One Pot Chicken Orzo

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 20 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Ingredients

1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or tenders cubed into 1” pieces)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)

½ cup diced yellow onion (about 1/2 a medium onion)

2 cups chopped fresh asparagus spears (cut into 1 inch pieces)

1 tablespoon minced garlic (about 3 garlic cloves)

8 ounces dry orzo

2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth

2 sprigs fresh thyme (can sub 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme)

⅓ cup half and half (can sub milk)

⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan

2 cups fresh spinach

Chopped fresh parsley and extra Parmesan for garnish

Directions

In a small bowl, combine chicken chunks, garlic powder, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes, toss to coat.

In a large high sided pan over medium high heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil and add the chicken. Cook for 10-12 minutes, until brown on all sides. Remove from the pan and set aside in a bowl.

In the same pan, (no need to clean it!) add the remaining tablespoon of oil. Add the asparagus and sauté for 2 minutes, until tender but still crisp. Remove from the pan and set aside to the plate with the cooked chicken.

Add the onion to the pan and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the orzo and garlic and cook until the orzo starts to toast slightly, another 3 minutes.

Add in the broth and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally and scraping the bottom of the pan. (Tip: You can microwave your broth before adding to the pan to speed up cook time) Cover the pan with a lid and cook for 7 minutes, or until most of the liquid has been absorbed, stirring halfway.

Stir in the cooked chicken, asparagus, half and half, parmesan, spinach and thyme. Heat for one to two minutes more until heated through and spinach is wilted.

Serve immediately garnished with chopped parsley and extra grated parmesan.

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 2 cups cooked chicken, v
• Calories: 546 kcal
• Total Fat: 17 g
• Saturated Fat: 5 g
• Unsaturated Fat: 10 g
• Trans Fat: 0.02 g
• Cholesterol: 123 mg
• Sodium: 516 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 48 g
• Dietary Fiber: 3 g
• Total Sugars: 4 g
• Protein: 48 g