Creamy Chicken Orzo

This creamy chicken one-pot wonder is a perfect recipe for a quick and comforting lunch or supper. Orzo is small rice-shaped pasta which cooks super-fast and absorbs all the delicious and nutritious chicken stock. Tender chicken, leek and spinach are then all folded into a simple cheesy sauce. 

Ideally use fresh or frozen chicken stock or bone broth left over from your Sunday roast, rather than a stock cube. Stock or broth made from bones contains a key amino acid called glycine, which aids digestion and also helps our body make a master antioxidant which protects us from inflammation.

Chicken Orzo makes a delicious family meal in a bowl for all ages from weaning upwards. And it saves you time as there’s very little washing up afterwards!

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Creamy Chicken Orzo

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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 12 minutes
Total Time 17 minutes
Course Main Courses
Servings 4 people
Suitable for Special Diet (or adaptable) Egg-free, Nut-free

Ingredients
  

Instructions
 

  • Finely chop the leek.
  • Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, add the leek and sauté for a couple of minutes. Add the cooked chicken, orzo and chicken stock. Bring to a simmer, and bubble for 10 minutes, until the orzo is cooked to your liking. Stir frequently to stop the orzo sticking to the pan.
  • Once the orzo is cooked, add the spinach, grated parmesan and double cream, and stir to warm through.
  • Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve straight away – sprinkle with extra grated parmesan if wished!

Notes

  • If you don’t have left over cooked chicken, cook some chicken thighs and add to the recipe as above.
  • If your child prefers no “bits” then you can blitz the leek, chicken and spinach in a blender before adding it at the end along with the parmesan and double cream.
  • If you’d prefer this gluten-free, use cooked rice or red lentil rice.
  • To make this dairy-free, switch the parmesan to 2 heaped tablespoons of yeast flakes and the cream to 50ml tahini (sesame paste) or plain dairy-free yoghurt.
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