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This one pot chicken bacon ranch orzo recipe is a weeknight delight with fewer dishes! It’s a family-friendly and easy, comforting meal with wonderful savory flavors.
You may also like my Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole, Bacon Ranch Tortellini, or Bacon Ranch Mashed Potatoes next.
Why you’ll love it
I’m no stranger to one pot orzo recipes, but I’m surprised I didn’t come up with this particular one earlier. This creamy orzo recipe with chicken is ready in 30 minutes, super simple, picky eater approved, and has just a handful of everyday ingredients.
The chicken-bacon-ranch combination is one I just can’t resist. Ranch seasoning is such a good way to add a punch of flavor to sauces, and bacon takes the delicious savory quality to the next level. Add in the convenience of rotisserie chicken, and it’s a winner!
What you’ll need
- Bacon – the orzo gets infused with flavor from the bacon fat, and it’s awesome
- Orzo – find this rice-shaped pasta in the dry pasta aisle
- Chicken broth – bacon and ranch seasoning can be quite salty, so I opt for low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe
- Heavy cream – it adds the best creamy texture and taste
- Ranch seasoning – I’m a Hidden Valley devotee
- Chicken – pick up a rotisserie chicken for ease
- Spinach – for a pop of freshness
Pro tip
As with any one pot recipe, use your best judgment and adjust as needed. Stoves and cookware vary, and even altitude has an impact on cooking time! If it’s looking too liquidy, turn up the heat/leave it for longer to absorb the broth. Conversely, if it’s cooking too fast, simply add more broth or cream and/or turn down the heat.
How to make chicken bacon ranch orzo
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Fry the bacon in a soup pot or Dutch oven until crispy. Leave the bacon in the pot, and don’t drain the fat. Add the orzo, and cook it for a minute or so while stirring continuously to lightly toast it.
Pour in the chicken broth and heavy cream. Let it bubble, then add in the ranch seasoning. Cook, uncovered, stirring often until the orzo is cooked. Remove from the heat, and stir in the chicken and spinach. Cover until the chicken is warmed and the spinach has wilted.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- My Staub Dutch oven is the one pictured.
- This serving spoon is perfect for orzo, and I love the easy to grip handle.
- Here’s my go-to angled measuring cup set, and I use kitchen shears to cut up the bacon quickly.
Substitutions and variations
- If you prefer, you could use a Homemade Ranch Seasoning blend.
- You could definitely leave the spinach out if it’s not your thing.
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream, but you may be able to get away with half-and-half. I haven’t tested this, though!
What to serve with bacon ranch orzo
- A slice of bread, dinner roll, breadsticks, or my Extra Cheesy Garlic Bread are a great pairing.
- Make a tasty Caesar salad with my reader favorite 10-Minute Caesar Dressing. You could also try my Creamy Pesto Dressing or homemade Olive Garden Salad Dressing to change it up!
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftover orzo for 3-4 days in a covered container in the fridge.
- Reheat in a saucepan or the microwave slowly over a low heat, and add a splash more chicken broth or cream if needed. Orzo does tend to soak up sauce, so I like to eat it within a couple of days.
- I don’t recommend freezing it due to dairy, and cooked pasta can change texture.
If you made this ranch chicken orzo with bacon, please leave a star rating and review below! I’d love to hear from you. Or tag me on Instagram if you made this or any S&L recipe.
Chicken Bacon Ranch Orzo
Ingredients
- 6 strips bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 2 cups cooked shredded/rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Freshly grated parmesan cheese optional, for serving
Instructions
- Cut the bacon into small pieces (this is quick and easy with kitchen shears) and fry it in a Dutch oven/soup pot until crispy.
- Add the orzo to the pot (don't drain the bacon grease, and leave the bacon in the pot). Cook for about a minute, stirring constantly.
- Stir in the chicken broth and cream.
- Once it starts bubbling, stir in the ranch seasoning, and continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. You will likely need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). It should gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked.
- Take the pot off the stove, then stir in the chicken and spinach. Cover the pot for 3-5 minutes or until it has thickened up to your liking and the chicken has warmed through. The orzo will absorb the liquid quickly, so if it still seems like there's too much, just wait a little bit longer. Serve with freshly grated parmesan cheese if desired.
Notes
- Orzo is pasta. If you want to swap it with rice, you may have to adjust liquid measurements and cooking time.
- Ranch seasoning and bacon can both be salty, so that’s why I recommend using low sodium chicken broth, and you may not need to add any extra salt to this recipe. You can make a homemade ranch seasoning if you need it to be even less salty. I use Hidden Valley Ranch.
- If the pasta is soaking up the liquid too fast (like before the orzo is cooked), turn the heat down and/or add a splash more chicken broth or cream.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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This delivered as promised. Think next time I will add a little more to feed 4 adults and 1 child. Didn’t have heavy cream but half and half worked out. This will be on our monthly meal plan!
Excellent! 😀
Delicious! I followed the recipe but did add an extra 1 1/2 cup broth and 1/2 cream at the end and put it in a dish and topped with ritz crackers/butter mixture for more of a casserole feel! Also used vegan heavy cream and couldn’t even tell a difference.
Sounds good to me!!
Delicious and so quick and easy for a busy weeknight meal. My 15yo son devoured it (so I’m glad I doubled the recipe for leftovers tomorrow). I followed your recipe EXACTLY as written, and the seasoning was perfect.
That’s wonderful!! 😀
I made this for dinner last night and it was a big hit! Delicious! I did use coconut milk because our toddler has a dairy allergy (I do this with a lot of your recipes that we share with her) I did drain the bacon fat because coconut milk can be quite fatty. I’m definitely will be making this one often. Thanks for sharing!
You are very welcome, Lu! Glad it worked out! 🙂
This is so perfect for those nights when you have stray amounts of groceries and you need something to throw together for a quick (and tasty!) meal. I had everything on hand except for spinach, but I did have a small crown of broccoli, so as an experiment (and borrowed concept from your cheesy chicken broccoli orzo recipe) I chopped that up and added that, plus an extra splash of broth and a pinch of salt. It probably altered the flavor a bit since broccoli does have a stronger taste than spinach, but it worked out rather well! Thank you so much for another great recipe 🙂
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!! 😀 You’re very welcome, and thanks for your review, Monica!
So so so so good!! we added some Monterey Jack cheese to the sauce at the end, was delicious before that but the cheese made it extra delicious! 1000000/10!! Will be making again
Yay!! Thank you so much, Kayla!
Absolutely delicious! I’ll be making this again.
Fantastic!! Thank you!