This simple baked chicken orzo is a dump-and-bake, one-pan dinner with Boursin cheese, pre-cooked chicken, orzo pasta, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. No chopping, no pre-cooking, and ready in 35 minutes!

A white baking dish filled with creamy baked chicken and orzo with cherry tomatoes and parsley.

5 star review

“Was delicious, easy to make and the kids loved it!”

– Trista
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Boursin Chicken Orzo Pasta is the Perfect Weeknight Dinner

I knew I hit gold when I first made this orzo with chicken recipe, and my daughter immediately asked me to make it again, which (between you and me) doesn’t happen very often. So what makes this dump-and-bake casserole work so well? For starters, the soft, tangy Boursin cheese already has seasonings and herbs, (just like in my sausage orzo butternut bake), and it adds sooo much extra flavor without extra work. Plus there’s juuust the right amount of liquid so the orzo pasta is tender and chewy, not mushy or stuck together.

To keep things super easy, you can use rotisserie chicken or my slow cooker shredded chicken, as either work really well. As an added bonus for using pre-cooked chicken, you don’t have to worry about the meat and pasta cooking at different times. Seriously, this baked chicken orzo truly is a one-pan meal since it has the chicken, pasta, and veggies all in one, as makes life so much simpler, especially when it’s family- and kid-approved! And for another creamy one-pan orzo dinner, my marry me chicken orzo uses a similar dump-and-bake approach with a sun-dried tomato cream sauce. So good!

Bowls of spinach, shredded chicken, salt, pepper, stock, and orzo rice next to cherry tomatoes and Boursin cheese.
I love using pre-cooked chicken (such as rotisserie) to keep the prep for this orzo chicken casserole super simple.

Welcome to My Kitchen, Let’s Make Creamy Chicken Orzo Pasta!

Jump to Recipe Instructions
A hand pouring stock into a casserole dish with orzo rice, cooked shredded chicken, salt, and pepper.
Add chicken, orzo & stock to a baking dish.
A hand mixing stock, dry orzo rice, cooked shredded chicken, and seasonings in a baking dish.
Mix until well-combined.
Cherry tomatoes and a block of Boursin cheese sitting on top of stock, shredded chicken, and orzo in a baking dish.
Top with Boursin cheese & tomatoes.
Baked cherry tomatoes and a block of Boursin cheese sitting on top of creamy shredded chicken and orzo in a casserole.
Cover and bake.
A hand using a spoon to stir creamy cheese with fresh baby spinach, baked tomatoes, rice, and chicken.
Add the spinach and stir.
A large baking dish filled with cooked chicken, orzo, tomatoes, and cheese.
Bake for another 5-10 minutes.

Make it Gluten Free

To make this 35-minute dinner gf, just swap in a gluten free orzo pasta brand you like.

Testing Tips for Creamy Baked Orzo, Every Time

  • Give it a Stir: Stir everything before adding the cheese to ensure your orzo doesn’t burn on the bottom. And after you uncover and stir everything again, if the orzo is sticking to the pan, just give it a hefty stir to get it unstuck.
  • Boursin: Just plop the Boursin cheese in the middle of your baking dish and nestle it down, no need to stir it into the dish.
  • Pasta: Don’t substitute a different pasta shape! When I tested this with rotini, the liquid ratio was completely off and the dish came out watery and the pasta didn’t cook properly. Orzo is essential here because of how it absorbs the stock during baking.
  • Oven: Make sure your oven is fully preheated to 425°F before the dish goes in. If the oven is still coming up to temp, the orzo won’t be done at 30 minutes.
  • Set Time: The orzo will look loose when it first comes out of the oven. Let it sit for 5 minutes before serving. It firms up as it rests and absorbs the remaining liquid.
Baked orzo, spinach, chicken, and tomatoes in a baking dish with a metal spoon.
A white baking dish filled with creamy baked chicken and orzo with cherry tomatoes and parsley.
4.98 stars (47 ratings)

Chicken Orzo Bake (with Boursin)

Developed and tested by A woman with long blonde hair, smiling, holds and pours a bottle of oil in a modern kitchen setting.Robyn Conley Downs
Servings: 5 servings
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 35 minutes
A creamy baked chicken orzo with Boursin cheese, cherry tomatoes, and spinach. One-pan, no chopping, no pre-cooking needed, ready in 35-minutes.
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Ingredients

Equipment

Instructions 

  • Preheat the oven to 425°F.
  • Coat a 9×13 ceramic baking dish with cooking spray.
  • Add the chicken, orzo, chicken stock, salt, and pepper, stirring until well combined.
  • Nestle the Boursin cheese into the middle of the dish and sprinkle the cherry tomatoes evenly over the top. Do not stir.
  • Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes.
  • Add the spinach, and stir until everything is well combined. Bake for an additional 5-10 minutes, or until the orzo is completely cooked through.
  • Stir again and serve. The casserole will continue to set as it cools, so if it's still a bit liquidy, just let it sit for 5- 10 minutes before serving.

Notes

  • Oven Temp: Make sure your oven really is at 425°F, so your casserole cooks in just 30 minutes.
  • Check for Doneness: Give the orzo a little test-taste at 30 minutes, and pop it back in the oven for 5 minutes if it’s not as chewy as you like.
Course: dinner, Main Course
Cuisine: American, French, Italian, Mediterranean

Nutrition Information:

Serving: 1 (of 5), Calories: 464kcal, Carbohydrates: 39g, Protein: 38g, Fat: 17g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 102mg, Sodium: 425mg, Potassium: 603mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 1673IU, Vitamin C: 14mg, Calcium: 66mg, Iron: 2mg
Nutrition disclaimer
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