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A note from Julie: this recipe is the same as when it first published in July 2013. The photographs have been updated for your viewing pleasure.
I came up with this one-pot creamy orzo chicken sausage recipe one night randomly, as most dinner sometimes seem to be.
It’s usually me opening up the fridge and pulling out ingredients and seeing whether or not they would work together.
I remember when I first made this recipe, back in 2013, chicken sausage was still not really a thing yet.
It was just starting to hit the market but by no means was it popular yet.
I remember I was sent chicken sausage by a company (that now sells at Whole Foods!) to try because they were new to the market. I thought it couldn’t hurt to try.
That was how my love of chicken sausage came to be.
And also how this recipe for one-pot creamy orzo with chicken sausage came to be!
Can I make this with another pasta or grain?
Farro would be awesome with this or even making this with risotto/arborio rice.
Can I add different veggies to this?
Yes, absolutely.
I made this in the summer so I used a lot of seasonal/summer vegetables.
You can use whatever vegetables you like.
What kind of chicken sausage should I use?
Use pre-cooked chicken sausage. Not fresh.
It can be any flavor!
Can I use a different kind of sausage?
If you want to use another kind (such as beef or pork) of pre-cooked sausage, sure.
I can’t have dairy
Sure, no problem. You can omit the heavy cream.
The orzo gets fairly creamy standalone but the heavy cream just gives it an extra splash of decadence.
Is this spicy?
No, but you can make it spicy if you want by adding crushed red pepper flakes to it.
My orzo is crunchy
That means it hasn’t cooked through yet. Keep cooking it!
My liquid is all gone but my orzo hasn’t finished cooking
Add a little more chicken stock/broth, cover, and let it keep cooking.
One-pot creamy creamy orzo with chicken sausage goes great with these side dishes:
One-Pot Creamy Orzo with Chicken Sausage
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- ½ large onion, chopped
- ½ large zucchini, sliced into round discs then quartered
- 4 ounce (113 g) white button mushrooms, sliced
- 3 fully-cooked chicken sausage links, sliced into round discs then quartered, any brand
- 1 ½ cup (225 g) orzo
- 2 cups (473 ml) low-sodium chicken stock or broth
- 7 ounce (199 g) canned diced tomatoes
- Splash of heavy cream
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a large pot, over medium high heat, heat 1 tbsp. of olive oil and add in the garlic. Cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the onions and zucchini. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4-5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and sausage. Cook until mushrooms have reduced in size, about 2 minutes.3 cloves garlic, 1/2 large onion, 1/2 large zucchini, 4 ounce (113 g) white button mushrooms, 3 fully-cooked chicken sausage links
- Add the orzo to the pot and toast it for about minute, stirring constantly. Gently add the chicken stock, bring to a boil, then turn down the heat to low and cover and cook for 10 minutes, or until orzo has cooked through. Stir in the diced tomatoes and add the splash of cream (about 1 tbsp). The mixture should still be creamy because of the starch from the orzo. If it is still a bit runny, you can cover and let it cook for another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.1 1/2 cup (225 g) orzo, 2 cups (473 ml) low-sodium chicken stock or broth, 7 ounce (199 g) canned diced tomatoes, Splash of heavy cream, Salt and pepper
- Serve hot.
- Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Photographs by Jesse Reilly
This is one of our go-to recipes. We follow it exactly as written but always use a splash of full fat oat milk in place of the heavy cream and it’s fabulous. Highly recommend that option for those that can’t have dairy.
So good! I added some shredded Parmesan cheese that took it over the top! Loved it!
Another winner for me and my husband! Slowly working or eating our way through all the recipes!
Delicious! My husband absolutely loved it! I didn’t have any regular diced tomatoes so i had to use Rotel, so it was mildly spicy. I added a little more half & half to tone it down slightly. The chicken sausage was not spicy, they had granny smith apples as a filler in the sausage.
This is a perfect week night recipe! One of my favorites espcially when it’s chilly outside, but it’s a quick and easy dish for any season. I usually sub sliced Baby Bellas or Criminis for the white button mushrooms. Also grate in some fresh parmesan instead of the cream.
Another recipe added to the routine! I love creamy orzo! I added an extra TBS of heavy cream and topped the dish with fresh basil and Parmesan cheese! I also paired it with slices of fresh bread and butter! Delish! ?
So glad you enjoyed this!!
Love love this dish! Really yummy!
Thought the orzo was a rice not a pasta but eventually figured it out! From one of these comments actually!
Made this tonight and it was fantastic!! My only concern is you might want to add that the sausage you used was already fully cooked. I bought (fresh) chicken sausage links and wasn’t sure if the recipe would cook them as written, so I cooked it in the pot and then set it aside before cooking the garlic/zucchini/onions. Just wanted to post so others could be aware. Thanks for a great recipe, it was delicious and I’m already looking forward to leftovers for lunch tomorrow!
Thanks for the tip! I’ll modify the recipe to note that.