This blog was 10 years old last month and it completely passed me by! Stunned I’ve managed to keep it going this long to be honest. I don’t think people even read food blogs anymore and a lot of my favourite bloggers have stopped publishing new recipes. But as I’m not a video type person and hate talking on camera, I’ll stick to my old school blog for another bit yet.

Anyway, enough about that, you’re here for the recipe, my One Pot Chicken with Creamy Pasta. I don’t know about you but I hate seeing a recipe for one pot something and then it turns out you fry the onions in one dish and the chicken in another, before you bung it all in another dish to go in the oven. So I promise you this is really a one pot dish and is ready in no time. The creamy pasta here is flavoured with parmesan and lemon so it’s not too heavy. I’m not normally a big fan of chicken with pasta but with orzo it’s almost more like a risotto so I’m ok with that. You can also chop the chicken up smaller and stir it through the pasta but I think this is a little prettier.

Useful tips & links:

A lot of one pot dishes are cooked in the oven like my Baked Orzo with Courgette and Mozzarella. I cook that in the oven so that the courgette has time to break down and make the pasta creamy. Here I’m adding a creamy element and it cooks faster, so on the hob works best.
You can butterfly the chicken breasts so that they cook faster, I left them whole here for the photos!
I’ve used asparagus and peas here to add some green and freshness to the dish. When asparagus is out of season you can use tenderstem broccoli, mangetout or spinach.
I’ve made this with both creme fraiche and double cream and while both are great I prefer creme fraiche.
I used nutmeg here to add a hint of spice, I sometimes add mustard too. Play around with what spices works for you.
Keep your parmesan rinds in a bag in the fridge or freezer. Adding them to dishes like this adds a real umami flavour.
For more one pot ideas, see my Cajun Chicken with Chorizo and Rice or my Moroccan Chicken with Couscous.
I love the look of this One Pan Creamy Chicken Broccoli and Cauliflower dish from Kitchen Feasts.

One Pot Chicken with Creamy Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 or 3 chicken breasts, depending on their size
Olive oil
Salt & pepper
2 teaspoons of smoked paprika
Butter
1 shallot finely diced
2 cloves of garlic
100g of asparagus, chopped
250g of orzo pasta
1 lemon
500ml of hot chicken stock
Parmesan rind (optional)
70g of frozen peas
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
75ml of creme fraiche or double cream
50g of grated parmesan
Grated nutmeg
Fresh basil leave

Method:

Heat a shallow casserole dish or frying pan over a medium heat.
Mix the paprika with a tablespoon of olive oil and a little salt and pepper. Coat the chicken with the paprika mix and cook gently in the pan until just cooked through.
While the chicken is cooking finely dice the shallot, crush the garlic and chop the asparagus into pieces.
Remove the cooked chicken from the pan, set aside and cover with foil while leaving the paprika oil in the pan. Add a knob of butter to the pan and allow it to melt.
Toss the shallot, garlic and asparagus in the paprika oil and gently fry until the shallot has softened and the garlic is cooked.
Add the pasta and stir until it is mixed through the veg and coated in oil.
Zest the lemon and add the zest, the juice of half of it and the hot stock to the pot. If you have a parmesan rind add that to the pot too. Bring to a gentle boil, reduce the heat, stir and then cover the pot and allow it to simmer for 5 minutes.
Stir to make sure the pasta isn’t sticking to the bottom of the pot and add a little water if it is starting to dry out. Add the peas, creme fraiche or cream and grated parmesan and bring it back to a gentle simmer. Cover and allow it to cook for another few minutes or until the pasta is almost cooked.
Grate in a little nutmeg, tear in some fresh basil leaves and add black pepper, there should be enough salt from the stock and parmesan in it. Remove the parmesan rind and then taste and add more seasoning or lemon juice as needed.
Slice and arrange the cooked chicken on top of the pasta and cover with the lid for a few minutes to allow the chicken to heat through and the pasta to finish cooking.
Garnish with more black pepper, grated parmesan and small basil leaves and serve with crusty bread and a simple tomato salad to cut through the richness of the pasta.