One Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Orzo
Dive into a bowl of creamy goodness with this One Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Orzo! Featuring tender chicken, crispy bacon, and a zesty ranch dressing, this dish combines rich flavors and a delightful texture that’s perfect for prepping ahead of time. Whip it up in a single pot for an effortless and satisfying meal that’s sure to become a family favorite!
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- 1-2 cups steamed broccoli (I just grab the microwave bags!) (240-480 ml)
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 5-6 pieces bacon (I like to use Center Cut)
- 3 cups chicken bone broth (I use low sodium) (720 ml)low sodium
- White meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (120 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- ~224g (4 servings) dry orzo (7.91 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
📦Other(1)
- 1/2 cup half & half (120 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a large pan or pot, start by cooking your bacon.
- 2
While it’s cooking, chop your onion.
- 3
Once the bacon is done, remove from the pan along with excess bacon grease, leaving a little bit in the pan.
- 4
Add your onion and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or until slightly softened, then add garlic and cook for another minute.
- 5
Add orzo to your mixture and let toast in the pan with the garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes.
- 6
Add bone broth, ranch seasoning, salt, pepper & garlic powder and stir until well combined.
- 7
Bring to a gentle boil, turn heat to low and cover.
- 8
Cook for ~10-12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- 9
While orzo is cooking, shred your chicken & chop bacon into pieces.
- 10
Steam the broccoli in the microwave.
- 11
Once orzo is almost fully cooked and there’s only a little bit of liquid left, stir in your half & half and Parmesan.
- 12
When those are incorporated, add in chicken, bacon and broccoli.
- 13
Stir until everything is well combined — top with extra Parmesan if desired and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Render the bacon slowly over medium-low heat (around 300°F) rather than high heat to melt out fat gradually without scorching the meat proteins, maximizing rendered fat yield for cooking the aromatics.technique300°F
- ✓Reserve about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest, since this small amount is enough to coat the orzo grains for toasting without making the final dish greasy.ingredient1 tablespoon
- ✓Toast the dry orzo in the fat for 2-3 minutes until it turns light golden and smells nutty, which triggers Maillard browning on the pasta's exterior starch and builds deeper flavor before liquid is added.technique2-3 minutes
- ✓Use bone broth instead of water because its higher gelatin and mineral content (from collagen breakdown during simmering) adds body and a silkier mouthfeel to the sauce as the orzo releases starch.ingredient
- ✓Keep the heat at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, once covered, since orzo has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio and can scorch on the pot bottom before the liquid fully absorbs if heat is too aggressive.timing10-12 minutes
Share this recipe
Prep
15
min
Cook
30
min
Serves
4
people
Level
beginner
Share this recipe
One Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Orzo
Dive into a bowl of creamy goodness with this One Pot Chicken Bacon Ranch Orzo! Featuring tender chicken, crispy bacon, and a zesty ranch dressing, this dish combines rich flavors and a delightful texture that’s perfect for prepping ahead of time. Whip it up in a single pot for an effortless and satisfying meal that’s sure to become a family favorite!
📝 Ingredients
Serves 4🥬Fresh Produce(4)
- 1-2 cups steamed broccoli (I just grab the microwave bags!) (240-480 ml)
- 3-4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1 small yellow onion, chopped
- Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
🥩Meat & Seafood(3)
- 5-6 pieces bacon (I like to use Center Cut)
- 3 cups chicken bone broth (I use low sodium) (720 ml)low sodium
- White meat of 1 rotisserie chicken, shredded
🥛Dairy & Eggs(1)
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (120 ml)
🫙Pantry Staples(1)
- ~224g (4 servings) dry orzo (7.91 oz)
🧂Spices & Seasonings(1)
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
📦Other(1)
- 1/2 cup half & half (120 ml)
👨🍳 Instructions
- 1
In a large pan or pot, start by cooking your bacon.
- 2
While it’s cooking, chop your onion.
- 3
Once the bacon is done, remove from the pan along with excess bacon grease, leaving a little bit in the pan.
- 4
Add your onion and cook for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or until slightly softened, then add garlic and cook for another minute.
- 5
Add orzo to your mixture and let toast in the pan with the garlic and onion for 2-3 minutes.
- 6
Add bone broth, ranch seasoning, salt, pepper & garlic powder and stir until well combined.
- 7
Bring to a gentle boil, turn heat to low and cover.
- 8
Cook for ~10-12 minutes, or until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- 9
While orzo is cooking, shred your chicken & chop bacon into pieces.
- 10
Steam the broccoli in the microwave.
- 11
Once orzo is almost fully cooked and there’s only a little bit of liquid left, stir in your half & half and Parmesan.
- 12
When those are incorporated, add in chicken, bacon and broccoli.
- 13
Stir until everything is well combined — top with extra Parmesan if desired and enjoy!
💡 Pro Tips
- ✓Render the bacon slowly over medium-low heat (around 300°F) rather than high heat to melt out fat gradually without scorching the meat proteins, maximizing rendered fat yield for cooking the aromatics.technique300°F
- ✓Reserve about 1 tablespoon of bacon fat in the pan and discard the rest, since this small amount is enough to coat the orzo grains for toasting without making the final dish greasy.ingredient1 tablespoon
- ✓Toast the dry orzo in the fat for 2-3 minutes until it turns light golden and smells nutty, which triggers Maillard browning on the pasta's exterior starch and builds deeper flavor before liquid is added.technique2-3 minutes
- ✓Use bone broth instead of water because its higher gelatin and mineral content (from collagen breakdown during simmering) adds body and a silkier mouthfeel to the sauce as the orzo releases starch.ingredient
- ✓Keep the heat at a gentle simmer, not a rolling boil, once covered, since orzo has a high surface-area-to-volume ratio and can scorch on the pot bottom before the liquid fully absorbs if heat is too aggressive.timing10-12 minutes