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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.
Get dinner on the table fast!
This Rotisserie Chicken Skillet is a wonderful option for those busy evenings when you need to get dinner on the table in a snap. And it is 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!
Looking for recipes made with Rotisserie Chicken?
To save a little time, 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 already cooked for you, but it is wonderfully seasoned.
And, while buying 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.
Reader Review
“I have tried a lot of recipes on a lot of websites looking for something – anything – that can become a weekly staple. Something that both my wife and I like, is healthy, and isn’t so difficult that I dread making it. This is finally it. It is so freaking good. Even my 3 year old doesn’t put up a stink eating it…” – Izzy
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
- Rotisserie Chicken – While this recipe specifically calls for store-bought rotisserie chicken, you can use any leftover 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 vegetables 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 you 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.)
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 bite-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 like these other Easy Dinner Recipes
Click here for more delicious Chicken Recipes!
See the recipesThis recipe originally appeared on A Family Feast in 2014. We’ve updated the post but the delicious recipe remains the same.
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Rotisserie Chicken Skillet
Ingredients
- 1 whole rotisserie chicken, or 3 1/2 cups cooked chicken meat
- 1/2 cup uncooked 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
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1 cup frozen peas
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 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 heat, 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.
Last Step! Please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.
Glenna says
This recipe is a definite keeper! I cut the ingredients in half since I was using a left over chicken, which was enough for my husband and me with enough leftover for one more meal. (Leftovers from the leftovers! LOL!) I also added mushrooms along with the carrots and onions. I’m so glad I found this recipe!
Martha says
We’re glad you found it too Glenna!
Linda M says
Delicious! The only modifications I made because it’s what I had on hand was 1 cup of canned peas, 3Tbsp dried parsley and instead of heavy cream I used1/2 bar of fat free cream cheese. It was a nice change for us, as I make crustless pot pie often. Loved the flavors and will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing!
Martha says
You’re welcome Linda! I suppose you are right…this is a little like a crustless pot pie with pasta.
Linda says
Well we loved yet another one of your recipes. This was quick and tasted great. My husband even said does she have a place for comments. I said yes she does, he said well leave one that it’s great! So here it is. He took the rest for his lunch today. Thanks Jack and Martha😊have a great day!
Martha says
Hi Linda – So glad the recipe was a hit! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to write to us!
Linda says
This looks fantastic, your pictures are beautiful! I just came home with a Costco rotisserie chicken, now I know what to do with it. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Martha says
Hope you love the recipe Linda!
Sandy Chatergoon says
I didn’t have all the ingredients but I improvised on some things such as dried parsley oppose to fresh parsley..no orzo but I used whole wheat penne pasta..overall it came out awesome and i would do it again but with all the ingredients the recipe called for..thank you very much for sharing..
Martha says
You’re welcome Sandy – sounds like some great swaps!
Carol says
This is an excellent quick recipe made all in one pan. You can boil your carcass after dicing up the meat, then use the broth in the recipe. Very tasty dish
Martha says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe Carol!
Izzy says
I have tried a lot of recipes on a lot of websites looking for something, anything, that can become a weekly staple. Something that both my wife and I like, is healthy, and isn’t so difficult that I dread making it.
This is finally it. It is so freaking good. Even my 3 year old doesn’t put up a stink eating it. I make it as recommended with no substitutions (though I may reduce pepper since while the wife and I liked it, 3 yr old was chugging milk so probably was a bit peppery for him).
I’ve made it three times. Both times I used a Costco rotisserie chicken that’s already off the bone. The dish is moist. Plenty of flavor. I’ve subbed tagliatelle in once with equally good results because orzo can’t be found at my grocery store right now.
Looking for more recipes like this one. Thanks.
Martha says
You’re welcome Izzy! So glad the recipe was a hit with the entire family! And yes – feel free to adjust the seasonings to suit your tastes, especially if the rotisserie chicken you use has lots of seasonings.
Salina says
So delicious! I was looking for a way to spice up a store bought chicken and this was perfect! I added a few handfuls of spinach when i added the peas in and i added chilli peppers for some heat. I also used milk and sour cream instead of heavy cream and it worked great. LOVE!
Martha says
Thanks Salina!
Patricia White says
Hello I was looking for quick me for me and my family and I was wondering if this dish could be substitute with half and half??
Martha says
Sure Patricia – half and half will work in this recipe
Donna says
Looks inviting. I’ll try the recipes soon
Martha says
Hope you love it Donna!