Skillet Chicken Thighs with Broccoli Cheddar Orzo – juicy golden brown chicken thighs with cheesy orzo and broccoli all cooked together in one pan!
Skillet Chicken Thighs with Broccoli Cheddar Orzo
A wholesome budget friendly one-pot meal that is so delicious and satisfying! Bone-in skin-on chicken thighs seared until golden brown then simmered with toasted orzo, minced garlic, chopped onion, and chicken broth. Partway through cooking, the broccoli is added to the top to steam, then stirred into the orzo along with shredded sharp cheddar cheese. So many flavors in just one-pot! This recipe is easily doubled for a bigger family or to make excellent leftovers! Skillet chicken thighs are one of my favorite family dinners because they have so much flavor. Perfect for a snappy skillet dinner!
Ingredients for Skillet Chicken Thighs and Orzo
- Chicken Thighs – 4 Bone-in, Skin On Chicken Thighs, about 1/2 pound each for a total of two pounds. If the chicken thighs are smaller you can use more to equal around 2 pounds.
- Olive Oil – for browning the chicken and the orzo
- Onion – diced yellow onion
- Garlic – freshly minced if preferred
- Orzo – 1/2 a pound (8 oz) of dried orzo pasta
- Low Sodium Chicken Broth – or substitute equal parts water and chicken bullion according to package directions.
- Broccoli Florets – quartered or halved depending on size. You want about 1 inch florets so they cook evenly.
- Sharp Cheddar Cheese – about 1 1/2 cups of freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
- Salt and Pepper – kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
How to Make Skillet Chicken Thighs with Broccoli Cheddar Orzo
- Season and pat dry the chicken thighs, then starting with skin side down, sear on both sides until golden brown.
- Set chicken thighs aside and sauté onions, garlic and orzo in the same skillet.
- Deglaze with chicken broth and return chicken thighs to skillet to continue cooking. Cover and cook on medium heat.
- Partway through cooking time, top with chopped broccoli florets to steam.
- Ensure chicken thighs are cooked to 165 degree then remove from skillet. Stir together orzo, steamed broccoli, and shredded cheddar. Adjust seasoning and serve.
How to Double the Recipe
This recipe is easily doubled for more servings.
- Double all ingredients.
- Use a 6 quart dutch oven,
- Brown the chicken thighs in two batches.
- Cooking times will stay the same.
How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
There are two options for storing and reheating leftovers. My preferred method with this particular recipe is to store the chicken thighs and broccoli cheddar orzo in separate tightly covered containers. For crispy chicken thighs, reheat chicken thighs in an air fryer then microwave or warm orzo on the stove top. It’s absolutely delicious! Alternatively, you can simply refrigerate the chicken and orzo together and reheat on the stove over low heat or microwave until hot. Refrigerate all leftovers promptly and consume within three days.
More Skillet Dinner Recipes
- Skillet Enchiladas
- Skillet Garlic Butter Flank Steak
- Skillet Ravioli Lasagna
- One Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo
- 2 pounds bone-in, skin on chicken thighs 4 large chicken thighs about 1/2 pound each
- 4 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1/2 cup yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz dried orzo (1/2 of a 16 oz package of orzo)
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 pound broccoli florets large florets quartered, medium florets halved
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese shredded
- Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
-
Pat chicken thighs dry and season generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoon of olive oil over medium high heat. Carefully place chicken thighs skin side down in hot oil and brown 4-5 minutes on each side. Skin side should be crispy and golden. Chicken thighs do not need to be cooked through at this point. Remove thighs from skillet and set aside.
-
Add two more tablespoons of olive oil to pan and sauté onion until they start to soften, then add orzo and toast over medium high heat for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes stirring constantly so garlic doesn't burn. Add chicken broth to pan and use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to deglaze and scrape skillet. Bring broth to a boil. Return chicken thighs to skillet. Reduce heat to medium low and let simmer covered for 8 minutes. After 8 minutes add layer of broccoli over chicken and orzo and recover. Continue cooking another 12 minutes until chicken thighs reach 165℉ and the broccoli is tender.
-
Remove chicken thighs from skillet. Stir orzo and broccoli together with shredded cheese. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
5 Easy Dinner Ideas for Busy Weeknights
My five FAVORITE recipes for busy families!
- Quick to make
- Light on your budget
- Easy to clean-up
- and...most important...absolutely DELICIOUS
Krissy Allori
This was the perfect family dinner! Everything served up in one pan and it tasted so good. Definitely adding this to my weekly rotation!
Sha
My guests thought that this is store-bought! It was a total hit! It’s flavorful and filling. A must-try!
Natasha
This was fantastic! Made this tonight for my family and we all loved it! I will add this to our family menu!
Beth
The cheddar was such a nice touch with this chicken. My family really loved it.
Gina
It was as tasty as it was beautiful. Everyone loved it!
Katerina Petrovska
We absolutely loved the skillet chicken thighs with broccoli cheddar orzo! Everything cooked together in one skillet made it not only delicious but also super easy and convenient. This dish was a hit for its taste and simplicity. Definitely a new favorite for us!
Erin | Dinners, Dishes and Dessert
It’s incredibly delicious! I made this and everybody at our house loves it!
Beti Micevska
My family loved this skillet chicken thighs with broccoli cheddar orzo! They couldn’t get enough of the juicy chicken and the creamy, cheesy orzo mixed with broccoli. They’re already asking when I can make it again. It was a big win at our dinner table!
Sandra
This is going to be in my weekly menu! It was yummy! Even my kids really loved it!
Tisha
This looks so amazing! I definitely want to use this for a meal prep dish!
Kelly
Can this recipe be adjusted to use an instant pot instead of a skillet?
Melissa
I haven’t tried it in the instant pot yet, but I think it would be a good recipe to adapt! Please let me know if you try it!
lisa
Very good! I didn’t have enough orzo so I substituted acini de pepe and it worked out great.
Kat
The instructions need to be updated. It states to deglaze the pan after toasting the orzo, but then it says to add the orzo to the boiling broth? It also says to let it simmer for 8 min, but then add broccoli after 12. What am I doing in those other 4 min?? Can’t speak on taste because it’s still cooking but this was one of the worst written recipes I’ve ever cooked.
Melissa
Hi Kat,
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and letting me know about the error. I have corrected the recipe instructions.