This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
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
Paul has been traveling so much and I’ve been pretty much living off of chicken sausage…it’s just so easy to cook with for a small portion. I love how creamy this is and I love all the veggies!
I love orzo, this looks mouth-watering!
The word “creamy” always pulls me in… and it looks so.. well, creamy! Really yummy!
Also I’m living in sundresses, it’s all I wear!
Such a great looking meal ~ I always love sausage!
Oooo I am digging the creamyness
The recipe looks fantastic, just one question, it looks as if the diced tomatos were drained. Is this correct? Thanks for all the great recipes here!
Hi Krista! I actually didn’t drain the diced tomatoes. I used half a regular 14 oz. or 15oz. can (varies by brand) of diced tomatoes and just poured in half of it.
I am adoring the long days, too. I’ll be so sad when they’re over – I love being out walking at 7:30pm in the sunshine.
This Orzo looks so delicious and super comfort-foody but for summer. That made sense, right? Either way, it looks like a flavour sensation :)
That almost happened to me last week in front of my 9 year old…I would have been mortified! Quick question…what do you think about grilling the sausage first and adding it at the end?
What a tasty sounding dish – I’ve never seen chicken sausage for sale here but I’m definitely going to look out for it!
girl, i know how you feel!
I only started wearing dresses two years ago. Im a plus size woman so gettin me in a dress required much coaxing. I finally gave in with the condition that I would wear spanx underneath. Now i love dresses and have some really cute ones for hte summer. One dress in particular that I have been wearing flares out quite a bit. I never understood why i felt cold every time I passed the turnstile of the train or the office… until boyfriend told me the bar of hte turnstile flipped my dress up as it was turning revealing my nude spanx covered behind.
To make matters worse, when he made this discovery I was walking down a flight of stairs to catch a train that was coming into the station. The gust of wind sent my dress above my waist letting all of chinatown see my spanx.
I might be retiring the dress. lol.