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5.0 from 18 votes

Pesto Orzo

This easy pesto orzo recipe is a one pot meal with chicken, pasta, and so many incredible Italian flavors for a quick weeknight family dinner!

Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
30 mins
Servings: 4
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 medium onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 cup DeLallo Orzo Pasta uncooked
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 3/4 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1/4 cup DeLallo Simply Pesto
  • 1/3 cup DeLallo Sun-Dried Tomatoes in Extra Virgin Olive Oil drained & chopped
  • 6 pears asparagus cut into quarters, see note
  • 2 cups cooked chicken (try rotisserie) shredded/chopped
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
  2. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often.
  3. Stir in the chicken broth, cream, pesto, sun-dried tomatoes, and asparagus. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. You will likely need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). You want it to gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked.
  4. Stir in the cooked chicken (let it warm through for a minute or so).
  5. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the parmesan cheese. Give it a taste, and if the pasta is firmer than you'd like or you want the sauce to be thicker/more absorbed, cover the pot and let it sit for a few minutes. If the sauce has reduced too much, add in a splash of cream. Season with salt & pepper as needed and enjoy immediately.

Notes

  • If you're using very thin asparagus or you prefer it to be more crisp, add it in a few minutes later than suggested.
  • Every stove and pot varies, so if you notice that the liquid has absorbed before the pasta has cooked, I recommend turning the heat down and adding a little more chicken broth and/or cream. If there's too much liquid, simply leave it a bit longer as the orzo will soak it up quickly.
  • Orzo is pasta. If you want to make this with rice, you may have to adjust liquid measurements and cooking time.
  • Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat/what else it's served with.