cheese has melted.
Tip
When stirring in the mozzarella cheese, if you feel like the orzo mixture is too dry (and not as loose and creamy as you would like it), you can certainly stir in another little bit of chicken broth or heavy cream. Remember, it’s best to add a little at a time because you can always add more, but it’s difficult to take away.
What To Serve With It
You don’t need much else to serve with this one-pot baked orzo recipe, but if you’re feeling like some sides to serve with it, go for it! Some of my favourites are:
- Garden salad
- Roasted broccoli
- Garlic bread
Leftovers and Reheating
I love this baked orzo freshly made. That’s when it’s most creamy. However, if you do find yourself with leftovers, you can properly store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator to enjoy within 2 to 3 days (assuming the chicken you used has been freshly prepared).
Leftovers can be reheated in a microwave-safe dish on 45-second intervals until heated through.
Alternatively, you can reheat leftovers in a frying pan on the stovetop over medium heat (though it takes a little longer, this reheating method yields better results than the microwave). Once the leftovers are added to the frying pan, I also like to add a splash of water or chicken broth just to add some moisture back to the orzo. Heat it through, stirring occasionally. When I do opt for this method to reheat, I actually stir the topping (the bread crumb mixture) back through the orzo.
Tips
- Mix up the protein: Try cooked turkey instead of cooked chicken if you want to mix things up.
- Add more protein: I use ½ pound of cooked chicken for this recipe. You can certainly add another ½ pound or so if you want to make things more substantial.
- Save time: I used meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make this baked orzo recipe. Those are super convenient! If you want to cook some chicken yourself, though, go for it!
- Baking tip: Once the chicken broth and cream are added to the pan before baking, you want to make sure that the orzo is nicely submerged in the liquid.
- Best freshly made: While not as loose and cheesy as baked mac and cheese, this baked orzo will firm up a little as it cools. It best enjoyed freshly made (though leftovers can easily be reheated).
More Comfort Food Recipes
If you try this chicken, spinach and artichoke orzo bake, be sure to leave a comment below!
Chicken, Spinach and Artichoke Orzo Bake
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (5-ounce) package baby spinach, about ⅓ pound
- 2 cups uncooked orzo pasta, about 12 ounces or ¾ pound
- 1 (14-ounce) can whole artichoke hearts in water, drained and roughly chopped (about 1.5 cups)
- ½ pound cooked chicken, cut into bite-sized pieces (about 3 cups)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3.5 cups chicken broth, I used a reduced sodium variety
- ½ cup heavy cream (whipping cream)
- 1.5 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish if desired
- ¼ cup panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit for use shortly.
- Meanwhile, heat olive oil and butter in a 12-inch oven-safe sauté pan.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Stir in baby spinach. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes or just until the spinach starts to wilt (it will look like a lot a first but will wilt quite a bit).
- Stir in uncooked orzo, artichokes and cooked chicken, then season with salt, black pepper, ground nutmeg and crushed red pepper flakes.
- Stir in chicken broth and heavy cream. Make sure all of the orzo is submerged in the liquid. Bring to a gentle simmer.
- Transfer the pan to the oven and bake (uncovered) for 15 to 20 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and most of the liquid is absorbed (there should still be a little bit of liquid remaining).
- Carefully remove the pan from the oven and stir in ½ cup of mozzarella cheese.Tip: If you feel like it's too dry, you can certainly stir in another little bit of chicken broth or heavy cream. Remember, it's best to add a little at a time because you can always add more, but it's difficult to take away.
- Top with the remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese and the Parmesan cheese, then sprinkle over the panko bread crumbs.
- Carefully place the pan back into the oven and continue to bake for another 8 to 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.
- Serve the baked orzo, garnishing each portion with grated Parmesan cheese (if desired). Enjoy! Yields about 5 to 6 servings.
Notes
- Mix up the protein: Try cooked turkey instead of cooked chicken if you want to mix things up.
- Add more protein: I use ½ pound of cooked chicken for this recipe. You can certainly add another ½ pound or so if you want to make things more substantial.
- Save time: I used meat from a store-bought rotisserie chicken to make this baked orzo recipe. Those are super convenient! If you want to cook some chicken yourself, though, go for it!
- Baking tip: Once the chicken broth and cream are added to the pan before baking, you want to make sure that the orzo is nicely submerged in the liquid.
- Best freshly made: While not as loose and cheesy as baked mac and cheese, this baked orzo will firm up a little as it cools. It best enjoyed freshly made (though leftovers can easily be reheated).
A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
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