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This Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet is my take on a white chicken lasagna and y’all, it’s a good one! Browned chicken is paired with a deliciously creamy orzo for a dish that is sure to be a hit around your dinner table.
I don’t know about y’all but I grew up on white chicken lasagna. Layers of lasagna noodles with chicken and a spinach cream sauce—what was not to love? With those flavors in mind, I created this low-lift orzo skillet that my family cannot get enough of. And I can’t either as this has become one of my favorite methods of cooking! Everything happens in one skillet, which means that you won’t be left with a ton of clean-up and there’s no fussy layering. While the skillet is already nice and creamy, I love adding mozzarella on top to really help it resemble lasagna!
ingredients:
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Breasts
- Kosher Salt
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Italian Seasoning
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Garlic Cloves
- Shallot
- Baby Bella Mushrooms
- Baby Spinach
- Orzo
- Dry White Wine
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Lemon Zest and Juice
- Ricotta Cheese
- Shredded Mozzarella
- Fresh Basil
step-by-step:
Step one: PREHEAT THE OVEN
Preheat the oven to 375℉.
step two: Brown the chicken
Heat the oil in a large, oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes and toss to combine. Spread the chicken into a single layer and cook, tossing occasionally until the chicken is golden brown. It doesn’t have to be fully cooked, as it will continue to cook in the oven, but you want a nice color to it. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
Step three: Start the orzo
In the same skillet, add the garlic, shallots, and mushrooms and cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to soften and the shallots are tender, about 4 minutes.
step four: add the spinach
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the baby spinach and cook, gently tossing, until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
step five: pour in the wine
Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
step six: assemble the skillet
Add the orzo and toss to combine. Add the broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and ricotta cheese and stir until well combined. Bring to a simmer and add the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Toss until well combined, then spread the contents of the skillet into a single layer. Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella.
step seven: bake until bubbly
Transfer to the oven and bake until the orzo is cooked through and tender and the cheese and brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the sauce to settle and thicken even further.
Step eight: garnish and serve
Top with basil, serve, and enjoy!
recipe FAQs:
Yes! This recipe is dairy-free if modified. You can use dairy-free ricotta and either omit the cheese on top of the skillet or use dairy-free shredded cheese.
Yes! This allows the sauce to thicken a bit. It will be very hot anyway so you will want it to cool slightly prior to serving!
I hope this Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet gives you the same, nostalgic flavors of white chicken lasagna! Comment below once you serve this!
looking for more cozy chicken recipes? try these!
One-Pan Roasted Chicken Ratatouille
One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemony White Beans
Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet
Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet
Ingredients
For the Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the Orzo:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 4 cups packed baby spinach
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup whole milk ricotta cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced basil leaves, to garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
Brown the Chicken:
- Heat the oil in a large, oven safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, and crushed red pepper flakes and toss to combine. Spread the chicken into a single layer and cook, tossing occasionally until the chicken is golden brown. It doesn’t have to be fully cooked, as it will continue to cook in the oven, but you want a nice color to it. Transfer the cooked chicken to a clean plate and set aside.
Cook the Orzo:
- Add the garlic, shallots, and mushrooms and continue to cook, tossing occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to soften and the shallots are tender, about 4 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the baby spinach and cook, gently tossing, until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
- Add the white wine and cook until reduced by half, about 2 minutes.
- Add the orzo and toss to combine. Add the broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, and ricotta cheese and stir until well combined. Bring to a simmer and add the cooked chicken back into the skillet. Toss until well combined then spread the contents of the skillet into a single layer. Sprinkle the top with the mozzarella.
- Transfer to the oven and bake until the orzo is cooked through and tender and the cheese and brown and bubbly, about 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 3 to 5 minutes to allow the sauce to settle and thicken even further.
To Serve:
- Top with basil, serve, and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
This dish is delicious and easy to make, I like the way the recipe is laid out and helps to easily move through the steps. I did end up putting this in a different dish for baking and that worked fine, and I cooled it for about 8 minutes longer, but that could just be my oven. Really great reciped.
Thank you for sharing, Beth!
Hi! This look delicious. Is there a way to make this without an oven safe dish? Can it be done fully on the stovetop?
You could transfer it to an oven safe dish to finish in the oven. and im sure you can finish on the stovetop, too. You’d just need to cover and let simmer until the orzo absorbs the liquid and then add the cheese and let it melt it the end (as it won’t brown like it does in the oven).
Thanks for this! It was very good and I will definitely make it again. Lovely flavors. I may skip the mozzarella next time. I’m not sure it added anything.
Very tasty, but not the best looking dish due to the ricotta kind of looking curdled (it’s not). Next time I think I will add in a few sun dried tomatoes too. Definitely an easy meal to put together and enough food to last us with quite a few leftovers.
Excited to give this a try! Was thinking about doubling it. Could this be frozen and reheated?
I typically don’t love to freeze/reheat dishes that have a bit more dairy in them- I find they don’t keep as well.
Wow-Zer! Lawd Have Mercy! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Thanks so much for the review!
This is excellent! Recipe turned out great and is super easy to make. I think it would be even better if, instead of white wine, marsala was substituted.
Thanks, Jeanne! Let us know if you try with marsala instead.
This was a really delicious meal. I did not have ricotta cheese so I used cottage cheese instead, and I don’t think it made any difference. I also used an Italian cheese blend instead of mozzarella because that’s what I had on hand. This will definitely be a go to recipe for chicken because it was really wonderful. Thanks, Alex!
Glad both of those swaps worked in a pinch! Great for others to know. Thanks for the review and glad you enjoyed this!
I made this for guest we were hosting the other night and everyone talked about how Delicious this dish was! We are definitely going to add it to the rotation since it was so easy To make a weeknight.
Glad to hear it, Kara! Thanks for the review.
This was delicious! I made it just like the recipes says, but used Mrs. Dash for the salt and pepper.