Marry Me Chicken Orzo
Marry Me Chicken Orzo is made with juicy chicken breasts, bacon, mushrooms, and sun-dried tomatoes. It’s packed with fresh spinach. Serve the “smothered chicken” over a bed of orzo pasta, and spoon the sauce over the top! It’s creamier and richer than our Baked Tuscan Chicken recipe (served with rice).
If you’re looking for a delicious “Marry Me Chicken” recipe, then you’ve come to the right place. This chicken is juicy, tender, and smothered with the best sauce (bacon, mushrooms, sun-dried tomatoes). What do you serve with Marry Me Chicken? We think it’s the best served with orzo! Orzo is a type of pasta (tiny!) shaped like a grain of rice.
Why I’m in love with this recipe
- Great weeknight meal
- Even good enough for company.
- I personally love this dish for Valentine’s Day (share it with your sweetie, even if you are married! HA).
- On the table in 45 minutes.
Why is it called Marry Me Chicken?
Here’s a quick bit of trivia on when Marry Me Chicken orginated. It all started with Glamour magazine back in the 1980s (right when I started cooking chicken dinners), when Glamour editor gave a roast chicken recipe to a coworker. The coworker made the chicken for her boyfriend, who proposed shortly after. Then in 2004, Kim Bonnell, another Glamour editor, developed a recipe for the dish in 2004. Now various recipes have been around with the “Marry Me Chicken” since the mid-2000s.
Gather these simple ingredients
- Bacon
- Chicken breasts
- Garlic powder
- Flour: for dredging
- Olive oil
- Baby bella mushrooms
- Sun-dried tomatoes
- Chicken broth
- Balsamic vinegar
- Heavy cream or whipping cream
- Fresh baby spinach
- Orzo (we buy Delallo brand)
- Fresh chopped parsley
It’s easy to make Marry Me Chicken Orzo!
- Cook the bacon!
- Dredge the sliced chicken in flour mixture. [Dredge means to lightly dust the chicken with flour to create a crust when frying or cooking, by tossing it in a shallow dish filled with flour to evenly coat.]
- Cook the chicken, mushrooms, and add the sun-dried tomatoes.
- Make a broth, let it simmer, and add the cream.
- Return the chicken, bacon, mushrooms to the pan and allow the sauce to thicken.
- Add the spinach, let it wilt, and then push the chicken down and smother each breast with the wonderful thick sauce (like a gravy). Oh my!
- Cook the orzo according to package directions (al-dente!)
For serving, lay the chicken breast down on a bed of orzo (yum) and sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley.
Spoon the sauce over the top – it’s so delish with the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes.
Enjoy!
Tips that might help you make this recipe:
- You can use chicken thighs if you prefer.
- Any type of mushrooms work.
- Don’t leave out the sun-dried tomatoes – they really add pizazz.
- If you’re not an orzo fan, you can serve on any type of past, rice, or even cauliflower rice.
- How do you cook the orzo al dente? Cook the orzo about 1 minute less than the package directions. You just do not want mushy orzo (over-cooked).
- To make it gluten-free, you’ll need to use gluten-free flour.
- If you don’t have parsley – you can use basil.
What to serve with Marry Me Chicken
Like I mentioned above, this is a fun dish to make for Valentine’s Day, or any dinner party! You can read the history behind the name to your guests. And serve with these side dishes:
- Loaded Mashed Potatoes
- Ina Gartin’s Potatoes
- Tennessee Onions
- Hot Honey Brussels Sprouts
- Green Beans with Onions and Bacon
- This Best House Salad
- This Dill Bread (my fave made with cottage cheese) – yum!
More easy chicken dishes you may want to try while you are here:
- Bruschetta Chicken
- Mayo Parm Crusted Chicken
- Baked Caesar Chicken
- Hot Chicken Salad
- Honey Soy Baked Chicken
Get the Recipe:
Marry Me Chicken Orzo
Ingredients
- 6 bacon strips, cut into small pieces
- 2 large chicken breasts , cut in half lengthwise
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- Black cracked pepper, several cracks
- ½ cup All purpose flour, as needed for dredging
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup sun dried tomatoes, thinly sliced
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 cup heavy cream, or whipping cream
- 2 cups fresh baby spinach, loosely packed
- 8 oz orzo, cooked according to package directions; drained
- Fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Cook the bacon in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until crispy. Remove with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel, leaving about 2 tablespoons of bacon grease left in the skillet.
- Slice each chicken breast in half lengthwise to create 4 thin pieces. Season with garlic powder and pepper, then dredge lightly in flour. [Dredge means to: means to lightly dust the chicken with flour to create a crust when frying or cooking, by tossing it in a shallow dish filled with flour to evenly coat.]
- In the skillet with bacon grease, cook chicken for 4-5 minutes on each side until golden and cooked through. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- If needed, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Sauté mushrooms for 6-8 minutes until browned and the water has evaporated. Add in the sun dried tomatoes. Remove from skillet and set aside.
- Add chicken broth and balsamic vinegar to the skillet, scraping up any browned bits. Let simmer for about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour in the cream and let it cook for 1-2 minutes until the sauce starts to thicken.
- Return chicken, bacon, and the mushrooms to the skillet; allow to simmer in the sauce for 5 minutes.
- Stir in fresh spinach, using a spoon to stir it around to wilt evenly. [After wilted, you can bring each chicken breast to the top to lay on top of the spinach]. Spoon the sauce over the chicken.
- Serve the “smothered chicken” over orzo, and spoon the sauce over the top!
Cook the orzo:
- Cook the orzo according to package directions "al-dente"; drain and set aside. TIP: If you need to add a drizzle of olive oil to make it less sticky, that works right before serving.
- Sprinkle with a tiny bit of fresh chopped parsley.
Hello and welcome to my home and table!
I’m Sandy—lover of food, family, cooking, THE BIG BOARD, travel, and bringing people together. Through great recipes and connection around the table, we become better, stronger, and more courageous people. Feasting on Life is real, and every time we do it, we grow a little more. Read more...
