Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken and Orzo

When all else fails, just pull out a chicken and orzo recipe!  These will always put a smile on Jim’s face.  Tender pasta, juicy chicken breasts, with a heap of flavour and even a bit of kick.

This is one of those weekday meals that you will turn to again and again.  And because this recipe uses chicken breasts, it comes together so quickly.  The longest part of the recipe is cooking the orzo.

How to Prepare the Chicken Breasts

To feed four, you will need about 1 1/2 lbs (680 grams) of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  This should give you four average sized breasts that will feed everyone comfortably.  Of course, if the ones you purchase are a bit larger, no worries.

*ps: I’m showing it here with only two breasts, since this time around it was just Jim and I! Sometimes I will make the entire recipe of chicken, and use the leftovers for chicken salad etc, but not this time.

The key to quick even cooking of chicken breasts, is ensuring that the breasts are all an even thickness.  The top part of the breast is usually the thickest, ending in a thinner point.  All you will  need to do is lay the breasts between wax paper on a cutting board and use a meat mallet (or rolling pin) and pound the thicker part to flatten down to match the thinner part of the breast. But don’t feel like you need to pull out a ruler!! If the breasts are unusually thick, feel free to slice in half first by holding your hand flat down on the breast and cutting through the middle of the breast parallel to the cutting board.

Prepare the Orzo

First of all, you will use 2 ounces (57 grams) of pasta per person, or in this case, 8 ounces (227 grams). Many recipes will ask you to boil up 3 quarts (12 cups) of water for 1 1/2 cups (8 oz) of orzo.  I think this is a waste, way too much water, and takes longer to come to a boil.  Plus, the luscious pasta water that you will reserve will be completely diluted if you unnecessarily use too much water. I find that 8 cups is plenty.  We are not making orzotto where the liquid should be completely absorbed by the time the orzo is tender.  You want some leftover pasta water, just in case for later on in the recipe.  

The next tip for flavourful orzo: use chicken stock for all or part of the water for cooking the pasta.  If you don’t have any chicken stock on hand, this is a great time to pull out my Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder.  It will make all the difference in the final flavour of the pasta, giving it a creamy, rich, slightly savory flavour.

When the pasta is al dente (10-11 minutes, depending on the brand of pasta you are using), you will drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 to 3/4 cup of the pasta water. Do not rinse the pasta.  This washes away the natural coating that any sauce can then cling to when the pasta is tossed in any sauce you may be serving.  The only time you will rinse orzo is when you are serving it cold in a salad.  Rinsing it will keep it from sticking and not absorbing the dressing.  If you don’t rinse it, it will result in a dry salad, but with over cooked pasta.

Sautéing the Chicken

When the orzo is about half way cooked, you will start the chicken.  Heat a large skillet and add olive oil.  Season the chicken with Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper.  Sear them on one side for about four minutes, till golden brown and releases easily (don’t try moving the chicken breasts before that crust has developed or else you will just end up tearing the meat from the bottom of the pan)  Turn and sear the other side till cooked through, about four minutes.  Remove to a plate. 

Deglaze the pan with white wine.  You can use chicken stock if you want.  I do find that wine adds a brightness.  If you just don’t want to use wine, make sure you add some freshly squeezed lemon to the stock after it has loosened up the fond (all those lovely brown bits) at the bottom of the pan. Add butter, garlic and chili flakes to the pan and sauté the garlic till aromatic. Taste and re-season if needed. Remover three tablespoons of the ‘sauce’ to pour over the chicken.  Leave the remaining sauce in the pan. Take it off the heat if needed, until you are ready to add the pasta to the pan.

Sauce the Orzo

Add the drained orzo to the skillet, place it back on the heat and toss in garlic sauce. Let the pasta warm through and soak up some of the sauce. Add as much of the reserved pasta water that you would like depending on how creamy you want the orzo to be.  Sometimes I like it more flakey and light, and other times I like it more soupy, it just depends on the day!

Serve the chicken with the reserved garlic butter sauce over the orzo.  Feel free to add a final squeeze of lemon for brightness.  If you want to scatter some grated parmesan cheese over it all, that’s great too! Just add a salad, some steamed broccoli or asparagus.  If you double the amount of garlic butter sauce you will  have enough leftover to pour over any vegetables you are serving on the side.

For other great orzo based meals, you may like:

Baked Cheesy Orzo Bolognese,

Creamy Turkey Pot Pie Orzo,

Creamy Cheesy Spinach Orzo,

Squash and Chestnut Orzotto with Brown Butter Sage,

BLT Orzo Salad,

Uber Lemony Chicken and Orzo Soup

For other great Chicken meals, you need to check out:

Chicken Saltimbocca alla Romana,

Crispy Chicken Parmigiana,

Chicken in a Wine and Mustard Sauce,

Harissa Chicken Thighs with Saffron Butter Pasta

5 from 2 votes

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Skillet Garlic Butter Chicken and Orzo

Juicy chicken breasts, tender orzo pasta, married by a garlic wine and butter sauce. Comes together in minutes!

Course main

Cuisine North American

Keyword chicken breast, garlic, orzo, white wine

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes

Servings 4

Ingredients

Orzo

• 8 oz orzo pasta, 227 grams or any other small pasta, or even spaghetti if you are so inclined!
• 8 cups water, alternatively, 4 cups water and 4 cups chicken stock
• sea salt for the water

Chicken Breasts and Garlic Butter Sauce

• 4 boneless and skinless chicken breasts, about 1 1/2 lbs or 680 grams
• 2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 4 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 3/4 cup dry white wine, or chicken stock, see Notes
• 4 tbsp fresh lemon juice, only if using the chicken stock above
• 6 tbsp butter
• 3-4 minced medium cloves garlic, depending on your love of garlic
• 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes, or to taste
• 1 tbsp chopped parsley for garnish
• shaved or grated fresh parmesan cheese to finish, optional

Instructions

Orzo

1. Bring lightly salted water and chicken stock (if using) to a boil in a medium to large sauce pan.

2. Add the orzo and stir once. Let it return to a rolling boil and then count 10-11 minutes for cooking to al dente, depending on your orzo as per your package instructions. Stir occasionally to ensure that none of the pasta is sticking to the bottom of the pot. Once the pasta has a gentle tender bite (but not raw in any way) reserve 1/2 cup or a bit more of the pasta water and then drain the pasta.

3. Leave the pasta in the strainer or a bowl, but do not rinse it.

Garlic Butter Chicken

1. Lay the chicken between wax paper and pound with meat mallet or rolling pin to even thickness. Do this in advance of starting the orzo above. Set on a plate.
2. Combine the Italian seasoning, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Sprinkle it evenly over both sides of all the chicken breasts. Set aside till the next step.

3. Once you have started the pasta, turn your attention to the chicken.

4. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat, add 3 tbsp of the olive oil and heat it through. Lay the chicken breasts gently into the oil and sauté on the first side for 4-5 minutes depending on the thickness of the chicken. Do not turn or peak, let a good crust form before lifting to turn it over. It should be a lovely golden brown. A splatter shield is your friend here.

5. Turn and cook the second side for another 4 minutes, or longer if the breasts are thick. Once cooked through, transfer to a plate. Cover with foil.

6. If there is no more oil in pan, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Gently pour the wine into the pan (stand a little ways back, since it will sputter up) If you are using chicken stock, add the lemon juice at this time as well.

7. Once the steam has dissipated (about 20 seconds) add the butter. Stir, letting it melt into the wine.

8. Add the garlic and chili flakes. Stir till softened, to take the edge off the garlic, about 1 minute. Taste and re-season with salt and pepper if desired.

9. Reserve about 4 tbsp of the sauce in the pan for the chicken, transferring it to a small bowl or cup. If you make a double batch of the sauce, feel free to set aside an additional 2 tbsp to pour over any vegetables you may be serving on the side.

10. To the remaining sauce in the pan, add the drained orzo. Stir it through, letting it warm and finish cooking in the garlic wine butter sauce. If the mixture seems to have absorbed all the sauce, add some of the reserved pasta water till it is the consistency you like.

11. Serve the chicken sliced with some of the reserved garlic butter, over the orzo. Garnish with chopped parsley and shredded or grated parmesan cheese if you feel like it. Add a side salad or your favourite steamed greens.

Recipe Notes

If you don't have or want to use chicken stock for the orzo cooking water, feel free to flavour the orzo cooking water with 2 tbsp of my Faux Chicken Bouillon Powder.
If you want to replace the white wine in the garlic butter sauce with chicken stock, add some lemon juice. This will cut through the creamy richness to give a brighter flavour to the finished sauce. For the sauce I actually do recommend using actual chicken stock, since the sauce is everything!

I will often double the sauce, and use it over any vegetables I will be serving.  Also, if you need to reheat any leftovers, save some of the sauce and it will help loosen the orzo when you go to warm it through.