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Chicken Marsala Orzo – Restaurant-Worthy One Pan Dinner in 30 Minutes

A creamy skillet of Chicken Marsala Orzo with seared mushrooms, a comforting One Pan Chicken Marsala And Orzo dinner.
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Seared mushrooms, sweet onion, and marsala wine build a creamy, gourmet-tasting sauce that cooks tender orzo and shredded chicken right in one pot. It is a cozy, 30-minute dinner that feels like a restaurant meal with almost no cleanup.

Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 8 ounces cremini or white mushrooms, sliced
  • ½ medium onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard (see notes)
  • ½ cup marsala wine (see notes)
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
  • 2 cups cooked or rotisserie chicken, shredded
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

  1. Set a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add the olive oil and butter. Let the butter melt completely and begin to foam, then add the sliced mushrooms and chopped onion to the pot.
  2. Sauté the mushrooms and onion, stirring every so often, until the mushrooms have released their liquid, that liquid has cooked off, and both the mushrooms and onions look nicely seared and golden. This takes about 10 to 12 minutes. Be patient here, because the browning is what builds the deep flavor of the sauce.
  3. Stir in the minced garlic, Dijon mustard, and marsala wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot as the wine bubbles. Cook for about 1 to 2 minutes, until the wine has reduced by about half.
  4. Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream, then add the uncooked orzo and stir to combine. Bring the pot to a point where it just begins to boil, then immediately reduce the heat to medium or even medium-low. Continue cooking uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring fairly often so the orzo does not stick. The liquid should bubble gently but steadily rather than boil furiously. Watch that the liquid does not reduce too much before the orzo is cooked through.
  5. Stir in the shredded chicken and the freshly grated Parmesan. Remove the pot from the heat, cover it with a lid, and let it rest for about 5 minutes, until the chicken warms through and the sauce thickens a bit more. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed, garnish with chopped parsley if you like, and serve immediately.

Notes

  • Marsala wine: Use semi-secco (semi-sweet) or dry marsala for this recipe. Avoid sweet marsala.
  • Dijon mustard: You do not need to buy a jar if you do not have any or do not like it. It simply adds a little extra depth of flavor to cream sauces.
  • Troubleshooting: As with any one-pot meal, stoves and pots vary, so adjust as you go. If the liquid looks low before the orzo is cooked, add more broth. If there is too much liquid or the sauce has not thickened by the end of the cooking time, cook it a little longer or let it sit covered off the heat.

Nutrition

Find it online: https://irmacooks.com/chicken-marsala-orzo/