**Creamy Chicken Parmesan Mushroom Orzo** {8.4.2021}

August 4, 2021 / Comments Off on **Creamy Chicken Parmesan Mushroom Orzo** {8.4.2021}

Happy Wednesday! How’s everyone doing? Today, I’m sharing a delicious recipe that I adapted from With Peanut Butter on Top. 

Ingredients:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 pound baby bella mushrooms, (thickly sliced)
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 cup finely diced yellow onion
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic, (2 cloves)
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, (or thickener of choice)
  • 4 cups unsalted chicken stock, (vegetable/chicken broth or stock)
  • 3/4 cup half and half
  • 2 cups uncooked orzo
  • 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1 teaspoon salt, (more or less, to taste)
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, (more or less, to taste)
  • 2 cups roughly chopped baby spinach
  • 3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • 2-3 Chicken Breasts

Instructions: 

  • Rinse the mushrooms, pat dry, and slice thick. Mince the garlic. Heat a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat with olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the mushrooms and saute 5-6 minutes, or until they have softened and released all of their moisture. 

    Remove from pan to a plate and cover to keep warm. Depending on the size of your skillet, you may need to do this in two batches.

  • Lower the heat to medium and add the butter. Once the butter is melted and bubbling, add the onion. Saute 3-4 minutes until caramelized. Then add in the garlic. Saute for 30 seconds.
  • Add the flour, stir well and cook for 1 minute.
  • Pour in the half and half and chicken stock. Whisking continuously until the butter flour mixture is no longer clumpy and the bottom of the pan has been deglazed from sautéing. Add the Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
  • Add in the orzo pasta and stir to combine. If it starts boiling, reduce the heat to medium-low and allow it to maintain a simmer.
  • Cook uncovered, stirring frequently to ensure the orzo does not stick to the bottom of the pan or together, until it is al dente and the liquid has thickened to form a creamy sauce. Approximately 10-15 minutes, or according to the package instructions.

  • While the orzo is cooking, prepare the chicken.   

    Season the chicken with salt, pepper, and any seasonings.

  • Place a large cast iron skillet over medium heat with the butter. Once the butter is bubbling and starting to brown, add the chicken breasts.. Cook until done. Remove from pan to a dish, cut into strips and cover to keep warm.

  • Once the orzo is cooked and the sauce has thickened, remove from heat. Taste test and add additional seasonings, if needed. 

    Stir in the baby spinach and parmesan cheese. Mix until the cheese has melted and the spinach has wilted. Stir in the mushrooms and top with scallops to re-warm both.

  • Serve garnished with freshly grated parmesan cheese, black pepper, and freshly chopped parsley.

This was so good! I ended up making Zucchini Noodles, Zoodles as a side. It was perfect! 

I hope you guys are having a great day! I will see you on Friday for some back to school favorites. 

xo

Thank you to Amazon and Shopstyle for sponsoring this post! This post contains affiliate links.