One-Pan Chicken Sausage Broccoli (Printable)

A vibrant meal of chicken sausage, orzo, broccoli, and lemon for a quick, comforting dinner.

# What You Need:

→ Proteins

01 - 1 pound chicken sausage, sliced

→ Pasta & Grains

02 - 1 cup orzo pasta, uncooked

→ Vegetables & Aromatics

03 - 3 cups broccoli florets
04 - 1 medium yellow onion, diced
05 - 3 to 4 garlic cloves, minced
06 - Fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

→ Liquids

07 - 2.5 cups chicken broth
08 - Juice of 0.5 to 1 lemon

→ Dairy

09 - 0.5 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

→ Oils & Seasonings

10 - 2 tablespoons olive oil
11 - 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
12 - 0.25 teaspoon red pepper flakes, optional
13 - Salt and black pepper to taste

# How To Make It:

01 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced chicken sausage and cook until browned, approximately 5 minutes. Transfer sausage to a plate and set aside.
02 - In the same skillet, add diced onion and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until softened. Stir in minced garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes if using, and cook for 1 minute until fragrant.
03 - Add uncooked orzo to the skillet and toast while stirring for 1 to 2 minutes until lightly golden.
04 - Pour in chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the pan bottom. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
05 - Stir in broccoli florets and return sausage to the skillet. Cover and cook for another 4 to 5 minutes until broccoli is tender-crisp and orzo reaches al dente texture.
06 - Remove from heat. Stir in Parmesan until creamy, then add lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
07 - Let the dish rest for 5 minutes to thicken, then garnish with chopped parsley and serve.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • It's genuinely faster than ordering takeout, and the cleanup is refreshingly minimal.
  • The lemon finish lifts everything at the last moment in a way that feels almost fancy for a weeknight.
  • High protein and filling enough that nobody asks for seconds or snacks an hour later.
02 -
  • The lemon is non-negotiable—it's what keeps this from tasting one-note and heavy, so don't skip it even if you think you don't like citrus.
  • Freshly grated Parmesan melts into the sauce smoothly, while the pre-grated stuff clumps up and stays grainy no matter how much you stir.
03 -
  • Never skip toasting the orzo, because that one extra minute of stirring creates a complexity that tastes like you know what you're doing.
  • Taste as you go with seasoning rather than guessing, and remember that the lemon juice at the end will brighten everything so you might need less salt than you think.
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