Looks Delic
A Chicken and Orzo Skillet Dinner
Do some recipes give you memories of weeknight family dinners from your childhood? This Chicken Matilda recipe is that for me. It was a staple in our house. Now that I’m older I realize that’s probably because it’s easy to make, quick to prepare and everyone devours it.
Chicken Matilda is a chicken and orzo skillet of sorts. It is diced up chicken breast in a cream of chicken sauce served over orzo. What is there not to love? I typically serve it with a side of brown butter carrots because that the brown butter sauce seeps across the plate into the orzo too. Yum!
About the Ingredients
Chicken Breast – 3 chicken breasts cut into bite-sized pieces
Onion – one sweet onion diced
Red Bell Pepper – one pepper, diced small
White Wine – 1/4 cup for deglazing the pan
Cream of Chicken Soup – one 10oz can
Seasonings – garlic powder, sweet paprika, oregano, salt and pepper
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
If you wanted to make this chicken and orzo skillet into a one dish meal I would suggest adding a green vegetable. While you are sautéing the onion and bell pepper, add your additional veggie and then continue on with the recipe as written. Some ideas for good additions might be:
- Asparagus tips
- Green beans
- Artichoke hearts
How to Make Chicken Matilda
Start by cutting your raw chicken breast into bite-size pieces. Sauté the chicken in a large skillet and seasoned with sweet paprika, garlic powder, Salt and pepper. While the chicken is cooking dice your bell pepper and onion. Remove the cooked chicken to a plate and sauté your vegetables.
When the veggies are soft deglaze the pan with a quarter cup of white wine. After about 30 seconds add the can of cream of chicken soup and oregano. Stir to combine everything well, then add back your chicken and simmer on low for 15 to 20 minutes. When you’re ready to serve, pour your chicken and sauce over a bed of cooked orzo and your chicken and orzo skillet is complete.
FAQ’s and Recipe Tips
- Can I make Chicken Matilda in advance? Yes. Follow the recipe exactly as if you were going to serve it right away. Place your cooked orzo in a 9 x 13 casserole dish lightly sprayed with cooking spray so nothing sticks during baking. Then pour your chicken and sauce over the top. Let the casserole cool to room temperature, cover and refrigerate it. When you’re ready to serve it Cover the dish with foil and warm in a 375° oven for 25 minutes or until hot.
- I don’t have orzo. How else can I serve Chicken Matilda? You can serve chicken Matilda over any grain or pasta. The sauce will be thick and creamy so think of it as alfredo texture. Linguine or a big rigatoni would pair well. If you’re looking for something similar to orzo you could also pair Chicken Matilda with rice.
The Recipe for Chicken Matilda
The recipe is attached below for easy downloading and printing. If you test it out be sure to leave a note in the comments below. I’d love to hear what you thought. Enjoy!
Chicken Matilda
Ingredients
- 4 chicken breasts
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp sweet paprika
- 1 sweet onion diced
- 2 red bell peppers diced
- ¼ cup white wine
- 10 oz cream of chicken soup
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- salt & pepper to taste
- 12 oz orzo cooked according to package directions
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breast into bite-sized pieces.4 chicken breasts
- Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken breast and season with garlic powder and paprika. Sauté until brown and cooked all the way through. Remove the chicken to a plate.½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp sweet paprika
- Add the onion and bell pepper to the skillet. Sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.1 sweet onion, 2 red bell peppers
- Pour in the white wine and scrape any brown bits from the pan. Let simmer for 1 minute.¼ cup white wine
- Add the cream of chicken soup, dried oregano and return the chicken to the pan. Stir everything together and let simmer for 15-20 minutes.10 oz cream of chicken soup, 1 tsp dried oregano, salt & pepper
- Pour the chicken and sauce over orzo and serve hot.12 oz orzo
