Chicken & Broccoli Pesto Orzo

This one is about to be a new weeknight go-to for you. With a fresh take on a pasta dish, this one-pan orzo is a not-so-heavy but tasty dish. With pan-seared chicken, buttery orzo, and herby pesto, this is soon to be a favourite!

I love an easy chicken pasta dinner that takes minimal effort and isn't too heavy. This recipe take about a half hour to make, requires minimal ingredients and dishes, and tastes great!

The past week has been a busy one - with the new meal plan coming Friday and many others things- so I was desperate for a quick recipe that would last us a few days in leftovers. This one hit the nail in the head

Chicken & Broccoli Pesto Orzo

Serves: 6

Prep time: 5 minutes

Cook time: 30-40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 Tbsp butter

• 4-5 chicken breasts or 10 chicken thighs

• 2/3 cup basil pesto

• 4 garlic cloves, grated or minced

• 1 crown of broccoli

• 1 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta

• 1/4 cup olives, pitted and diced

• 3 cups water

• Juice of 1/2 lemon

• 2 packages chicken boullion

• salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F and bring a large oven-safe saucepan to medium-high heat with 1 Tbsp butter.

2. Coat the chicken in half the pesto. Once the butter is melted and the pan is hot, add the chicken and sear each side until golden brown on each side (approximately 3-4 minutes each side). Meanwhile, cut the broccoli into small florets, crush the garlic, and dice the olives.

3. Once the chicken is golden on the outside, remove from the pan and set aside.

4. Add the garlic, orzo, broccoli, olives, and salt and pepper to the pan and cook until garlic is fragrant (1-2 minutes).

5. Add chicken bouillon, 1/3 cup of pesto and coat the orzo broccoli mixture. Then, add the water and lemon juice. Let simmer for 3-4 minutes.

6. Remove the pan from heat, add the chicken and cook uncovered in the oven for around 20 minutes - until chicken is cooked through and there is minimal liquid left.

This is such a simple recipe that requires minimal time and dishes (thank goodness). Give it a try next time you need a new recipe, I promise it'll be worth it!

If you make it, be sure to comment below and let me know how it goes! You can also send me a picture, I love to see your versions of my recipes!