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Ready in 30 minutes, our Rotisserie Chicken Skillet might be the easiest, and most flavorful, dinner you’ve made all week.
Looking for recipes to make with rotisserie chicken? Look no further than our Rotisserie Chicken Skillet!
This recipe is a wonderful option for those busy evenings when you need to get dinner on the table in a snap. And it’s delicious to boot!
We combine rotisserie chicken, orzo, veggies, cream, and a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese to create this easy and scrumptious dinner the whole family will enjoy. One reader even told us: “This recipe is the only reason my toddler eats veggies.” So it’s picky-eater approved!
Get dinner on the table fast!
To save a little time preparing this recipe, we used a store-bought rotisserie chicken. While we do love to create and cook from scratch, we also are fans of convenience ingredients when it doesn’t sacrifice flavor. Not only is rotisserie chicken only already cooked for you, but is wonderfully seasoned.
And, while a rotisserie chicken is a perfectly acceptable alternative to roasting your own chicken, you can cook your own chicken if you prefer. (Here’s a flavorful roast chicken recipe to try.)
Why You’ll Love this Rotisserie Chicken Skillet
- It’s tasty. The combination of seasoned rotisserie chicken, broth, cream, and cheese is a dish that both kids and grownups will love.
- It’s fast. This recipe can be on the table in 30 minutes.
- It’s convenient. This one-pan dinner is the perfect way to use up any leftover cooked chicken.
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rotisserie Chicken – While this recipe specifically calls for store-bought rotisserie chicken, you can use any cooked chicken you like. You’ll need 3 ½ cups of cooked meat in total. If you use chicken that you’ve cooked yourself, just keep in mind that you might need to add additional seasonings to the finished dish.
- Orzo Pasta – Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta that cooks up quickly and mixes easily with other ingredients. You can, however, use any shaped pasta you’d like.
- Vegetables – We use bias-cut carrots, chopped onions, and frozen peas in this recipe – but feel free to swap in other vegetable you prefer. Note that some veggies release more liquid as they cook so if you do swap in other vegetables, you might want to consider cooking them separately, then stir them in just before serving.
- Cream – Heavy cream is the main dairy ingredient in the sauce, but can swap in light cream or half and half if you prefer. For those looking for a non-dairy alternative, one reader told us canned coconut milk worked well for her. (We haven’t tried that ourselves to confirm.)
Interested in more chicken recipes?
Click here for our 100+ Best Chicken Recipes.
How Do I Make Rotisserie Chicken Skillet?
1. Prep the chicken and veggies – You’ll need about 3 ½ cups of cooked meat. If you’re using rotisserie, remove the meat from the bones and cut up into bit-sized pieces.
2. Toast the orzo – Brown the orzo in a dry skillet – similar to making rice pilaf – then set aside.
3. Sauté the veggies – Sauté onions and carrots in oil for just about four minutes. They won’t be fully cooked at this point.
4. Simmer – Once the vegetables have cooked a bit, add the toasted orzo, chicken stock, and seasonings to the skillet. Cover and simmer until the orzo is cooked, about 8 minutes or so.
5. Heat through – At this point, you’ll add the chicken, cream, and remaining ingredients to the skillet. Then heat until warmed through.
6. Serve – Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve hot.
Frequently asked Questions
- Can I use something other than heavy cream in this recipe? Yes – you can swap in light cream or half and half for a lower-fat version. We’ve also been told that coconut milk makes a nice substitute if you’re looking for a dairy-free option.
- Can I make this with rice instead of orzo? Yes – but only with some adaptations. Orzo (a pasta) absorbs much less liquid than rice (a grain) to fully cook so the recipe, as written, won’t have enough liquid in the sauce to fully cook the rice. Additionally, the carrots would be over cooked if you simmered those for the full length of time it takes to cook the rice. We’d suggest cooking the rice separately, adding it at the end, and cutting back on the amount of cream you’re adding to create the sauce.
- Could I make this recipe ahead of time and freeze it for later? Yes, you can. Just note that cream has a tendency to separate when it has been frozen and thawed. We recommend making the recipe up until the step to add the cream, and freeze it at that point. When you thaw it out and are ready to reheat, pick up the recipe instructions right where you left off, and add the cream.
You may also like these other Easy Dinner Recipes:
- Quick Skillet Chicken with Grapes
- Instant Pot Country Chicken
- Perfect Poached Chicken
- Air Fryer Mac & Cheese
- Easy Glazed Salmon
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Rotisserie Chicken Skillet
Yield: 4-6 servings 1xPrep: 10 minsCook: 20 minsTotal: 30 minutesScale:Ingredients
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken, or 3 ½ cups cooked chicken meat
- ½ cup orzo pasta
- 2 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
- 2 cups carrots cut on the bias
- 1 cup onion cut into thick strips
- 2 cups chicken stock
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup frozen peas
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Pick the meat from the cooked chicken and roughly cut up and set aside.
- In a large dry skillet pan over medium high cook orzo until lightly browned; about 3 minutes stirring frequently.
- Remove browned orzo to a bowl and add oil to hot pan.
- Add carrots and onion and sauté for 4 minutes.
- Add orzo back in along with stock, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to a medium simmer and simmer to cook the orzo, about 8-10 minutes.
- Uncover and add parsley, peas, and cream along with cooked chicken.
- Increase heat and cook just to bring the dish to temperature and incorporate the ingredients.
- Serve with grated Parmesan sprinkled over the top.
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Thanks for this yummy simple yet different recipe. As we all have different palates, here’s a few tweaks I made. Added a tsp or so of ground thyme to counter the sweetness of the carrots. There are lots of options for savory add ins. I upped the orzo to 3/4 Cup for browning. Then added about 1 to 1 1/2 Cups reg. cooked orzo to balance out with the amount of meat & veggies. This is truly a go to quick supper, even more so if the prep is done in advance. Just signed up for your emails. : ))
Thank you! Great ideas for making this dish your own! Glad you enjoyed it!
i can’t wait to make this dish! I have never browned orzo, but I have made risotto. Is it kind of the same concept? Should I use butter or oil to brown the orzo? How much? Thanks!!
Hi Maggie – The browning step in this recipe is more similar to making rice pilaf. We are having you toast the orzo pasta in a dry pan – see step 2 in the recipe. ( …vs in a risotto you start the cooking process by sauteing the arborio in oil or butter.) Hope you like the recipe!
Could you just skip the cream? If not what would be a good alternative?
Sure Sarah – are you trying to avoid the fat and calories (a fat free half and half could work) or dairy all together (use chicken stock)? Hope these suggestions help point you in the right direction.
I plan on making this tonight, substituting evaporated skim milk for the cream. This is a substitution I use all the time and really like the results.
Sounds great Lisa – that substitution is a great, lower calorie option. Thanks for writing to us!
I would love to use heavy cream but my husband is lactose intolerant and I must watch my diet carefully. Could I safely use almond milk instead of heavy cream? Or creamy tofu?
Hi Colleen – Absolutely – you can try substituting other milk/cream alternatives! The flavor and the creaminess will likely be different but I’m sure it will still taste delicious!
Oh my! I fixed the rotisserie chicken dish for dinner and it was sooooooo gooood! thanks for sharing!
Thanks Adela – glad you enjoyed the recipe!
I love picking up rotisserie chickens to make several meals with. I love this dish. It looks so comforting, perfect for fall!
I absolutely love skillet recipes for a busy weeknight! This looks really great. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks Kristen!
Hi,
Another delicious recipe. The amout of pasta is listed as “½ orzo pasta”. Is that 1/2 cup or 1/2 LB?
Thanks for this nice idea for rotisserie chicken. It is so versatile.
Hi John – Thank you so much for pointing out the error – it is 1/2 cup. I will fix the recipe right away! Thanks again!
I love this idea! I always have leftover rotisserie chicken.
Thanks Sarah!
This sounds great! I love orzo!