Chicken and Broccoli Orzo Bake

I love taking whatever we happen to have on hand and throw it together as a casserole. It's satisfying when it comes out tasting like this did! This casserole is a great, cheap, hands-off dinner option that will feed a lot of people and is also great as leftovers.

Using orzo in casseroles is great because you can cook it until al dente and then it soaks up all of the juices and doesn't tend to get as soggy as other pasta shapes. I also had a lot of chicken breasts that needed to be cooked but you can certainly buy a rotisserie chicken and shred that instead.

I love how versatile casseroles are, You can sub whatever vegetables you have lying around. We almost always have frozen peas in the freezer so that was an obvious addition and if you don't have cajun seasoning, you can substitute with a little cayenne, chili powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.

If you love this recipe, share it! Drop a comment below, follow on Facebook or Instagram, and Pinterest. Enjoy!

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Ingredients

• 1 lb chicken breast

• 1 1/2 cup orzo

• 8 oz cream cheese

• 1 1/2 cup chicken broth

• 1/3 cup parmesan

• 1/2 Tbsp cajun seasoning

• 1 clove garlic, finely minced or pressed through garlic press

• 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 cup frozen peas

• 1 small head broccoli, cut into florets

• 2 Tbsp butter

• 3/4 cup panko bread crumbs

• Parsley for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees

2. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil and place chicken breasts about 1-2 inches apart

3. Season chicken with salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes then remove and rest for about 10 minutes

4. Meanwhile, in a medium sauce pan heat 5 cups of water to boil

5. Once boiling, add in orzo and cook for 8 minutes

6. Add broccoli to orzo and cook for an additional minute then transfer to strainer

7. In the same sauce pan, add cream cheese, chicken broth, parmesan, Cajun seasoning, lemon juice, and whisk until combined

8. Transfer orzo and broccoli mixture to 9x13 casserole dish

9. Cut chicken into 1 inch cubes and add to casserole dish

10. Mix in frozen peas then pour cream cheese mixture over the top and mix

11. Reduce oven heat to 375 degrees

12. Melt 2 Tbsp butter and mix with bread crumbs, season with salt and pepper

13. Sprinkle bread crumbs over mixture and bake for 20 minutes until breadcrumbs are golden and toasted

14. Garnish with parsley (optional) and serve, enjoy!

serves 6