One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo turns the traditional Caprese salad into a high protein and healthy meal that’s ready in 40 minutes. It contains the classics of tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, and basil, along with chicken, orzo, and herbs.
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Why You’ll Love One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo
I love mozzarella and Caprese salads so I wanted to turn it into a healthy and filling meal. One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo is flavorful, high in protein, and ready in about 40 minutes! It’s perfect for meal prep or for a busy weeknight meal.
Each serving provides 44 grams of protein from the chicken, mozzarella, and orzo. There’s also 4.5 grams of fiber from the tomatoes, orzo, and onion. Cheese and pasta can be part of a healthy balanced meal!
Ingredients
- Chicken breast: the main protein source of the meal. Cut into small pieces to cook quickly.
- Olive oil: healthy fat to grease the pan.
- Oregano, black pepper, garlic, basil, thyme: adds flavor. You can replace oregano, dried basil, and thyme with Italian seasoning.
- Cherry tomatoes: can’t have caprese without tomatoes. Provides antioxidants.
- Orzo: the carb source. Orzo is a small pasta that resembles rice. It contains some protein and fiber too!
- Chicken broth: the liquid to cook the orzo and adds flavor (by the way if you need a way to easily freeze leftover chicken broth, I love these containers).
- Mozzarella: The other staple of caprese. Provides protein and calcium. I used ciliegine mozzarella, which means cherry size. These are the perfect size for this dish. You can also cut large mozzarella into small cherry size pieces yourself.
How to Make One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo
Cut chicken into ½ inch cubes. Coat chicken in ½ teaspoon oregano and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
In a large sauté pan (that has a lid) over medium heat, warm olive oil. Then add seasoned chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning chicken over to brown all sides. Cook until internal temperature of chicken reaches about 165°F. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes and orzo. Cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, chicken broth, ½ tsp oregano, thyme, and dried basil. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent orzo from sticking to the pan.
Once orzo is fully cooked, reduce the heat to low and add mozzarella and fresh basil. Stir to combine. Cover with lid until mozzarella is softened to your preference.
How to Store One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo
After One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo has cooled down, it can be stored in air tight containers in the refrigerator for 4 to 5 days or in the freezer for about 3 months.
Tips
- Be sure to stir the orzo every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Using fresh mozzarella makes One Pot Chicken Caprese Orzo resemble the classic Caprese salad the best, but you can use any type of mozzarella and it will still taste delicious.
Try These Meal Prep Recipes Next:
- Healthy Chicken Mushroom Orzo in One Pot
- Mediterranean Chicken Bowls
- Ground Beef and Sweet Potato Skillet
- Instant Pot Cilantro Lime Chicken and Rice
- Baked Feta Salmon and Pasta
- Greek Lentil Salad
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Do you struggle with knowing what to meal prep for the week? Check out my FREE meal plan for a week of high protein meal prep recipes and get my favorite healthy snacks and quick meals. Get it here.
One Pan Chicken Caprese Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, divided
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 16 ounces cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 ounces dry orzo
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 8 ounces fresh ciliegine mozzarella
- 1/2 cup diced fresh basil
Instructions
- Cut chicken into ½ inch cubes. Coat chicken in ½ teaspoon oregano and 1/8 teaspoon black pepper.
- In a large sauté pan (that has a lid) over medium heat, warm olive oil. Then add seasoned chicken in a single layer. Cook for about 8-10 minutes, turning chicken over to brown all sides. Cook until internal temperature of chicken reaches about 165°F. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
- Add onion and garlic to pan and cook for about 3 minutes over medium heat. Add cherry tomatoes and orzo. Cook for 1 minute. Add chicken, chicken broth, ½ tsp oregano, thyme, and dried basil. Stir to combine.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes to prevent orzo from sticking to the pan. Once orzo is fully cooked, reduce the heat to low and add mozzarella and fresh basil. Stir to combine. Cover with lid until mozzarella is softened to your preference.
Notes
- Be sure to stir the orzo every few minutes to prevent it from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Using fresh mozzarella makes One Pot Chicken Caprese Orzo resemble the classic Caprese salad the best, but you can use any type of mozzarella and it will still taste delicious.
