Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken

Published February 15, 2016. Updated August 21, 2019

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A hearty, one pan pasta dish loaded with tender orzo, bright bits of sun dried tomatoes, flavorful garlic and parmesan, lean, protein rich pieces of chicken and fresh basil. A new weeknight staple!

Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken | Cooking Classy

A Perfectly Delicious Orzo Recipe!

This easy weeknight dinner is going knock your socks off! I absolutely loved this Italian inspired orzo dish!

I mean the title says it all –  Sun Dried Tomato, Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken. And all that goodness is cooked in one pot (or saute pan in this case. And if you are wondering what a saute pan is, it’s basically just a skillet with taller sides).

Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken | Cooking Classy

I wasn’t sure how this was going to turn out, yes it has some of my favorite ingredients (fresh basil, garlic, sun dried tomatoes, parmesan) but when creating a recipe you just never no for sure how it will end up until it’s finished.

Well let’s just say I ate my fair share and then some and even my kids loved it! So of course that means this is going to be a regular at my house.

Easy, check. Ready in 30, check. Cooked in one pan, check. Unbelievable delicious and satisfying, double check. And like I said this is no doubt a repeat recipe.

Even though it doesn’t have a huge list of ingredients it is still packed with so many wonderful flavors and I’m almost certain it will be a win for you too!

Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken | Cooking Classy

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Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken | Cooking Classy

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4.90 from 19 votes

Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken

A hearty, one pan pasta dish loaded with tender orzo, bright bits of sun dried tomatoes, flavorful garlic and parmesan, lean, protein rich pieces of chicken and fresh basil. A new weeknight staple!
Servings: 4
Prep15 minutes
Cook20 minutes
Ready in: 35 minutes

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a saute pan over medium-high heat. 
  • Once shimmering add chicken, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 3 minutes then rotate to opposite sides and cook until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer chicken to a plate, cover with foil to keep warm. 
  • Add remaining 1 tsp olive oil to saute pan then add garlic and saute 20 seconds, or just until lightly golden, then pour in chicken broth while scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan. 
  • Bring broth to a boil then add orzo pasta, reduce heat to medium cover pan with lid and allow to gently boil 5 minutes then uncover, stir and continue to boil uncovered until orzo is tender, about 5 minutes longer, stirring occasionally (don't worry if there's still a little broth, it will give it some saucy-ness).
  • Once pasta has cooked through toss chicken in with orzo then remove from heat. Add in parmesan cheese and stir until melted, then toss in sun dried tomatoes, basil and season with pepper (you shouldn't need any salt but add a little if you'd think it needs it). 
  • Add more broth to thin if desired (as the pasta rests it will soak up excess liquid and I liked it with a little excess so I added a little more). Serve warm.
Nutrition Facts
Sun Dried Tomato Basil and Parmesan Orzo with Chicken
Amount Per Serving
Calories 477 Calories from Fat 117
% Daily Value*
Fat 13g20%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 81mg27%
Sodium 408mg18%
Potassium 840mg24%
Carbohydrates 47g16%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 34g68%
Vitamin A 355IU7%
Vitamin C 11.6mg14%
Calcium 183mg18%
Iron 1.9mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition values are estimates only. See full disclaimer here.

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68 Comments

  • Brandy B

    This was delicious!A few modification I made was to add sautéed mushrooms and I did deglaze my pan with about a half cup of white wine, letting it reduce before adding the chicken stock. I also added the sun-dried tomatoes as the same time as the pasta and let them simmer together. Delicious recipe that I will continue to make over and over!

  • Betty

    I have made this before and it is amazing! Any ideas for making it vegetarian? Maybe substitute chicken with mushrooms?

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      Yes sautéed mushrooms would be a great addition. Chick peas could be tasty too.

  • Bev

    Made this tonight 28/07/2022 i added petit poi’s peas and some chilli flakes at first I thought it was a bit bland when I tasted it from the pan but rather serve it straight away I let it stand for 1 hour and then heated it up and served with garlic bread and OMG by doing this all the ingredients fused together and it was delicious well worth the wait this will be a dish I make again.

  • Melissa

    Husband said he really liked this one. I made two batches since I had extra chicken.

    In the first one I followed the recipe exactly (except that I used 2 cups of regular chicken stock and 3/4 cup water because I only had 4 cups stock for both batches). That first one felt a little bland to me, so I made a few tweaks in the second batch.

    In the second one I added some red chili flakes, some dried lemon juice (since I didn’t have a lemon or lemon juice) and I added these with some dried basil to the stock so the flavors could infuse into the pasta as it cooked. I also toasted the pasta for a couple of minutes before cooking it. The second batch was really yummy!

    Overall this is definitely going to be a favorite for our household. Thank you so much for sharing it!!!

  • Robin

    This is so good! The flavors of sun dried tomatoes with fresh basil …. doesn’t get any better. You have to try it. You can thank me later :)

  • Sandi Waldor

    Wow, my hubby had a heart attack 1.5 months ago. My world changed. I was a palate pleaser my whole life. So, you can imagine how difficult the transition to “totally healthy” has been for me. I just prepared the chicken for everyone and when it came time to use the pasta, whole grain orzo for him and regular orzo for my daughter and me, low sodium broth for him and regular for us. (I have food in the pantry from before the incident I need to use up) I used two skillets and added a lot more sun dried tomatoes, and tons of fresh basil from my tower garden. At first I thought, this won’t be good, its too easy. So happy to declare I was so wrong. This was really, really good. After 1.5 months of experimenting with recipes, I finally heard those words of affirmation I have longed to hear…”It’s a keeper!”. Thank you so much. We will be making your veg soup this week as well. Can’t wait!

    • Jaclyn

      Jaclyn Bell

      I’m so glad it turned out well Sandi and that your husband enjoyed it! Wishing your family the best!