I almost heard my supper angels singing the moment I watched an entire wheel of Boursin melt into screaming hot orzo. Do you remember that feeling? This is the dish. And not one to let ya down at that.
All there in one skillet: beautiful golden-seared chicken with tender crisp asparagus and sweet creamy leeks, with garlic, creamy cheesy herby scenario that coats every little noodle gem (yep, orzo, I said that), all topped with fresh parsley and a zing of lemon (I mean we are not monsters).
Minimal clean up as everything takes place in one amazing-flavour skillet. All that and still managing to smash spring dinner.
No Boursin? Here’s What to Use
- HERB CREAM CHEESE – Your best bet if you want to stick with cream cheese and get the closest flavour result. You cannot just substitute in regular Philly – make sure and buy the garlic and herb version in the tub. Same creamy texture.
- GOAT CHEESE BLEND – mix together 4 ounces of softened goat cheese with 2 tablespoons of cream cheese, 1 minced garlic clove and 1 tablespoon of chopped fresh herbs. Will have a slight tang to it, but a wonderful taste.
- MASCAPONE (homemade) – Mix together 5 ounces of mascarpone with 2 grated garlic cloves and 2 tablespoons of chopped fresh chives or thyme. Same dense texture – more expensive but worth it if that is what you have on hand.
- ALOUETTE – Any soft, spreadable cheese with garlic and herbs will work equally as well as Alouette.
Cooking Instructions for Chicken Orzo
This one-pan lemon chicken orzo with Boursin cheese screams springtime and will soon become your go-to easy dinner, promise you.
Cut the chicken into 1-inch bites and season with salt and pepper.
Remove woody ends from asparagus and cut into 2-inch pieces.
Thinly slice leeks (we only want the white and light green part), mince garlic, juice and zest the lemon (save a tiny pinch to finish), chop parsley and crumble Boursin.
In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1.5 tbsp olive oil.
Add chicken and cook 5-6 minutes until light golden on all sides; transfer to plate.
Add asparagus to the same skillet.
Cook for 6-9 minutes until crisp-tender.
Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon; transfer to the plate with chicken.
Drop the heat to medium-low and add 1.5 tbsp more olive oil to the skillet.
Cook leeks for 5 minutes until tender.
Stir in garlic and red pepper flakes; cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add orzo and stir constantly for 3-4 minutes, lightly toasting it.
Pour in broth and water.
Stir to combine; bring to boil.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 10-12 minutes.
Return the chicken, asparagus and Boursin crumbles to the skillet.
Stir gently until cheese is smooth and creamy.
Finish with salt, pepper and lemon; sprinkle with parsley and lemon zest.
Easy.
Storing and Reheating Leftover Orzo
Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Orzo will soak up the sauce like there is no tomorrow, so when serving after reheating your best bet will be adding some chicken broth in; 1 tbsp per serving, will do fine enough.
Heat gently over low-medium heat on the stovetop or simply microwave for 30 second rounds.
Unfortunately freezing should not be an option, the Boursin sauce separates on thawing. Do not go and try, it is not looking all that inviting!
Other Recipes You’ll Love
- Juicy Lemon Chicken Orzo Bake
- Classic Creamy Chicken Orzo with Spinach
- Best Tuscan Shrimp Orzo with Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Irresistible Greek Orzo Salad With Shrimp
- Tasty One-Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
- Delicious Marry Me Chicken Orzo
Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus
Ingredients
For the chicken and asparagus
- 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb chicken breast (cut into 1-inch bite-sized pieces for even cooking)
- 1 lb asparagus (tough ends trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces)
- 1 lemon (juiced, plus 1 tsp zest for finishing)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the base
- 3/4 cup leeks (thinly sliced using only the white and light green parts)
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
For the orzo
- 1 1/2 cups orzo
- 3 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
- 3/4 cup water
- 5.2 oz Boursin Garlic & Fine Herbs cheese
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Cut chicken breast into 1 inch bite size pieces, season with salt and pepper. Take out tough ends of asparagus and cut into 2 inch pieces. Thinly slice leeks, use only the white/light green parts. Mince cloves of garlic. Juice the lemon, should result in about 3 tbsps, but set aside a tiny amount for seasoning. Zest the lemon, chop fresh parsley. Crumble the Boursin cheese.
- Head into a large skillet with 1 1/2 tbsps olive oil over medium/high heat. Add seasoned chicken pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5-6 until lightly browned on the outside. Remove chicken to a plate. Into same skillet, add the asparagus pieces. Cook asparagus for 6-9 minutes until just nice and crunch. Season with salt, pepper and freshly squeezed lemon juice. Same as chicken, remove to its plate.
- Turn medium/low heat and add some 1 1/2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil to the same skillet you just used. Add the sliced leeks and cook stirring for 5 minutes, until tender. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook for a minute more whilst mixture bubbles fragrantly.
- Add orzo to the skillet with the leek mixture, stirring continually cook again for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned. Add the chicken broth and water and stir until combined. Gently bring the mixture to boil and then drop to a medium heat and simmer for about 10-12 minutes.
- Add seared chicken, asparagus from step two to skillet with crumbled Boursin cheese. Stir gently until cheese is melted in, season with salt and pepper – then taste with lemon juice. Garnish with parsley and zest if desired.
Recipe calls for chicken to be seared and that it doesn’t need to be cooked thoroughly. But then it never tells you when to put the chicken back in so it does fully cook. It just tells you to put it back in at the end.
I added cherry tomatoes for a bit more color and flavor. Family enjoyed