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French Onion Chicken and Pasta with caramelized onions, chicken breast, and orzo

French Onion Chicken and Orzo

This french onion chicken and orzo recipe combines the comforting and rich flavors of caramelized onions, chicken, orzo pasta, fresh thyme, and gruyere cheese.
5 from 1 vote
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Ingredients
  

  • 1.5 lbs Chicken Breast cut into 1" pieces while raw
  • 1 tsp Seasoning Salt lawry's
  • 16 oz Orzo
  • 1.5 Cups Caramelized Onions I used frozen caramelized onions. If you are making caramelized onions fresh you will need at least two large onions, 1.5 tbsp olive oil, 1.5 tbsp salted butter, and salt
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup White Wine
  • 2 cups Chicken Broth
  • 2 cups Beef Broth
  • 6 oz Shredded Gruyere or Swiss Cheese trader joe's makes a swiss/gruyere blend
  • Fresh Thyme
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions
 

Caramelized Onions

  • If you are using pre-made caramelized onions, you can ignore this step. I have a great recipe for slow cooker caramelize onions on my blog that you can use if you want to make a large batch of them.
  • If you are making your onions fresh, follow this step. Cut your onions in half, and then slice each half into thin thin slices. Add the slices to a pan on medium low heat with 1.5 tablespoon of butter, 1.5 tablespoon of olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Stir frequently for about 45 minutes until onions are a deep golden color.

French Onion Chicken and Orzo

  • Dice your chicken into 1″ chunks and then coat in the seasoning salt
  • In a large skillet over medium heat add 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add your garlic and chicken. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently and lightly browning the outside of each piece of chicken. Remove Chicken from the pan and set aside.
  • If you are using frozen onions, cook them for 10 minutes to get some additional color on them. Once they defrost add in you wine and let it come to a boil.
  • Add your your orzo and mix it around with the wine and onions and gently cook the orzo for about 1 minutes. Then add a 1/4 tsp of salt, broth, and fresh thyme and mix.
  • Bring the pan to a boil and add your chicken on top of the orzo. No need to mix it yet. Lower the heat and cover the pan. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring once after 5 minutes.
  • Once your orzo and chicken are fully cooked, turn off your heat. Stir in your cheese, and add in a little black pepper and fresh thyme according to your preference.