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This Marry Me Chicken Orzo is the perfect one-pan dinner idea, ready in under 30 minutes. Tender chicken breast is served with gluten free orzo, cooked in a creamy sun-dried tomato, garlic and parmesan sauce. Perfect for serving up for your next date night!
Why choose THIS Marry Me Chicken Orzo recipe?
- ‘Restaurant Quality’: I originally posted this Marry Me Chicken Pasta recipe on my Instagram account and SO many of you loved it. In the words of one reviewer: “It was such a restaurant quality dinner. Such a treat.”
- Big Flavours: A rich, creamy sauce with all the flavours of garlic, parmesan and sun-dried tomatoes, all made in one dish for less washing up!
- Gluten Free Orzo: I use the Tesco Finest gluten free orzo but you can find a few different brands online – there’s a list in my gluten free orzo guide. Of course if you’re not gluten free, you can use any orzo you like.
- Serving Suggestions: Serve this up with a side of gluten free garlic bread, some crispy oven chips or a nice rocket salad for some extra colour.
- Love Marry Me Chicken? Make sure you try my Marry Me Chickpeas, Creamy Tuscan Chicken, Tuscan Salmon and Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken recipes next.
- Updated for 2025: I’ve added a recipe tutorial video as well as condensed recipe steps, to make this One Pan Marry Me Orzo recipe even easier to follow!
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card for this Marry Me Chicken Orzo recipe below. But for the shopping list here are the main ingredients you’ll need and ideas for substitutions:
- Chicken Breasts: You could use mini chicken fillets. I cut whole chicken breasts in half lengthways as if butterflying them into thin steaks.
- Gluten Free Orzo: I used the Tesco Free From Orzo but you can find some other brands in my gluten free orzo guide too.
- Cornflour: Or cornstarch in the US.
- Sun-Dried Tomatoes: Use the jarred type in oil, as you’ll need the oil for extra flavour when cooking the chicken.
- Double Cream: Or heavy cream in the US. For a lighter version I sometimes use low fat cream cheese instead, this works just as well.
- Chicken Stock: Always ensure you use a gluten free stock cube like Knorr, or make your own homemade chicken stock.
- Herbs and Spices: This recipe uses paprika, oregano and garlic paste.
- Lemon
- Spinach Leaves
- Parmesan Cheese: Or other hard cheese, like Gran Padano.
- Fresh Basil
Don’t just take my word for it…
Laura left a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and said: “Made for first time tonight… delicious and so easy to make.”
Joanne tried this recipe and posted on Instagram: “OMG Sarah, I made your Marry Me Chicken tonight!! Absolutely sensational!”
Arempea left a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review and said: “Love this easy to make dish. It’s so tasty. It’s become a much loved favourite dish in our home.”
How to Make Marry Me Chicken Orzo
There’s a printable recipe card below with the method. But here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this Marry Me Chicken Orzo recipe is:
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Marry Me Chicken Orzo Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp cornflour
- 1 tsp paprika
- 100 g sun-dried tomatoes, (roughly chopped. Reserve some of the oil from the jar for cooking with)
- 1 tbsp dried oregano
- 3 tsp garlic paste
- 150 g gluten free orzo, (I use the Tesco Free From Orzo)
- 75 ml double cream
- 350 ml gluten free chicken stock, (I use a Knorr chicken stock pot as these are gluten free)
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 50 g spinach leaves
- 50 g grated parmesan cheese
- Handful torn basil leaves
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts in half length-ways so you have two, thinner chicken breast steaks.
- Mix the cornflour and paprika on a large plate, then coat the chicken, being sure to press the mixture in so the meat is completely covered on both sides.
- Add a little of the oil from the sun-dried tomatoes into a large frying pan and place on a medium heat. Once hot, add the chicken breasts, and fry for 3-4 minutes on each side until golden brown and cooked through. Remove from the pan onto a plate and cover with foil to keep them warm.
- Place the pan back on the heat, adding a little more of the oil if it has gone dry. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and oregano. Fry for 1 min, stirring well, then add the gluten free orzo, chicken stock and lemon juice.
- Mix everything together well, bring to the boil then turn down to a low simmer. Place a lid on the pan and simmer for 10 minutes until the orzo is tender, stirring once or twice during this time to ensure it doesn’t stick. If the liquid absorbs too quickly, add a splash of water.
- Once the orzo is cooked, remove the lid and stir in the spinach, parmesan cheese and double cream. Stir through the torn basil just before serving into bowls, with the chicken on top.
Video
Notes
- Storing and Freezing: I do recommend eating this recipe fresh as orzo can dry out a little when refrigerated and/or reheated. When reheating any leftovers I recommend adding a splash of water before microwaving.
- Not Gluten Free? Simply use whichever brand of ‘normal’ orzo you prefer.
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for photos showing you each step of this recipe. Sometimes I find a visual guide helps!
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and a comment about this Marry Me Chicken Orzo! It really helps support my website and get my recipes out there, so thank you! xx
Nutrition
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: Any leftovers of this Marry Me Chicken Orzo can be kept in a tub in the fridge for 1-2 days, and reheated (or eaten cold!). Orzo can absorb a lot of liquid and go a bit stodgy when kept though, so I’d always recommend this dish is best eaten fresh. If you do reheat it, add a splash of water to stop it drying out too much.
TO FREEZE: Again, this orzo dish is best fresh. You can freeze and reheat any leftovers to avoid waste, but the texture may not be the same. Gluten free pasta doesn’t tend to freeze too well.
Love This Recipe?
If you loved this recipe, here are some more suggestions for gluten free dinners which are similar and just as tasty as this one pan orzo dish:
- Marry Me Chicken – the original recipe that inspired this dish, and my take on the viral sensation which apparently will make anyone drop down on one knee!
- One Pan Cajun Chicken Orzo – If a one-pan orzo recipe is your jam, this is definitely one for you to try next! Rich and creamy with a little bit of a spice.
- Marry Me Chickpeas: You could also easily adapt this vegetarian version of the dish to turn it into a one pan marry me chickpeas orzo dish too.
- Tuscan Chicken – This is a similar dish, but without the basil and lemon. If you love Marry Me Chicken you’ll love this. I also have a Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken recipe.
- Tuscan Salmon – for a lighter spin on this dish, the salmon just flakes to perfection.
Your Next Dinner Recipe…
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I made this last week and loved it: the orzo is delicious, and the tomato and spinach work so well in the sauce. Easy and quick to make – I love it, thank you!
Very tasty and easy to make thank you Sarah