This chicken bruschetta orzo dish is a fun spin on the popular appetizer. Breaded chicken, bursting cherry tomatoes, lots of mozzarella and orzo – drizzled with balsamic glaze of course.

This is a one pot dinner recipe which makes the process very easy. If you’re like me, this chicken bruschetta orzo could become your new favorite weeknight dinner!

The story behind the dish

Orzo is one of my favorite pasta noodles, especially because it doesn’t have to be the star of the show. Orzo is a great addition to salads or as a base of a dish, like rice or quinoa.

I remember going to Applebee’s when I was younger, and I loved getting the chicken bruschetta pasta dish that has infamously been on the menu for at least 20 years. However, this jazzed up version includes tons of freshly torn mozzarella and a splash of white wine, making the meal a bit more luxurious (in my opinion).

What is bruschetta?

You are probably familiar with basic tomato bruschetta, which typically involves diced tomatoes on top of toasted crostini, basil and a balsamic reduction of some sort. It’s a delicious appetizer, but that’s not what we are making today!

The term bruschetta comes from Italy: an antipasto consisting of grilled bread rubbed with garlic and topped with olive oil and salt. Variations of bruschetta can include toppings of tomato, vegetables, beans, cured meat, or cheese.

What you need to make chicken bruschetta orzo

This is a one pot recipe, so you won’t need much:

A Dutch Oven – I have a Staub Dutch oven, which is about 4 quarts in size. Anything smaller might be tough to fit all of the ingredients at the end, but you can still prepare every component in the Dutch oven. the Dutch oven is versatile because it can cook pasta, brown chicken, and soften our vegetables.

If you do not have a Dutch oven, you can still make this recipe! I would recommend the following items.

A large standard pot – if you have a large pot that you use for making pasta, that will work!

Cast iron skillet – you can use this to prepare your vegetables and chicken. You can also you a regular skillet if you do not own a cast iron. I like the Everything Pan from Williams Sonoma.

Ingredients for chicken bruschetta orzo

Here are a few simple ingredients you need to make chicken bruschetta orzo:

chicken breast
Panko bread crumbs – you can also use Italian bread crumbs or really whatever you prefer.
1 egg
yellow onion – a white onion is fine as well.
cherry tomatoes – I heavily prefer cherry tomatoes for this dish because they will blister and burst and become saucy.
mozzarella – don’t skip this! Honestly the cheese is the best part.
orzo pasta
dry white wine – like Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
fresh rosemary sprigs – you could also use parsley or just omit if needed.
fresh basil – would highly recommend including.
olive oil
salt
balsamic glaze – a must! Otherwise, you just have a chicken and orzo dish. The glaze brings it all together. You can buy a bottle of balsamic glaze at most grocery stores.

Directions

Let’s make chicken bruschetta orzo!

Step 1

Prepare the vegetables. Add a tablespoon of olive oil to a Dutch oven and heat over medium high heat. Once warm, add the onions and tomatoes. Cook them until the onions have browned and the tomatoes are starting to blister and pop, about 5-6 minutes (stir occasionally). Remove the Dutch oven from the heat and transfer the onions and tomatoes to a bowl. I usually just use a big spatula or spoon to do this.

Step 2

Prepare the chicken. Place the the beaten egg and breadcrumbs into two separate bowls. Butterfly your chicken breasts (slice it sideways) so that the chicken isn’t too thick. Then, cut the breasts into quarters. Dredge each piece of chicken through the eggs and then through the bread crumbs.

Step 3

Cook the chicken. Add another tablespoon of oil to the Dutch oven and heat over medium high heat. Place the chicken in the Dutch oven and fry for 5 minutes, or until the bottom side is browned. Flip and fry for an additional 5 minutes. Remove the chicken from the Dutch oven. You can do this easily with tongs or a spatula.

Step 4

Prepare the orzo. Add the orzo to the Dutch oven and toast it over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the white wine and bring the heat to high, stirring occasionally until the wine has reduced by a third, about 1 minute.

Step 5

Add 2 cups of water to the orzo and bring it to a boil. Cook until orzo is soft and the water is absorbed. Then add 2 more cups of water to the pot and repeat the process. During the second add, throw in the onions and tomatoes so that they melt into the orzo. If the orzo isn’t al dente yet by the time the water boils down, add 1 more cup of water and boil down again.

Step 6

Turn down the heat and add the chicken back to the pot. Sprinkle with the rosemary and basil. Add slices of mozzarella while it’s still warm (all over the pot!). Drizzle with balsamic glaze. Serve!

Recipe Substitutions

Here are some recipe substitutions that you can try for this recipe.

Use quinoa or couscous – this dish would be great with a number of different grains or pastas (instead of orzo). You can also use rice, but you will have to prepare that differently than the recipe provides – I use a rice cooker.

Mozzarella balls or burrata – For this recipe, I sliced up a large mozzarella ball, but you can swap smaller mozzarella balls instead. You could also tear burrata onto this dish, too – yum!

Change the breadcrumbs – I used Panko breadcrumbs because they are specifically crunchy, but you can use Italian breadcrumbs!

Make it vegetarian – Ditch the chicken and proceed with the rest of the recipe. You could add in more vegetables, like red peppers or zucchini.

Keep it alcohol free – You won’t taste the wine very much in the pasta, but if you need to skip alcohol, just use water or chicken broth.

Recipe storage

For the refrigerator: Put the top back on your Dutch oven and store in the fridge for 3 days. Or, transfer the food to an air tight container and refrigerate for about 4-5 days.

Reheating: Put the Dutch oven back onto the stove and turn the heat to medium for 3-4 minutes. Or, the next best way is to just place a bowl of it in the microwave for about 60 seconds.

Other recipes to try

If you liked this chicken bruschetta orzo, check out these other recipes:

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5 from 1 vote