Chicken and Butternut Squash Orzo
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Made with tender, juicy chicken, roasted butternut squash, creamy orzo, and sneaked in greens! A cozy, fall dinner, and a weeknight favorite!
Featured Comment
This is very, very delicious! Bought organic chicken thighs, organic chopped kale and a butternut squash all from Trader Joe’s. So creamy and warm and tasty! Especially on a 14-degree day in Chicago. Thanks so much!!! A+++++
why you’ll love chicken and butternut squash orzo
- A cozy, fall dinner. This dinner is as cozy as it looks. With the creamiest of orzos, pan seared chicken thighs (or breasts), roasted butternut squash, and all the seasonal herbs. It’s speedy fall comfort food at its best.
- Balanced meal. Say hello to an all-in-one-done meal, great for grown-ups and toddlers. This really has everything you need – chicken, vegetables, fiber, and pasta!
- Perfect for any occasion. Whether it’s a quick, weeknight meal, a fancy date night for two, or a family meal, this chicken and creamy orzo dish delivers in every single way possible. It’s restaurant-quality without any of the fuss.
- Flexible and forgiving. This recipe is incredibly forgiving, allowing you to use dried or fresh herbs, or swap out the butternut squash for sweet potato. You can simply adapt to ingredients you have left in the fridge or pantry, making this so convenient and budget-friendly.
How to make chicken and butternut squash orzo
- Dice the butternut squash. Trim both ends of the butternut squash, peel the skin (using a vegetable peeler or Y-peeler until the bright orange flesh is exposed), separate the seedless neck from the bulbous base, scoop out the seeds, and chop the squash into uniform 1-inch cubes.
- Roast the butternut squash. Place the diced butternut squash cubes onto a lightly greased baking sheet. Stir in the olive oil, salt, and pepper, stirring until evenly coated. Bake at 425°F until tender, about 25-30 minutes, stirring halfway for even cooking and browning. Pro tip: avoid an overcrowded pan or the butternut squash will steam instead.
- Cook the chicken. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. Then melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat, searing the chicken in batches until a crust is formed, releasing easily from the pan, and is cooked through (165°F). Set aside and keep warm.
- Sauté the aromatics. Stir in the shallot until tender, then stir in the garlic, thyme, and sage until fragrant.
- Add the flour. Stir in the flour until browned to remove the raw flour taste and to build a rich, nutty flavor.
- Deglaze the pan. Stir in the chicken stock and Dijon mustard, lifting up the browned bits (fond) from the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Simmer. Stir in the orzo. Reduce the heat and simmer until the orzo is tender and cooked through, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Combine. Stir in the kale (or any other leafy greens), Parmesan, and heavy cream.
- Finish. Stir in the roasted butternut squash until warmed through. Then return the cooked chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Serve. Serve warm with garlic knots.
Helpful swaps and substitutions
- Chicken thighs (dark meat): substitute chicken breasts, chicken cutlets, or even leftover rotisserie chicken
- Kale: substitute other leafy greens such as spinach, cabbage, swiss chard, or collard greens
- Heavy cream: substitute half and half for a lighter consistency
- Butternut squash: substitute sweet potato
what to serve with chicken and butternut squash orzo
Tools For This Recipe
Chicken and Butternut Squash Orzo: Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use chicken breasts?
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content, which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Can I use pre-cut butternut squash?
Absolutely, pre-cut cubed butternut squash is a great weeknight shortcut hack!
Should I roast or boil the butternut squash?
Both will work but roasting the butternut squash will caramelize the natural sugars, creating deeper, sweeter flavors.
What can I substitute for the kale?
Spinach, cabbage, swiss chard and collard greens are all excellent swaps.
What is heavy cream?
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
How can I store leftovers?
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Chicken and Butternut Squash Orzo
Made with tender, juicy chicken, roasted butternut squash, creamy orzo, and sneaked in greens! A cozy, fall dinner, and a weeknight favorite!
Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large shallot, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 6 large sage leaves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- ½ bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup heavy cream
for the roasted butternut squash
- 1 pound diced butternut squash, about 2 cups
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the Dutch oven in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add shallot, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 2-3 minutes. Stir in garlic, thyme and sage until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock and Dijon, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven.
- Stir in orzo; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in kale, Parmesan and heavy cream until the kale has wilted, about 3 minutes.
- Stir in roasted butternut squash; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Serve immediately.
for the roasted butternut squash
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Lightly oil a baking sheet or coat with nonstick spray.
- Place butternut squash in a single layer onto the prepared baking sheet. Stir in olive oil; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Gently toss to combine.
- Place into oven and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until butternut squash is tender, stirring at halftime.
Equipment
Notes
- Cut in uniform size. Chop the butternut squash in similar size for even cooking.
- Bake directly on the sheet pan. No need for parchment paper here. Bake the butternut squash directly on the sheet pan for caramelization and crispness.
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for even heat distribution and a better sear.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your soup. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Kale, spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Mix it up. Use sweet potato in place of butternut squash, or a blend of both.
- Use pre-cut squash. To cut down on prep time even more, use pre-cut butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
Did you make this recipe?
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Wow! This was extremely good. I didn’t change anything except traded kale for spinach because I was craving it. Absolutely phenomenal. Super flavorful. No notes.
Omg SO delicious!! I took a few shortcuts to make it an easy weeknight meal: used rotisserie chicken and cubed frozen butternut squash in a steamable bag. Will definitely be adding this to our regular rotation!
I love this recipe! I usually add extra orzo/sauce to feed my teenagers.
Really good! and came together quickly. Will definitely make it again
Very tasty and super easy—perfect for a quick weekday meal. I only had frozen butternut squash and dried spices on hand, and I used half-and-half instead of cream. I adjusted the spice quantities slightly and everything worked out really well. Definitely a recipe I’d make again.
Really good! Quick and easy. May cut down just a little on the sage and thyme–a bit strong for me, but all loved it! Will definitely do it again.
Great flavor!!
Hi there, about how long does this take to prep and then cook? Usually there is a time frame on recipes. I appreciate you sharing your yummy foods
Just made this tonight and it was soooo tasty. My 19 month old loved it, too- a true win!
This dish is sooooo good! I had butternut squash & kale in my garden to use. With the change in weather, it was the perfect dish for Sunday dinner
I think this is a great base recipe! A few notes:
The orzo takes WAY longer than six minutes. When you add the chicken and squash back into the pan, make sure you microwave it just a smidge so they don’t end up cold in the dish.
Add some dried thyme to the chicken! 🙂
I have mustard greens from my CSA. Do you think that will taste well with the other flavors?
Fabulous! Perfect for some fresh fall squash I got from a local farm this week. So yummy! Thank you for ALL of your recipes!!!
hi! it’s been a cool rainy day and i’ve been saving this recipe to try. went and got all fresh herbs and ingredients. followed your recipe.
AND. i feel like this recipe is not taking advantage of one of the key strengths of cooking with chicken thighs. because of their connective tissue, you can cook them a long time to get better taste and texture with them. just cooking them to 165-degrees does not do this dish justice.
with any recipe i do the first time, i try to follow to the letter. however, by the time i got to adding the greens, cream and cheese, there was no liquid to meld with! i added twice again as much broth + white wine + water (later after it all cooked up and continued to consume all the liquids).
the flavor is nice, yet it needs more salt, more umami. next time i will add a sardine at the end, and hopefully a parmesan rind.
add more liquid and cook an additional 45 minutes. THEN add the greens. enjoy!
thanks for the inspiration.
I couldn’t even imagine cooking orzo for 45 min! But I hear you on cooking the chicken longer and more broth/wine to develop flavors. At the end of the day, I think this is meant to be a quick, delicious and nutritious meal.
This was Damn Delicious! I used spinach instead of kale and had to add a little extra broth to get the orzo cooked but everything else I followed exactly. So easy and one pot! Will definitely be in regular rotation.
I love this recipe! I made it lighter by subbing heavy cream for Greek yogurt and I didn’t use flour and the sauce was pretty thick from the starch of the pasta. Delish!
This was delicious! I didn’t have any kale, so I added more squash. I will make again.
Delicious! Made it with a cast iron and still worked great (don’t have a Dutch oven). The only thing I’d recommend is adding a tad more butternut squash to even out the recipe.
This was very good! Creamy and full of flavor.
This was delicious! I used baby spinach as I had that already.