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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
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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.
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Mary W says
Wonderful easy and tasty recipe. Made it several times and once substituted chopped spinach for parsley and loved it even more.
Martha says
Thanks for the suggestion Mary!
Barb says
I made this for my husband and myself tonight, and it was very, very good. The only thing I did differently was to use fat free evaporated milk in place of the heavy cream, and I mixed the Parmesan cheese into the skillet before serving. Not a lot of leftovers, and it was just the two of us eating it! Thanks for a great, easy, recipe!
Martha says
You’re welcome Barb! Glad you liked it!
Amanda says
My family loves this recipe and it’s become a staple in our house. Super easy to make.
Martha says
So glad to hear the recipe is a hit Amanda!
Kim says
Just tried this tonight. Very good. I didn’t want to use dairy so added a can of Ro-Tel at the end. Gave it a nice little kick. (forgot to give it my star rating so submitting again!)
Martha says
Thanks Kim!
Kim says
Just tried this tonight. Very good. I didn’t want to use dairy so added a can of Ro-Tel at the end. Gave it a nice little kick.
Chrissy says
Looks so good! Has anyone tried it with fresh (steamed) brocolli instead of the peas?
Martha says
No idea Chrissy – You can swap in broccoli, but I’d suggest cooking the broccoli separately first so it doesn’t make the dish too watery.
Sandra Moore says
Easy and yum yum yum! Will definitely do this again!
Martha says
Thanks Sandra!
Xara says
Am I the only one who reads, “This recipe is the only reason my toddler eats veggies” and feels certain that I will love it? Both my husband and I liked it a lot. I didn’t have any orzo on hand, so I broke up vermicelli into short pieces and went with that. Delicious!
Martha says
Thanks Xara – so glad the recipe was a hit in your house too! (We hope everyone who reads that feels inspired to at least try the recipe!) 🙂
Sharon Hanson says
This recipe has such great flavor, and we loved it! I couldn’t find Orzo pasta at our local stores, so used mini Penne pasta and just pre-cooked it along with the carrots and onions. Once everything has cooked, is this dish supposed to be slightly soupy? We felt we should eat it with a large spoon…
Martha says
Hi Sharon – It should have more of a sauce, not soupy consistency. I suspect the change in pasta was the culprit – orzo tends to really soak up liquids.
kirstyn says
Just made this and it’s delicious!!! I used half the amount of heavy cream and it turned out perfect. I know this meal incorporates really everything you need, protein, carbs and veggies but do you have any side suggestions to go with this dish?
Martha says
So glad you liked it Kirstyn! We usually have a side salad or a green vegetable (broccoli, green beans, asparagus, etc) on the side if we want a little more for our meal. Hope that helps!