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This easy, comfy Tuscan Chicken Bake is made in one pan and takes less than 10 minutes to throw together in a casserole dish. Bake it up and enjoy for a cozy, hearty dinner everyone adores. It’s one of those instant love recipes that’s super adaptable to different flavors and mix-ins. You’ll be quick to add this one to the dinner rotation.
Full of vibrant flavors like tangy and sweet bursting cherry tomatoes and zesty lemon juice. It’s perfectly balanced by the decadent heavy cream (or milk for a lighter take), comfy orzo pasta, and sharp parmesan cheese.
Using the same pasta-to-liquid ratio and bake time, change up the flavor profile of this dish with a Marry Me chicken version, Broccoli Cheddar, or Louisiana style.
Orzo Tuscan Chicken Bake
Here is why you’ll love this easy recipe:
- 10 Min Prep – it doesn’t get any more low maintenance for a homemade dinner than this tuscan-style orzo chicken bake.
- Dump & Bake – literally dump all of the ingredients into the casserole dish and stick in the oven! No dirty mixing bowls needed.
- One Pan Meal – you’ll only need to wash one pan, this is your kinda meal for busy weeks when eating out is so tempting.
- Great Leftovers – much like most pasta recipes, the flavors meld and it’s even more delish the next day. Just add a splash of chicken broth before reheating.
Key Ingredients
This one-pan tuscan chicken bake couldn’t get any easier. Here is the short list of ingredients you’ll need (measurements are below in the recipe card).
Chicken – rotisserie chicken is best for a quick and simple answer. Or if you have leftover cooked chicken on-hand, use that. You only need about two cups chopped or shredded!
Orzo – this rice shaped pasta has the best texture and it really makes this dish special. You can sub for rotini, elbows, penne or another short pasta.
Cheese – a combination of parmesan and mozzarella. Part sharp, part creamy and gooey.
Chicken stock – more flavorful than broth. This is what the pasta will bloom in and absorb as it bakes.
Heavy Cream – just a cup will add so much creaminess to this dish. You can sub for milk for a less decadent and lighter take.
Spinach – fresh spinach or frozen spinach that has been thawed and well-drained.
Cherry Tomatoes – these really make the dish! They wilt as they bake and easily burst creating the perfect tangy sweet flavor. Use a good tasting brand like Angel Sweet.
Garlic – fresh garlic always adds more flavor but use the jarred kind in a pinch.
Seasonings – a simple combination of salt, pepper and italian seasoning (plus garlic powder if using the pre-minced garlic).
Lemon – juice of half a lemon.
How to Make Tuscan Chicken Bake
Dump Everything Into A Casserole Dish
Add some non-stick spray to the sides of a 9×13 casserole dish. Into the baking dish add: orzo, chicken stock, cream, seasonings, cooked chicken, garlic, spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice and half of each cheese. Give it a good mix to ensure the ingredients are evenly combined and in a flat layer.
Bake It!
Top with remaining cheese and bake for 40 minutes or until the orzo is tender. When you remove from the oven, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to allow the pan juices to be absorbed and set up (otherwise it may seem a little liquidy). Give the tuscan chicken bake a good mix using a large serving spoon. Serve hot and enjoy! We love to pair this with a chopped salad kit.
Alternate Flavor Variations
Use this same one-pan orzo chicken bake method and measurements, but swap out the key ingredients for these alternate flavor versions:
Marry Me Pasta – swap the spinach and cherry tomatoes with sun-dried tomatoes and basil.
Louisiana Pasta – swap the spinach, cherry tomatoes and mozzarella for chopped bell peppers, broccoli and colby jack.
Pesto – keep everything the same, but whisk in 2-3 tablespoons of pesto.
Chicken Scampi – scale back 1/2 cup of stock and replace it with a dry white wine.
Looking for More One-Pan Meals?
One-Pot Marry Me Chicken Pasta
One-Pan Buffalo Chicken Alfredo
One-Pan Lemon Parmesan Pasta
I hope you enjoyed this recipe for this one-pan orzo tuscan chicken bake recipe. Be sure to comment below with any questions or feedback!
If you make these or any other recipes, don’t forget to tag me on IG @BadBatchBaking to be featured on my story. Seeing your recreations makes my day!
Orzo Tuscan Chicken Bake
Ingredients
- 16 oz. dry orzo
- 2 cups cooked chicken rotisserie or sauted diced chicken
- 3 cups chicken stock unsalted
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 2/3 cup parmesan, grated or shredded
- 1.5 cups mozzarella, shredded
- 3 cups loosely packed baby spinach leaves roughly chopped (or 8 oz box chopped spinach, thawed and well-drained)
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes leave whole or slice in half
- 1/2 lemon, juice of
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt or more to taste
- 1 teaspoon freshly cracked pepper
- optional - 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder if not using fresh garlic
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Add some non-stick spray to the sides of a 9x13 casserole dish.
- Into the casserole dish add: orzo, cooked chicken, chicken stock, cream, seasonings, garlic, spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice and half of each cheese. Give it a good mix to ensure the ingredients are evenly combined and in a flat layer.
- Top with remaining cheese and bake for 40 minutes or until the orzo is tender.
- When you remove from the oven, allow it to sit for about 10 minutes to allow the pan juices to be absorbed and set up (otherwise it may seem a little liquidy).
- Give it a good mix using a large serving spoon. Serve hot and enjoy! We love to pair this with a chopped salad kit.
FANTASTIC!
Instant keeper!. I didn’t have any shredded chicken, so I put the chicken stock and check in the crockpot all afternoon to cook. Then shredded it and used the stock in the recipe!
Can the orzo be replaced with risotto??
Made this tonight and it was so yummy! Tons of flavor. I cooked my chicken in a crockpot on low for 6 hours and it baked perfectly in this recipe. Adding this to our rotation!
I just made this tonight. It’s delish. Because some like spinach and some wanted broccoli I added them both! Half on one side half on the other. I also added some pesto to the recipe. Great addition. I used rotisserie chicken , since i was short on time. Everyone was happy. Thank you for the recipe. Will make again.
Can you make this ahead of cooking?
I made it this evening but used broccoli because I didn’t have spinach on hand. It’s excellent!
Made this last night and it was fantastic! So easy to toss everything together and bake!
This was fabulous! Made it tonight for my family (4 boys and husband) and we hardly have any leftovers. Thank you for sharing!
Do you cover it with aluminum foil when baking?
So good! I found you on TikTok and made this recipe for dinner today. It’s a keeper. 10/10!
Hi Holly!! So happy you found me too. Glad you loved the recipe, it’s now one of our favorites. I love that you can change it up and use the same method so it wont get boring 🙂