This spicy chicken sausage orzo is absolutely divine! It's packed with deep, rich flavors and comes together in under 30 minutes, making it the perfect dinner for date nights or to impress your guests at a dinner party! This dish can also be modified to be non-spicy so that your whole family, including any kiddos or toddlers can enjoy it on a busy weeknight!
If you love this dish, you will also love my one pot creamy lemon chicken orzo, my one pan chicken feta orzo, which is a greek-inspired version of this dish, as well as my one pan chicken and zucchini orzo. Finally, you will absolutely love my tortellini bake with boursin and tomato as this is the dish that has had over 29 million views in the last several months!
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Ingredients
- Chicken Sausage, Sliced: I used Whole Foods Chicken Sausage but Aidell's Sausage Italian Style is my favorite for this recipe.
- Red Peppers, Chopped
- Small Portobello mushrooms, Sliced OR 1 small Eggplant, Diced (or both)
- Dry Orzo
- Water
- Avocado Oil
- Salt & Pepper, To Taste
- Garlic Powder, To Taste
- Smoked Paprika, To Taste
- Italian Seasoning, To Taste
- Spicy Tomato Arrabbiata Sauce (or Marinara Sauce of Choice): I love using Born Simple Foods Brand for this dish!
- Optional: Fresh Parmesan, To garnish
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 F and set your rack to the middle position.
- Prepare your ingredients as described above (chopping, slicing etc as needed).
- Add your chicken sausage, red peppers and mushrooms or eggplant to a baking sheet. Drizzle with avocado oil and season to taste. Toss until all of your seasonings are evenly distributed and then make sure that all the vegetables are in an even single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until your vegetables are soft and cooked through.
- While your vegetables are baking, cook your orzo according to the instructions on the back of the packaging.
- Once your orzo is cooked through, add in your spicy arrabbiata sauce or marinara (depending on level of spiciness desired). Mix and then add in your freshly baked veggies and chicken sausage. Mix and serve!
Hint: I like to add about 1 teaspoon of avocado oil and toast the orzo for a few minutes before adding water to my orzo to add some flavor!
Substitutions
- Vegetables- Feel free to use all three veggies or adjust based on preferences!
- Gluten-Free- use gluten-free orzo or rice to make this dish gluten-free.
- Dairy-Free - skip the parmesan cheese garnish
- Vegetarian- Use Tempeh instead of chicken sausage to make this dish vegetarian.
Variations
- Non-Spicy - Use marinara sauce instead of arrabbiata sauce to make this dish non-spicy.
- Extra Spicy - add some cayenne pepper and red pepper flakes to make this dish more spicy!
- Toddler and Kid friendly - use marinara sauce to make this dish toddler and kid-friendly. Make sure to serve the chicken sausage into bite sized pieces
Equipment
All you need to make this spicy chicken sausage is an XL baking sheet and a medium pot.
If you are in the market for a nice extra large sheet pan, I bought mine off amazon and I am obsessed!
Disclaimer: Some of the links in this post are affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you choose to purchase through qualifying links
Storage
Leftovers can be stored in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. This meal is also great for meal prep and can be pre-portioned and stored into 4 individual glass air-tight containers.
Dinner
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Pasta
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Jump to: Recipe
Chicken Sausage Orzo
Equipment
- 1 XL Baking Sheet
- 1 Medium pot
Ingredients
- 1 Package of Chicken Sausage Sliced (Aidell's Italian or Whole Foods Brand)
- 2 Red Peppers Chopped
- 1 Package Small Portobello mushrooms Sliced OR 1 small Eggplant, Diced (or both)
- 1 Cup Dry Orzo
- 2 Cups Water
- Avocado Oil Drizzled
- Salt & Pepper To Taste
- Garlic Powder To Taste
- Smoked Paprika To Taste
- Italian Seasoning To Taste
- 1 Container (18 Ounces) Spicy Tomato Arrabbiata Sauce (or Marinara Sauce of Choice): I love using Born Simple Foods Brand for this dish!
- Optional: Fresh Parmesan To garnish
Instructions
- Pre-heat your oven to 400 F and set your rack to the middle position.
- Prepare your ingredients as described above (chopping, slicing etc as needed).
- Add your chicken sausage, red peppers and mushrooms or eggplant to a baking sheet. Drizzle with avocado oil and season to taste. Toss until all of your seasonings are evenly distributed and then make sure that all the vegetables are in an even single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 12-15 minutes or until your vegetables are soft and cooked through.
- While your vegetables are baking, cook your orzo according to the instructions on the back of the packaging.
- Once your orzo is cooked through, add in your spicy arrabbiata sauce or marinara (depending on level of spiciness desired). Mix and then add in your freshly baked veggies and chicken sausage. Mix and serve!
- Hint: I like to add about 1 teaspoon of avocado oil and toast the orzo for a few minutes before adding water to my orzo to add some flavor!
Notes
Nutrition
FOOD SAFETY
- Cook to a minimum temperature of 165 °F (74 °C)
- Don't leave food sitting out at room temperature for extended periods
- Never leave cooking food unattended
- Use oils with high smoking point to avoid harmful compounds
- Always have good ventilation when using a gas stove
Ashley Lynn says
This has become a weekly staple in my house! It’s sooooo easy and delicious!
christina.klapper says
I am so happy to hear you love it!!!! Thank you for taking the time to leave this review, means so much!