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June 5, 2019

Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo

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Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo–a one pot meal with chicken, pasta, tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.

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Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo--a one pot meal with chicken, pasta, tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.

Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo

Looking for an easy dinner for tonight? I’ve got you covered. This chicken and orzo recipe is super fast and easy and it all cooks in your Instant Pot. You can even use frozen chicken. That’s what I did!

Because orzo cooks much quicker than chicken I used the pot-in-pot method for the orzo while the chicken cooked on the bottom of the pot. If you’re confused by “pot-in-pot” basically you throw the chicken in the bottom of your Instant Pot with the seasonings and a little broth. Then you lay a pan with water and uncooked pasta on top of the chicken. I used one of these stainless steel pans with the lid on*. While the chicken is getting the brunt of the pressure cooking the orzo cooks gently inside the pan. I like using this method for foods that need different pressure cooking times.

After the chicken has cooked you can dump the pasta into the chicken and add in some parmesan cheese and spinach. I like the fact that I didn’t even have to drain water off of the pasta. It was all soaked up.

I used frozen boneless, skinless chicken breasts because that’s what I had but I also think boneless, skinless chicken thighs would be super tasty. You can use frozen or fresh chicken in this recipe. Just follow the timing directions indicated in the recipe card.

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Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo--a one pot meal with chicken, pasta, tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.

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What Pressure Cooker Did You Use?

To make Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*. I love this Instant Pot because it has the yogurt making function which I use almost weekly.  It has two pressure settings (high and low), and there are also little slots in the handles so that you can rest the lid there instead of putting it down on your counter-top.

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Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo


★★★★★

4.6 from 9 reviews

  • Author: Karen Petersen
  • Prep Time: 15 minutes
  • Cook Time: 12 minutes (plus 5 minute NPR)
  • Total Time: 40 minutes
  • Yield: 6 servings 1x
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Description

A one pot meal with chicken, pasta, tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese. 


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 cup diced onion
  • 1 Tbsp minced garlic
  • 1/2 cup chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken breasts
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1 tsp Italian seasoning
  • 1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes (fire roasted would be good)
  • 12 ounces uncooked orzo pasta
  • 2 3/4 cups water
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 3 cups chopped spinach

Instructions

  1. Turn your Instant Pot to the saute setting. When the display says HOT add in the olive oil and swirl it around. Add in the onion and saute for 4 minutes. Then add in the garlic and saute for 20 seconds. Deglaze the pot with the chicken broth. 
  2. Place the chicken in a single layer in the bottom of the pot. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and Italian seasoning over the chicken. Dump the tomatoes over the top of the chicken. 
  3. Pour the orzo and water into a pan* that fits inside your Instant Pot. Using a sling* lower the pan on top of the chicken as evenly as possible. (I covered my pan)
  4. Cover the Instant Pot and secure the lid. Make sure the valve is set to sealing. Set the manual/pressure cook button to 12 minutes for thawed chicken and 15 minutes for frozen chicken (or follow this method for best results). When the time is up let the pot sit for 5 minutes and then move the valve to venting. Remove the lid. 
  5. Use hot pads to remove the orzo pan. Set it aside.
  6. Cut the chicken into pieces. Stir the parmesan and spinach into the pot. Stir the orzo into pot. Salt and pepper to taste. 
  7. Scoop onto serving dishes and enjoy. 

Notes

 I used my 6 quart Instant Pot Duo 60 7 in 1*.

  • Category: Chicken
  • Method: Instant Pot
  • Cuisine: Italian

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Tag @365dayscrockpot on Instagram

Instant Pot Chicken Spinach Parmesan Orzo--a one pot meal with chicken, pasta, tomatoes, spinach and parmesan cheese.

Pin this recipe for later!

*Karen Petersen is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

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62 Comments Filed Under: All Recipes, Chicken, Instant Pot, Pasta, Summer

Recommendations

Comments

  1. Brenda says

    August 30, 2022 at 5:38 pm

    I made this tonight for dinner used the pot in pot for the orzo this was so easy and delicious I had it with garlic knots ty Karen

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 31, 2022 at 10:45 am

      Sounds like a perfect dinner!

      Reply
  2. Holly Holmes says

    November 14, 2020 at 10:20 am

    Oh, yeah! Comfort food at it’s finest! I can’t stop eating this! Easy, light, yet so super satisfying! Pair with a salad & crusty Italian bread – HEAVEN!
    Karen, you are the queen of pressure cooker recipes! Please keep them coming!

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 14, 2020 at 8:12 pm

      So glad you enjoyed it Holly!

      Reply
  3. Dena says

    October 7, 2020 at 5:36 pm

    Do you rinse pasta first?
    Thanks, Dena

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 8, 2020 at 12:39 pm

      I didn’t!

      Reply
  4. Allison says

    October 2, 2020 at 11:03 am

    Karen, can I throw broccoli in the instant pot at the same time as the sausage, orzo etc by itself? I don’t have a separate steamer Pan but figured it would probably be ok? (Instead of using spinach at the end)

    Reply
    • Karen says

      October 5, 2020 at 1:21 pm

      I bet you could, you might want to steam it in the microwave before you throw it in.

      Reply
  5. Alicia says

    July 6, 2020 at 1:21 pm

    Do you think ground turkey would work?

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 6, 2020 at 2:05 pm

      Yes, I would brown it as you’re sauteeing the onions.

      Reply
  6. Peggy says

    June 4, 2020 at 5:47 am

    You said to deglaze the pot using two cups of broth. The recipe calls for 1/2 cup of chicken broth. The total would be 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Will the receipt turn out to be like soup? Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 4, 2020 at 2:10 pm

      Hi Peggy, deglaze the pot with 1/2 cup of broth. Then the 2 cups of water go in with the orzo in a pot in pot method on top of the chicken.

      Reply
  7. Jillian says

    March 10, 2020 at 9:34 pm

    Yummy meal & very easy, I used chicken bone broth instead of chicken broth, did an extra tsp of italian season & extra garlic. Made the orzo on the stove, all came out perfect.

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      March 11, 2020 at 2:00 pm

      Yay! Love it. Glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  8. Bill Buckley says

    February 28, 2020 at 10:01 am

    Karen, I enjoy making your recipes and even better eating them.
    My question is : Can you saute frozen chicken or other meats? If so, is there a change in the saue time?
    Thanks, again. I look forward to your email response.

    Bill

    Reply
    • Karen says

      February 29, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      I think you can! It won’t necessarily give you the browned look but perhaps would add flavor.

      Reply
  9. Karen says

    January 31, 2020 at 9:24 am

    I have a 10 qt instant pot, should I double the recipe? Also can I use chicken thighs instead of breasts with that cook time or will I need to adjust it?

    Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      January 31, 2020 at 10:49 am

      I would double it and I would use thighs but cook for 15 minutes.

      Reply
  10. Doris says

    November 18, 2019 at 6:40 pm

    This looks delicious….how can I make this in a slow cooker? Thanks!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 18, 2019 at 7:03 pm

      I wouldn’t. Pasta is so hit or miss in the slow cooker.

      Reply
  11. Andrea says

    November 4, 2019 at 7:15 pm

    I halved the recipe and it worked fine, maybe a bit soupy. I also used a rotini pasta (because that’s what I had in the house). It was good! Could you add some nutrition info? Thanks

    Reply
    • Karen says

      November 11, 2019 at 7:14 pm

      Hi there, nutrition info is at the bottom of the recipe card.

      Reply
  12. Laura says

    August 23, 2019 at 8:04 pm

    I made this tonight and while it turned out great, there was quite a bit of liquid in the pot after cooking, so the whole thing amost ended up like soup. I followed the directions exactly, and covered the orzo pot with foil while it was in the IP. Did I do something wrong?

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 24, 2019 at 11:20 am

      I am not sure what happened! If this happens again just drain some of the liquid first before stirring in the orzo!

      Reply
  13. Ashley says

    August 13, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    Turned out excellent! I had to use an ikea stainless steel bowl and used foil for the top. It was a hit for the whole family

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 14, 2019 at 3:24 pm

      Good idea on the Ikea bowl!!

      Reply
  14. Kristy says

    August 9, 2019 at 7:54 am

    How does the spinach cook if you are adding it at the end?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      August 9, 2019 at 12:45 pm

      It just cooks partially thanks to the hot food. It will wilt down quickly.

      Reply
  15. Jan Sullivan says

    July 29, 2019 at 1:11 pm

    Am I the only crazy one who is wondering this? I bought a foil pan for the orzo as I didn’t have a pot that would fit. Does that go directly on top of the chicken? Or should I put the pan on a trivet? The recipe sounds so good!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 30, 2019 at 1:14 pm

      You really could do it either way!

      Reply
    • Bobbie says

      September 16, 2019 at 7:19 am

      No Jan, you are not crazy! I had the impression that the sling is used to hold the pan above the food below, but after watching the video it looks like it sits directly on top of the food below.

      Reply
  16. Vicki says

    July 28, 2019 at 7:02 pm

    Do you think I could make orzo on the stove and add in at the end or would I need to adjust timings? I don’t have an inner pot

    Reply
    • Karen says

      July 29, 2019 at 11:15 am

      yes you could totally do that!

      Reply
      • Dave says

        August 10, 2021 at 3:54 pm

        What would the water adjustment be for the recipe if you cooked the orzo separate?

        Reply
        • Karen says

          August 11, 2021 at 1:47 pm

          Do you mean in the Instant Pot? If so I would just use the 1/2 cup broth. If you mean how much to cook orzo on the stove I would just follow the package directions and boil like any other pasta.

          Reply
  17. Shirley says

    June 27, 2019 at 7:28 pm

    Delicious! I didn’t have a lid for my inner pot so I used foil. Came out perfect! Had just under 2 cups risotto, used just under 3 cups water. Had 10 oz cans of diced tomatoes, used 2. It was so good and so easy! Thank you!

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 29, 2019 at 10:08 am

      Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  18. Bailey says

    June 24, 2019 at 9:55 am

    If I’m going to half the recipe, do I need to change the cook time? This looks delicious but there’s only 2 of us so I think the full recipe would be way too much.

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 24, 2019 at 10:48 am

      https://www.365daysofcrockpot.com/how-to-halve-instant-pot-recipes/

      Reply
  19. Peggy Hildebrand says

    June 20, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    Can you use frozen spinach?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 24, 2019 at 7:10 am

      Yes!

      Reply
  20. gina meixner says

    June 14, 2019 at 9:55 pm

    I followed the recipe and was so excited. My first time doing a pot inside the pot . I was the best thing I have ever made! A definite keeper! Thank you

    ★★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 15, 2019 at 7:14 am

      Nice! I’m so glad you liked it 🙂

      Reply
  21. Susan V. says

    June 12, 2019 at 6:17 pm

    I’d like to use brown rice. Usually 10 min is enough?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 13, 2019 at 9:23 pm

      22 minutes for brown rice with a 1 cup rice to 1.25 cup water ratio plus a 10 minute NPR

      Reply
  22. Alice Wylie says

    June 9, 2019 at 9:01 pm

    Do you think this can be made ahead and frozen?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 10, 2019 at 7:57 pm

      Ummm I’d worry that the orzo would get mushy when reheated.

      Reply
  23. Beth Pascarella says

    June 9, 2019 at 4:42 pm

    Can you cook it all in the one pot?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 10, 2019 at 7:58 pm

      The orzo only needs a minute of pressure cook time so if you did you’d have to precook the chicken.

      Reply
    • Judi says

      June 17, 2019 at 3:17 pm

      I reheat rice or orzo on steam for 5 minutes with a quick release. Not mushy at all. 👍🏼

      Reply
  24. Wendey Rhoades says

    June 9, 2019 at 10:24 am

    If I only have a pot without a lid, would it be better to use foil or to cook the orzo on the stove?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 10, 2019 at 8:02 pm

      you don’t really need a lid. it will be fine.

      Reply
  25. Francine says

    June 6, 2019 at 4:02 pm

    What if i dont have a manual button? Do i leave it on salute for 12 minutes? Also do all the buttons have a preset time to cook like soup is 5 minutes, meat is 15 minutes. In the past I’ve always hit the soup button and added the extra time?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 6, 2019 at 8:27 pm

      you can hit the preset button and add time

      Reply
  26. Marsha says

    June 6, 2019 at 1:24 pm

    Next day leftovers taste much better, and I served over freshly made linguine ( made on the stove top). We both agreed that we liked this meal much better. Thanks!

    ★★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 6, 2019 at 8:28 pm

      Glad you liked it!

      Reply
  27. Marsha says

    June 5, 2019 at 6:52 pm

    I weighed out my orzo. 12 ounces exactly, with the amount of liquid, in a stackable pot with a lid exactly as you said. Orzo came out very mushy. Therefore, I did not put it in the pot, but just spooned it out for my dish, and threw the rest of it out! Tomorrow, I will serve leftovers over some freshly cooked pasta instead. Not our favorite meal.

    ★★★

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 6, 2019 at 8:32 pm

      I’m sorry that yours didn’t turn out.

      Reply
  28. Marygrace says

    June 5, 2019 at 1:31 pm

    Instead of using water for the pasta can you substitute with chicken broth?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 6, 2019 at 8:34 pm

      sure

      Reply
  29. Shelley Stevens says

    June 5, 2019 at 11:39 am

    How many cups is equal to 12 ounces of orzo pasta?

    Reply
    • Karen says

      June 5, 2019 at 12:27 pm

      I believe it is 1 1/2 cups

      Reply

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Hi, I’m Karen. I know that dinner time can be less than relaxing. Busy schedules and cranky kids and a hundred other things can lead to weariness when it comes to putting dinner on the table. I can help! I make homemade, family-friendly slow cooker and Instant Pot dinners and share the recipes with you.

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