Skillet Chicken, Broccoli and Orzo

 

UPDATED 9/11/2026:  Papa made this for our lunch today. I had it on the menu, but had some wash going and waiting for a doctor's office to call back, so he pretty much followed this recipe with a couple of changes.

He's not a fan of cream cheese and switched to shredded three cheese from WalMart that he likes for quesedillas. That worked well. 

He added the orzo a little quicker that I would, so the broccoli was a bit al dente. It might be better to add the broccoli before the orzo if you want the stalks really soft. Sister and I like that firmer broccoli, and Papa didn't complain.

He used pre-cooked chicken - we had a couple of left over chicken legs and some home-rotisseried chicken. that worked just fine. 

I love adaptable recipes and this is one. There was enough for three, with a small portion left for someone's lunch tomorrow.

The original blog entry:

As usual, I don't have a good photo - but it does show chicken, broccoli and orzo. If I don't get this shared now, I might not have it by the time I get all switched on my new phone. A good deal of my recipes are locked neatly away and I'm working on getting to them after switching from Apple to Pixel. I do like my Pixel better for a number of reasons - but updating my mind has its own problems?

However - back to food. This one is a one-dish meal, well close to it. I would suggest a salad along side, or the sweetness of green peas to add to the comfort food side, but this dish convinced me comfort food can be good for you.

I made the recipe from a few others. Looking for smooth creamy comfort food that doesn't overpower the good-for-you things got me to combining a trio that seemed odd, but turned out to be all the smooth creamy plus good protein, excellent vegetables, and cooked in a single 10" skillet. I did use an extra plate for the chicken to set out while cooking the remainder. 

From setting out the ingredients through cutting and cooking, it took right at 45 minutes from start to table:

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless skinless chicken thighs cut bite-size
• Lawery’s season salt to taste
• Pepper to taste
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/4 cup green onions thinly sliced
• 2 cloves of garlic minced - or a teaspoon in oil
• 1 cup orzo
• 2 cups chicken broth (we've used Better Than Broth-Chicken - does enhance flavor)
• 4 tablespoons cream cheese
• Two cups fresh broccoli florets (as much as another cup if you love broccoli)
• Milk as needed to thin broth (maybe, up to three tablespoons)

Instructions:

1. Used my cast iron skillet to melt the butter to heat with the olive oil on medium heat.
2. Once the thighs are cut, season with Lawrey’s Seasoned Salt (our favorite) and pepper to tastes. Toss to cover all the chicken, and make one layer in the skillet.
3. Once the bottom had browned, turn to cook all sides the same golden brown, then remove from the pan and set aside on a plate. No - they were not completely done.
4. Place onion and garlic in the skillet to get covered with butter/oil, then add the orzo to get covered and browned a bit, too. Keep them stirred during this browning.
5. Add the chicken broth to the pan and bring it up to a simmer before adding the broccoli. Keep them stirred during simmer so orzo doesn’t clump or stick to the pan.
6. About five minutes of simmering, add the cream cheese a piece at a time. Continue stirring to help spread the melting cheese.
7. If the sauce appears too thick for your tastes, add a tiny bit of milk and stir.
8. Check the orzo for al dente. When it is just about right, return the chicken bites to the pan and gentle stir to coat them in sauce.
9. Let the orzo and the chicken finish in about three minutes, and serve hot.

The first time, I didn't quite have a cup of orzo, but I thought it close enough - and we did have a serving left over. This time there would be three of us, so I added another chicken thigh plus having enough for a full cup of orzo - and we still had a serving left over. After each of uis had a second serving spoonful just because it was so creamy. 

Orzo is good for one reheat, but that literally stretches it so far it's almost not recognizable as the nice al dente of the first serving. That last three minutes with a lid helps the broccoli become softer - the way Beloved Husband prefers it. Oh, I've never needed that extra milk. 

As for adapability - I haven't found any changes that make it any bettter. As comfort food, it really is better for us that our loved White Goulash for the earlier post. I can't really see orzo as a soup - but I can see this as a soup with a couple of adaptations. I'll post if we do a Chicken/Broccoli/Cheese soup.