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For busy weeknight meal, those creamy cajun chicken Orzo are not only the best comfort food but also a dinner ready in 25 minutes, full of flavors, really simple to make and impressively delicious. And trust me, the sauce is really addictive...
💙 Why you'll love it
- Quick and easy - a few easy ingredients and a few minutes away from paradise...
- Delicious meal the whole family will love - imagine tender chunks of chicken, a super creamy sauce full of flavor and tasty pasta.
- One-pan dish - all you need to make those pasta is one pan (I use a cast-iron skillet but you can use a regular pan).
- Can be stored for several days, so it's really ideal for batch cooking.
🍝Other Orzo pasta
🧀 Ingredients
You'll need the following ingredients to make these creamy Cajun chicken Orzo. You can find the quantities in the recipe card below.
- Chicken - I recommend using skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, they will make the perfect tender chicken.
- Fresh garlic - if you want to choose your garlic carefully so you do not encourage the slavery of Chinese prisoners, read my Eco Tips on the subject.
- Shallot, that you can replace with onion if you prefer.
- Sun-dried tomatoes - one of the main ingredients of this recipe, so be sure to buy good-quality ones.
- Tomato paste, to add a bit more tomato flavor.
- Orzo pasta - those Italian rice-shaped pasta
- Chicken broth or vegetable broth (you can make your own here).
- Spinach or baby spinach. They're in season from September to May included.
- Heavy cream, to make a perfectly creamy and silky sauce!
- Parmesan cheese - I really recommend that you buy a block of Parmesan cheese and that you grate it at the last moment, it's so much better!
- Cajun seasoning - it's a spice that I really love to use and I always has it in my spice cupboard.
- Garnish : fresh herbs, such as basil leaves.
🍗 Variations
Feel free to change this recipe to suit your tastes. I suggest several options:
- Vegetarian - remove the chicken pieces.
- Gluten-free - use gluten-free pasta and make sure your Cajun seasoning is gluten-free.
- Vegan - remove chicken pieces and replace heavy cream with a vegetable cream.
- More veggies - bell peppers would go perfectly with the rest of the ingredients. I recommend red bell peppers!
- Spice it up with a pinch of Cayenne pepper or red chili flakes. You can also add a bit of lemon juice if you like.
🍴Utensils
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✨How to make these creamy Orzo pasta?
Recipe details and quantities are in the recipe card below.
- Cut the chicken breasts in 1-inch pieces. Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and the chicken cubes and let it cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add shallot and garlic to the skillet and let cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add sun-dried tomatoes and tomato paste.
- Add also the Orzo pasta. Let it cook for one minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick.
- Gradually add the chicken stock as you cook, and leave to cook, stirring often. Respect the cooking time indicated on the pasta packet. At the end, the pasta should be al dente (because it will continue to cook) and all the water should have been absorbed.
- Halfway through cooking, add the spinach.
- When done, remove from heat, add the heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, Parmesan and a little bit of salt and black pepper. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves and enjoy!
👩🏻🍳 Chef's Tips
- If the bottom of the pan sticks too much during cooking, don't hesitate to add a little extra water.
- Don't hesitate to add more Parmesan cheese at the end. As an Italian, I think there's never enough!
💡Frequently Asked Questions
You can use store-bought blend but you can also make your own Cajun seasoning, it's quite simple actually!
You will need paprika, garlic powder, ground black and white peppers, onion powder, oregano, Cayenne and dried thyme. You will find a great recipe here.
Yes of course! I use a cast-iron skillet but you can definitely use a classic pan. Just make sure the edges are wide and rather high, otherwise it'll spill over.
❄️ Storage and freezing
Store - once those Orzo pasta are completely cold, you can store them in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
Reheat - put your pasta in the microwave (or in a pan on low-medium heat) for 1 to 2 minutes. Because of the fridge, the pasta may be a little less creamy, so feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of water before reheating.
Freezing - once those Orzo pasta are completely cold, put them in a freezer bag. You will be able to store them for 2 to 3 months.
📖 Recette
Creamy cajun chicken orzo recipe in a skillet
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- ½ shallot minced
- 3.5 oz sun-dried tomatoes finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 7.75 oz Orzo pasta
- 3.25 cups chicken broth
- 7 oz spinach
- 5.25 oz heavy cream
- 1.75 oz Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 3 tablespoons Cajun seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper or to taste
- 1 tablespoon fresh basil leaves chopped
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in 1-inch pieces. Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, add the olive oil and the chicken cubes and let it cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Add shallot and garlic to the skillet and let cook for 2 minutes.
- Then add sun-dried tomatoes, tomato paste and the Orzo pasta. Let it cook for one minute, stirring constantly so it doesn't stick. Gradually add the chicken stock as you cook, and leave to cook, stirring often. Respect the cooking time indicated on the pasta packet. At the end, the pasta should be al dente (because it will continue to cook) and all the water should have been absorbed.
- Halfway through cooking, add the spinach.
- When done, remove from heat, add the heavy cream, Cajun seasoning, Parmesan and a little bit of salt and black pepper. Garnish with some fresh basil leaves and enjoy!
Notes
- My best tips :
- If the bottom of the pan sticks too much during cooking, don't hesitate to add a little extra water.
- Don't hesitate to add more Parmesan cheese at the end. As an Italian, I think there's never enough!
- Store - once those Orzo pasta are completely cold, you can store them in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days.
- Reheat - put your pasta in the microwave (or in a pan on low-medium heat) for 1 to 2 minutes. Because of the fridge, the pasta may be a little less creamy, so feel free to add 1-2 tablespoons of water before reheating.
- Freezing - once those Orzo pasta are completely cold, put them in a freezer bag. You will be able to store them for 2 to 3 months.
Nutrition
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read full disclosure for more information.
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