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Home Collections 15 Minute Meals

Quick Chicken & Vegetable Risoni recipe (Orzo)

By:Nagi
Published:11 Jun '19Updated:22 Sep '21
212 Comments
Recipe v Video v Dozer v

Tastes just like risotto…. except it’s far quicker to make! Also known as Orzo, this risoni recipe comes with juicy chicken, a creamy parmesan sauce and plenty of hidden vegetables. It’s a quick one pot recipe the kids are sure to love. (And grown ups too!)

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Risoni in a skillet, fresh off the stove. Quick one pot risoni recipe - 15 minutes!

Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Risoni (Orzo)

This is a quick dinner recipe that will tick all your boxes:

✅ fast and easy to make – 10 minute cook!
✅ made with everyday pantry staples
✅ highly customisable – use whatever vegetables and proteins you want
✅ complete meal – protein, vegetables, carbs, dairy!
✅ the sort of food that’s universally appealing, one that big and little people love

Is there a difference between Orzo and Risoni?

Nope, they’re the same thing! Tiny rice shaped pasta that’s widely available nowadays, it’s called risoni here in Australia but most countries in the world call it orzo.

A quick Risoni recipe that’s a complete dinner made in one pot!

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Risoni in a white skillet, fresh off the stove. Quick chicken dinner recipe!

How to make it

If you’re wondering how on earth this risoni recipe can be cooked so quickly, here’s why – risoni / orzo takes a mere 8 minutes to cook from start to finish.

So we only have it on the stove for 7 minutes, then the tiny rice-like grains keep cooking while you’re faffing around getting bowls out, serving it up, sprinkling on parmesan and yelling for everyone to get to the table for dinner. 😂

How to make Creamy Chicken Vegetable Risoni / Orzo recipe

This one pot method of cooking is an excellent quick-meal option for busy nights. It works for long strand pasta (like this One Pot Chicken Alfredo and One Pot Bolognese) as well as other short pastas (like in this One Pot Vegetable Pasta and Broccoli Pasta).


What you need

And here’s what you need for this Creamy Chicken and Vegetable Risoni. There’s plenty of substitution and customisation options – see below.

Ingredients in Chicken Vegetable Orzo recipe (Risoni)

LOADS of substitution options!

Loads and loads… even the risoni!

  • Risoni / orzo – sub with other very small pasta (like kiddie alphabet, tiny macaroni)

  • Chicken – any protein, or skip it

  • Frozen veg – I use this for convenience, sub with any diced vegetables

  • Baby Spinach – I throw in a couple of handles to get extra nutrition in. Use any wilt-able veggies (even the leafy end of Asian greens!) or add more veggies

  • Parmesan – any grated cheese!

  • Flour – any type of flour (white, brown, self raising, cake flour)

  • Milk – dairy or non dairy! Or a mix of cream and water, or evaporated milk

  • Chicken stock (broth) – stock cube with water. In emergencies, use water and lots more cheese! 😂

  • Onion – leeks, extra garlic, geen onion, shallots

  • Garlic – garlic powder, extra onion

This recipe makes enough for 4 to 5. Leftovers will keep for a few days – but note that leftover pasta is never quite as saucy. Or try making Muffin Tin Spaghetti Nests with the leftovers which kids absolutely adore! ~ Nagi x

Creamy Chicken Vegetable Orzo in a bowl, ready to be eaten

More risoni / orzo recipes

I love risoni because it’s so quick to cook – making it super handy for quick dinners!

  • One Pot Italian Chicken Orzo / Risoni Pasta – cosy, saucy one pot chicken and risoni dinner

  • Orzo / Risoni Bolognaise – one pot bolognese pasta dish!

  • Greek Lemon Orzo Salad – a bright fresh pasta salad loaded with Greek flavours

  • Creamy Salmon Risoni / Orzo (15 Minute Meal) – tastes like risotto, except MUCH faster to make!

  • Creamy Mushroom and Spinach Orzo (Risoni) (One Pot) – tastes like a creamy mushroom risotto

  • Baked Greek Chicken Orzo (Risoni) – Greek chicken AND orzo made in one pot!

  • Pea, Zucchini and Pesto Orzo / Risoni – a wonderful quick side dish

Watch how to make it

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Creamy Chicken Vegetable Orzo in a skillet, fresh off the stove. Quick one pot chicken dinner - 15 minutes!

One Pot Chicken, Vegetable & Parmesan Orzo (Risoni)

Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 10 mins
Total: 15 mins
Pasta
Western
4.97 from 58 votes
Servings4 – 5 people
Tap or hover to scale
Print
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Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 garlic cloves , minced
  • 1/2 onion , diced
  • 250g / 8oz chicken thigh or breast , cut into bite size pieces
  • 2 1/2 cups frozen diced vegetables (carrots, peas, corn, capsicum/peppers, anything!)
  • 1 1/2 cups orzo / risoni (Note 1)
  • 1 1/2 tbsp flour
  • 2 1/4 cups (565 ml) milk , any fat %
  • 2 cups (500 ml) chicken or vegetable stock / broth (low sodium)
  • 3 cups baby spinach (packed)
  • 3/4 cup (75g) parmesan (grated)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Serving

  • More parmesan
  • Parsley or chives, if desired

Instructions

  • Heat oil in a large pan over high heat. Make sure the pan is reasonably deep – around 5cm / 2.5″ or more. Otherwise, use a large pot.
  • Add garlic and onion, cook for 1 minute. 
  • Add chicken, sprinkle with salt and pepper then cook for 2 minutes until cooked on the outside (raw inside).
  • Add frozen vegetables (still frozen ok) and flour, stir until flour is incorporated.
  • Add risoni/orzo, stock and milk, then stir well.
  • Bring to simmer then adjust heat so it’s bubbling gently (see video). Cook for 7 minutes (no lid), stirring every now and then, until risoni is almost tender (still quite soupy at this stage).
  • Add parmesan and spinach, stir through. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Consistency should be like a loose risotto (it absorbs liquid and thickens quite quickly when serving), nice and creamy.
  • Serve, garnished with parsley and more parmesan if desired!

Recipe Notes:

** Loads of substitutions and customisation options, see in post **
1. Risoni/orzo is a rice shaped pasta. Brilliant for quick meals because it cooks in about 8 minutes! 7 minutes on the stove, then while it’s being finished off.
2. Frozen veg – Feel free to switch the frozen veg with fresh. I used frozen for convenience because this is a handy super quick meal.
3. Leftovers will keep for a few days – but note that leftover pasta is never quite as saucy. Or try making Muffin Tin Spaghetti Nests with the leftovers which kids absolutely adore!
4. Nutrition per serving, assuming 4 very big servings!

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 558gCalories: 536cal (27%)Carbohydrates: 64.5g (22%)Protein: 36.9g (74%)Fat: 15g (23%)Saturated Fat: 5.2g (33%)Cholesterol: 67mg (22%)Sodium: 858mg (37%)Potassium: 608mg (17%)Fiber: 5.3g (22%)Sugar: 14.7g (16%)Vitamin A: 7300IU (146%)Vitamin C: 94.1mg (114%)Calcium: 380mg (38%)Iron: 3.8mg (21%)
Keywords: orzo recipe, quick dinner, risoni
Did you make this recipe?I love hearing how you went with my recipes! Tag me on Instagram at @RecipeTinEats.

Originally published June 2014. Updated June 2019 with fresh new photos, new writing, new video added and most importantly, Life of Dozer section added!

Life of Dozer

Sunny Tuesdays call for lazy working lunches out by the water…. (this is at The Boat Shed in Palm Beach, Sydney 🇦🇺. Not too far from where I live!)

Dozer Boat Shed Palm Beach
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212 Comments

  1. Kathy says

    April 24, 2021 at 10:48 am

    5 stars
    Quick and yummy!!! Just made it for lunch using prawn and whatever fresh veggies we had sitting in the fridge. Served the whole family in less than 30 mins. Everyone loves it. Thank you

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      April 24, 2021 at 2:27 pm

      Wahoo that’s great Kathy! N X

      Reply
  2. Anastasia says

    April 20, 2021 at 2:58 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you Nagi for the very tasty recipe!

    Reply
  3. ROSIE says

    April 17, 2021 at 11:36 am

    Will this freeze?

    Reply
  4. Annabelle Hendry says

    February 12, 2021 at 8:32 pm

    5 stars
    Can you freeze any left overs? We make this a lot – it is delicious!

    Reply
  5. Meg says

    January 27, 2021 at 4:18 am

    Can I used can veggies? I just was given a bunch of canned mixed veg. I usually just throw them in pot pie but this sounds like a great change up

    Reply
  6. Derek says

    January 23, 2021 at 3:12 am

    5 stars
    Made this last night another great recipe. I used leftover turkey drumstick meat. Nice easy recipe done in less than 30 mins. I also used fresh carrots and red bell pepper along with frozen corn and peas.

    Reply
  7. Megan Savage says

    January 1, 2021 at 3:40 pm

    5 stars
    This is now one of our family favourites! I do add bacon and broccoli. Everything is better with bacon. Thanks so much for this awesome recipe.

    Reply
  8. Gigi says

    December 31, 2020 at 10:40 am

    5 stars
    I had a hodgepodge of veggies in my freezer and this was a perfect (and tasty) way to use them up.
    I skipped the chicken and made a yummy vegetarian Risoni. Great idea, Nagi, thank you!

    Reply
  9. Rania says

    December 25, 2020 at 2:13 pm

    Quick, easy and filling receipe!
    Thank you Nagi!

    Reply
  10. adh says

    November 23, 2020 at 10:28 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! We all really enjoyed this. Used a coastal veggie mix that had broccoli and added frozen peppers. Making again for sure!

    Reply
  11. Holly says

    November 6, 2020 at 11:47 am

    Hi! This looks delicious – Is it possible to cook the chicken and veg separately to the rice?

    Reply
  12. Nicole says

    October 23, 2020 at 5:10 am

    5 stars
    LOVE!! Make this for those days I need some comfort food plus some added veg in my life. Thanks for all of your recipes! This is my fav site

    Reply
  13. Amanda says

    October 8, 2020 at 2:26 pm

    What is the pot you have used? It seems like something heavy based!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      October 9, 2020 at 9:12 am

      Hi Amanda, It’s a Chasseur cast iron pot 🙂 N x

      Reply
  14. Mary P. says

    September 23, 2020 at 7:04 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe was as quick and easy as promised. I added extra vegetables and some olives. Everybody loved this dinner.

    Reply
  15. Mariam says

    August 30, 2020 at 11:31 pm

    Hiya, I love the sound of the recipe but my toddler and husband don’t like cheese 🙁 do you taste it a lot in this this dish? As I can get away with my toddler at least 🙂 thanks!

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      August 31, 2020 at 10:07 am

      Hi Mariam, you can leave it out if you prefer – you’ll need to adjust the flavour by adding 1/2 tsp of stock powder or Vegeta to make up for not having the salty parmesan 🙂 N x

      Reply
  16. Chris says

    August 27, 2020 at 6:51 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastic dish! So quick, easy and tasty. Will definitely make it again

    Reply
  17. Josh says

    August 21, 2020 at 9:36 pm

    I add in a lemon cut in half when adding the vegetables, and then right at the end remove and squeeze – the citrus cuts right through and lifts the dish to give it a nice zing.

    Reply
  18. Kathryn Burrell says

    June 4, 2020 at 5:33 pm

    Tonight I made this for the second time. Absolutely delicious! The kids loved it too. Thank you so much for sharing this!

    Reply
  19. Sally says

    June 3, 2020 at 10:36 am

    I made this last night, so quick and easy! I didn’t use chicken and instead made it completely vegetarian. I used mushroom, carrot, corn, celery, spinach and peas.
    Delicious and will definitely be making it again. Thanks!

    Reply
  20. Sneha says

    May 10, 2020 at 11:50 am

    5 stars
    Nagi love your recipes. Which induction Cooktop do you use. I am on the market for one.

    Reply
    • Nagi says

      May 11, 2020 at 11:37 am

      Hi Sneha, I don’t use induction, I have gas 🙂 N x

      Reply
    • Rachel says

      April 14, 2021 at 8:55 am

      Loved this recipe!! So did the whole family. It was so quick and easy and my One yr old loved it so much, that the pile of food scraps usually left underneath her after dinner was no where to been seen and she was spotless. Every spoonful was swallowed and enjoyed! 😆 Also, I only had beef mince, so used that as my protein and used beef stock, crushed canned tomatoes and abit of water instead of the chicken stock/milk. Turned out very tasty indeed!! Can’t wait to try the chicken version!

      Reply
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Hi, I'm Nagi!

I believe you can make great food with everyday ingredients even if you’re short on time and cost conscious. You just need to cook clever and get creative! Read More

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