Cheesy Baked Chicken and Orzo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
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Cheesy baked chicken and orzo with sun-dried tomatoes is a comforting, one-pot meal packed with flavor. Made with budget-friendly bone-in chicken thighs, this Italian-style dish stays moist, turns irresistibly tender, and comes together in about an hour—perfect for busy nights!
This chicken orzo bake has quickly become my go-to weeknight meal when I want something easy, hearty, and full of flavor. The magic starts with well-seasoned chicken, and the flavors build as the tiny rice-shaped pasta absorbs the creamy garlic, tangy sun-dried tomato, and cheese sauce. By cooking everything together in one pan the flavors meld perfectly.
My husband is a pasta lover, so this recipe is a match made in heaven! The orzo cooks in a creamy sauce, becoming perfectly tender and silky, complementing the moist, flavorful chicken.
We eat a lot of chicken in my house because it’s versatile and a family favorite. But I especially love using bone-in skin on chicken legs—they’re forgiving, stay juicy even with extra cooking time, and have more flavor than chicken breasts. Plus, they’re an economical choice, making this dish both delicious and budget-friendly.
And the best part? It’s all made in one dish! Just pair the chicken and orzo with a simple salad or your favorite vegetable, and dinner is served. Easy, delicious, and minimal cleanup—what more could you ask for?
Ingredients and Notes
Chicken Leg Quarters: Separate the thighs and drumsticks. I like the extra flavor of using bone-in skin-on chicken, but you can remove the skin or use boneless chicken thighs. Boneless skinless chicken thighs also work well in this recipe, but you should adjust your cooking time because they will cook faster.
Fresh Garlic: I recommend using fresh, finely diced, or minced garlic for the best flavor.
Sun-dried tomatoes packed in Oil: Chop or dice the tomatoes into small pieces so that they are evenly distributed throughout the pasta.
Orzo Pasta: Orzo is a small rice-shaped pasta. Its small shape is perfect for this dish. It cooks quickly and absorbs the sauce in the time it takes the chicken to finish cooking.
Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth or stock in this recipe so I can control the dish’s saltiness since I will be adding cheese to the sauce.
Heavy Cream: The heavy cream adds a creamy richness to the pasta.
Pecorino Romano and Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese: I use equal parts of both Italian cheeses so that you get the nuttiness from the parmesan and the saltiness from the pecorino. If you only have one cheese, that is fine, and the sauce will still be delicious. I recommend using freshly grated cheese so it melts easily into your sauce. Pre-grated cheese may have additives in it to keep it from clumping, which also keeps the cheese from melting properly.
Seasonings: Onion powder and garlic powder for the chicken and Italian seasoning for the sauce.
Variations
Here are a few ways I like to change this up a bit. This dish is so versatile I am sure you can come up with more.
- Add fresh spinach to the orzo just before popping it into the oven.
- To make an all-in-one dinner, add some broccoli florets to the garlic and sundried tomatoes and saute for a minute before adding the orzo.
- Make this spicy by stirring in some red pepper flakes!
Special Equipment and Alternatives
You will need a large oven-safe skillet or Dutch oven to cook this meal in one pan. If you don’t have a pan that can go into the oven, follow the steps below in a large skillet on the stovetop, and then transfer everything to an oven-safe dish or casserole dish before baking.
I recommend using a meat thermometer to test the temperature of the chicken for best results.
Step By Step Instructions
1. Season and brown the chicken pieces: Combine the garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Season both sides and under the skin of the chicken. Brown the chicken in hot oil for about 5 minutes per side in a large skillet set over medium heat. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
2. Prepare the orzo and sauce: Add the garlic and sun-dried tomatoes to the skillet and cook over low heat for 1 minute. Stir in the orzo Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper, and cook for a minute. Add the chicken stock and heavy cream and cook another minute. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the grated cheese.
3. Bake the chicken: Return the chicken to the pan and nestle it into the orzo. Place the skillet into a preheated 400 degrees F oven and bake uncovered for 20-25 minutes or until the chicken has reached an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees F.
4. Rest the baked chicken and orzo: Remove the pan from the oven and let the chicken and orzo rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Cooking Tips
- Dry the chicken pieces with paper towels before seasoning them. This will remove extra moisture from the chicken and keep the oil from splattering when adding the chicken to the hot pan.
- Giving the chicken and orzo a few minutes to rest before serving allows the sauce to set and the flavors to come together.
Storing Leftovers
Leftovers are even better the next day! But make sure you store them safely by refrigerating them in an airtight container.
Your creamy chicken and orzo can be reheated in the microwave or covered in a 350-degree F oven for 10-15 minutes.
More Chicken Dinner Ideas
Whether you are looking for comfort food or a quick meal, the whole family will agree that a good chicken recipe is the answer. Here are some of our favorites.
Whole roasted chicken is perfect for Sunday family dinners. My moist and tender Garlic and Herb Roast Chicken and my Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken are two easy options.
Flavor-packed recipes like Chicken Spezzatino, Chicken Cacciatore, and Mediterranean Chicken are great family dinners that will impress your guests.
Weeknight dinners don’t have to be boring when you have quick and simple recipes made with chicken breasts like Chicken Limone or Chicken Pomodoro with Spinach.
One of my family’s all-time favorite recipes is my Chicken Rollatini with spinach and sausage. This makes the perfect holiday meal!
I love to get your feedback, so if you try this Baked Chicken and Orzo or any other recipe on this website, please leave me a comment below. I hope you enjoy my recipes, and I look forward to hearing from you!
You can also follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest for more recipes your family will love!
Cheesy Baked Chicken and Orzo with Sun-dried Tomatoes
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Equipment
- 1 Oven Safe Skillet and/or
Ingredients
- 8 Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks bone-in and skin-on
- 1½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Black Pepper
- 1 tsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Garlic minced
- ½ cup Sundried Tomatoes in oil, chopped
- 2 cup Orzo Pasta
- 1½ cup Chicken Stock or broth
- 1 cup Heavy Cream
- 1 tsp Italian Seasoning dried½
- ½ cup Pecorino Romano Cheese grated
- ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese grated
- ½ tsp Salt Kosher
- ¼ tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400℉. Blend the salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a small bowl. Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and trim any excess fat. Rub the seasoning mixture under the skin and all over the outside of the chicken.8 Chicken Thighs and Drumsticks, 1½ tsp Salt, ½ tsp Black Pepper, 1 tsp Onion Powder, 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- If your skillet is not oven-safe, brush a 9"x13" oven-safe casserole pan with olive oil or butter and set it aside. Heat the olive oil in a skillet set over medium-low heat. Working with a few chicken pieces at a time, brown the chicken for 4-5 minutes per side. Transfer the chicken to a plate.2 tbsp Olive Oil
- Add the garlic, sundried tomatoes, and orzo to the skillet and cook, stirring often, to lightly brown the orzo, about 1 minute. Stir the chicken stock, heavy cream, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper into the orzo.2 tbsp Garlic, ½ cup Sundried Tomatoes, 2 cup Orzo Pasta, 1½ cup Chicken Stock, 1 cup Heavy Cream, 1 tsp Italian Seasoning, ½ tsp Salt, ¼ tsp Black Pepper
- Bring the mixture to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Parmigiano and Romano Cheese. Adjust the seasoning to taste. Return the chicken and any juices to the pan, nestling it into the orzo mixture, and transfer the pan to the oven. If you do not have an oven-safe skillet, pour the orzo mixture into a prepared casserole dish and nestle the chicken into the orzo.½ cup Pecorino Romano Cheese, ½ cup Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese
- Bake the chicken and orzo, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken registers at least 165℉. Remove the chicken and orzo from the oven and allow it to rest for 5-10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Cooking Tips
- Dry the chicken pieces with paper towels before seasoning them. This will remove extra moisture from the chicken and keep the oil from splattering when adding the chicken to the hot pan.
- Brown the chicken until deep golden brown on each side. You want the chicken to start to cook before going into the oven so it is done at the same time the orzo is cooked.
- Giving the chicken and orzo a few minutes to rest before serving allows the sauce to set and the flavors to come together.
This sounds like an amazing easy peasy dish!! I want to make this for my BFFs, but they only do boneless/skinless, preferrable thighs but will eat breasts. Also, what about adding in some sliced mushrooms? Thank you in advance for any suggestions.
Hi Sharon, This dish is very easy and flavorful. Mushrooms would be a great addition. You can absolutely use boneless skinless chicken thighs or breast. Brown the meat until it is gold, set it aside and follow the rest of the directions, but I would bake it at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until the orzo has absorbed most of the liquid and the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The lower oven temperature should keep the chicken from drying out. I hope you like it.
Thank you for sharing this recipe instead of dried tomatoes can I use cherry tomatoes?
Hi Connie,you can absolutely use cherry tomatoes in this recipe. The flavor will be a little milder since you will not have the robust tang from the sun-dried tomatoes, but it will still be delicious.