Southern comfort food meets orzo pasta and everyone falls in love with the pairing! Chicken Pot Pie Orzo is all the comfort food goodness of chicken pot pie mixed with short cut orzo pasta that resembles rice, but has better taste and consistency, imo

What is Orzo Pasta

Orzo is a short cut pasta that looks a lot like a big grain of rice. Orzo is a versatile ingredient that can be used in many dishes. One of our favorite orzo pasta recipes is also one of my most visited recipes on the website, my Orzo Pasta with Spinach and Parmesan. It makes a delicious side dish to most any protein, yet it makes a wonderful dinner on its own too.

How to Cook Orzo Pasta

I cook orzo pasta much the same way I make rice. First I toast it slightly in a skillet with melted butter to help bring out the flavor of the pasta. Then I add the chicken broth and water, bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer for about 15 minutes until much of the liquid is absorbed and the orzo pasta is tender with a creamy texture. You can cook orzo in water and drain it like you would cook pasta traditionally, however, you won't get the creamy texture. I just love the creamy texture of orzo pasta!

For this orzo recipe I prefer to cook the orzo separately instead of cooking it in the chicken pot pie 'guts'. I like the texture of the pasta better when I control the liquid that absorbs into it, so for this reason, I did use a skillet and a sauce pan for this recipe. I wouldn't ask you to dirty an extra pan unless I felt it was completely necessary, I promise.

Chicken Pot Pie Orzo

Chicken Pot Pie is a family dinner favorite. Seeing as we love it so much, I couldn't help but trying out different ways of enjoying it. Naturally, we love the traditional Chicken Pot Pie with buttermilk biscuits. Is there anything more comforting? I mean, seriously, when making the chicken pot pie 'guts', as we lovingly call them, it's really difficult to NOT taste test it. I'm fairly certain I could gorge on a whole potful of chicken pot pie 'guts' if I were left alone with it.

My love for chicken pot pie 'guts' is exactly why I came up with my recipe for Creamy Chicken Pot Pie Soup and, ultimately, this recipe for Chicken Pot Pie Orzo. Any excuse to enjoy that creamy chicken pot pie goodness! Who knows where it will show up next?! Pizza, maybe? I actually love that idea. I'll test it out and let you know how it goes <smile>

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Chicken Pot Pie Orzo

By Life Tastes Good
Published 03/18/2018

Southern comfort food meets orzo pasta and everyone falls in love with the pairing! Chicken Pot Pie Orzo is all the comfort food goodness of chicken pot pie mixed with short cut orzo pasta that resembles rice, but has better taste and consistency.

Ingredients

Orzo Pasta

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 cup orzo pasta
• 14 ounces water
• 2 teaspoons chicken base like Better Than Bouillon

Chicken Pot Pie 'guts'

• 1 Fully cooked Roasted Chicken Breast
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup thin baby carrots
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1/3 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup frozen peas
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon celery seed
• 2 teaspoons chicken base like Better Than Bouillon
• 1 3/4 cups water
• 2/3 cup milk

Instructions

1. In a 10" skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsps butter. Add 1 cup orzo pasta & stir until lightly browned. Add 14 ounces water & 2 tsps chicken base. Bring to a boil. Cover. Reduce heat & simmer for about 15 minutes until the orzo is tender & the liquid is mostly absorbed.
2. While the orzo is simmering, melt 1/3 cup butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add 1 cup carrots & cook until they start to soften (between 3-5 minutes). Then add 1/2 cup chopped celery, 1/3 cup chopped onion, & 1 cup frozen peas. Cook until veggies are tender.
3. Add 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, & 1/4 tsp celery seed. Stir to coat the veggies.
4. Slowly stir in 1 3/4 cups water & 2/3 cups milk. Add 2 tsps chicken base, & reduce the heat to mid-low. Give it a taste & adjust the seasoning to your liking. Simmer until thickened.
5. Add chicken & orzo pasta to the saucepan with the vegetables & stir. Cook until heated through. Serve and enjoy!

Yield: 4-6 servings
Prep Time: 10 mins.

Cook time: 30 mins.
Total time: 40 mins.

This post originally published on Life Tastes Good on January 29, 2014. It is my original recipe. I recently updated it with new photos and text.