Tender chicken breasts paired with a creamy sun-dried tomato sauce and hearty orzo is such a good combination, it’ll make you want to marry the person who made it for you! Introducing my One-Pan “Marry Me” Chicken Orzo, an easy, delicious take on the classic “Marry Me” chicken. This dish is the perfect weeknight dinner: it comes together with just one pan and and in a matter of minutes, making it the perfect cozy and comforting weeknight dinner.
Friends, have you heard of “marry me” chicken? Rumor has it that it began with Ina Garten’s “Engagement Roast Chicken,” but since then, it has been recreated hundreds of times. The lore behind this recipe is that it’s so good, that if you make it for you boyfriend, he will want to marry you. Who knows if that’s actually true, but one thing that is true? This recipe is DELICIOUS!
My take on the classic “marry me” chicken pairs it with one of my favorite ingredients: orzo! Orzo is a thin, rice-like pasta that can be a little easier to digest than traditional pasta. And, when paired with this creamy, sun-dried tomato sauce and chunks of tender chicken, it is truly an unbeatable combination. Talk about comfort food! This recipe is so warm and cozy, and I love making it on a cold night to instantly warm me up!
What You Need to Make This Creamy Chicken Orzo
- Chicken Breast: Boneless, skinless chicken breast is the key to making this recipe!
- Olive Oil: To cook the chicken, I like to choose a better-for-you oil such as olive oil.
- Garlic: I always recommend using fresh garlic, whenever possible. The flavor is truly unbeatable!
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Make sure that the sun-dried tomatoes are packed in oil, so that they have the best flavor.
- Seasonings: To perfectly season this chicken, we’ll be using a blend of italian seasoning, paprika, kosher salt, and ground black pepper.
- Orzo: Orzo is a short-cut pasta that looks like a large grain of rice. It’s a delicious form of pasta to eat when you don’t want to feel super full and sluggish!
- Chicken Broth or Water: While I love using chicken broth to add flavor to the orzo, you can also use water, if you prefer.
- Full-Fat Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream: I prefer to use full-fat coconut milk to keep this recipe dairy-free, but heavy cream also works well, here.
- Fresh Spinach: Spinach is packed with vitamins and minerals and is the perfect way to sneak extra veggies into this recipe.
- Parmesan Cheese: There is nothing better than taking a bite of creamy, cheesy pasta, and freshly grated parmesan cheese is the perfect addition to this recipe!
How to Make This Perfect One-Pan Chicken Dish
To make this recipe, start by preparing the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and slice them into cubes. Set them aside while you prepare the skillet.
Heat a skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the oil. Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges start to cook. Then, add in the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, italian seasoning, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper, and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
Then, add in the orzo and broth and stir well. Reduce the heat to medium, then cover the pan and allow it to cook for 12 minutes. Remove the cover every few minutes and stir, to ensure that the orzo doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Once the orzo is cooked through, add in the coconut milk or heavy cream and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted. Finally, add in the freshly-grated parmesan cheese and stir one last time.
Once it’s done, remove it from the heat, serve it immediately, and enjoy!
If you make this recipe, please be sure to leave a review and rating below! To see more recipes and behind the scenes, follow along on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube! I’m also now on Pinterest, so stop by and take a look at what’s new.
** Photography by Gayle McLeod
Ingredients
- 1.5 Pounds Boneless, Skinless Chicken breast, cut into cubes
- 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
- 4-5 Cloves Garlic, mashed
- ¾ Cup Sun-Dried Tomatoes , packed in oil and drained
- 2 Teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 2 Teaspoons Paprika
- ½ Teaspoon Kosher Salt
- 1 Teaspoon Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Cup Orzo
- 2 ¾ Cups Chicken Broth or Water
- ¾ Cup Full-Fat Coconut Milk or Heavy Cream
- 2 Large Handfuls Fresh Spinach
- ¾ Cup Parmesan Cheese, freshly grated
Instructions
- To make this recipe, start by preparing the chicken. Pat the chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and slice them into cubes. Set them aside while you prepare the skillet.
- Heat a skillet, on the stove, over medium heat, and add in the oil.
- Once the oil is hot, add in the chicken and cook for 2-3 minutes, until the edges start to cook.
- Then, add in the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic, italian seasoning, paprika, sea salt, and black pepper, and cook for 3-4 more minutes.
- Then, add in the orzo and broth and stir well.
- Reduce the heat to medium, then cover the pan and allow it to cook for 12 minutes. Remove the cover every few minutes and stir, to ensure that the orzo doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Once the orzo is cooked through, add in the coconut milk or heavy cream and spinach and stir until the spinach is wilted.
- Finally, add in the freshly-grated parmesan cheese and stir one last time.
- Once it's done, remove it from the heat, serve it immediately, and enjoy!
Rate & review
SELECT A RATING and tell me what you think!
What others are saying
Absolutely loved this!! Came out perfectly, didn’t have spinach on hand so cut up asparagus and added with five minutes to go on the orzo, came out so great. Let sit for a few minutes to thicken.
That sounds delicious, Mandy! Thank you so much for your review!
DELISH! So so good, thank you! Made with brown rice pasta and it came out amazing! Will be making this on repeat !!
Easy to make and just delicious, my family loved it.
I am so happy to hear that, Sahar! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for your review!
This was good, but I wouldn’t call it “Marry Me” good . The water/broth volume was too high and left it kind of soupy even after the orzo was done cooking. The pepper was overpowering, so I would reduce that if I were to make it again. Aside from those things, it was overall good, and I’d still eat the leftovers. I give it 3 stars because it overpromised and underdelivered and don’t know that it’s good enough to put on regular rotation.
Made this for dinner and everyone loved it. Flavour was delish. I added a bit more chicken stock as it seemed to need it. Definitely needed to keep stirring but overall, worth the effort. This will be a regular dinner from now on.
I am so happy to hear that, Lisa! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for leaving a kind review!
We love this! We substitute the cream for Greek yogurt and it’s delicious !!!
That sounds delicious, Chloe! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for leaving such a kind review!
AMAZING! One of our new favorites. You have to try this dish!
This is a delicious dish! My husband loved it and he is a pretty particular guy when it comes to certain ingredients (anything healthy green) in a dish. He has already asked to make this again. Thank you for sharing your recipe!
We had orzo in the pantry for a few months and I wanted to use it up , so I made this easy recipe for tonight’s supper . One member of our family doesn’t eat beef or pork , so I often make two mains for Sunday Supper.
I had read most of the comments before so I used 2 cups of chicken broth and I’m glad I was watching it because it almost went dry . Instead of using olive oil , I used the oil from the packed sun dried tomatoes in oil .
I also added about 3/4 cup of chopped onion . Our family enjoyed the taste !
Fortunately we had also prepared another main ( roast beef , carrots , mashed potatoes , peas and asparagus for the beef lovers ) because I think this recipe might have only served 4 as a main dish . We have leftovers so I can’t wait to see if it tastes even better tomorrow !
I will be making it again and might use cream instead of coconut milk and red pepper flakes ; it needed a hit of something spicy .
It had a really nice flavor but was a bit too soupy and didn’t have enough orzo. Next time I make it I’ll just add more orzo 😁 maybe 1/4 cup or so
Oh no, I’m sorry to hear this, Devon! It sounds like it maybe needed to cook a bit longer!
Wow this meal was incredibly delicious!!! One of the tastiest meals I’ve made in a long time, full of flavour and so easy to prepare. I used just a litre of broth and added more spinach and the consistency was perfect. Next time I’m going to try with coconut yogurt for a slightly lighter option as I will definitely be adding this to my weekly meal!
I am so happy that you enjoyed it, Kiki! Thank you so much for making this recipe and for leaving a kind review!
This looks incredible! Any sub ideas for the orzo? We can’t eat gluten.
Hi Sabrina! You can substitute a gluten-free pasta or find a gluten-free orzo!