Boursin Chicken with Orzo

 Originally posted on https://www.saltandlavender.com/boursin-orzo/

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 medium onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
• 2.5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 (5.2 oz) package Boursin cheese softened
• 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
• 2 cups cooked chicken chopped/shredded
• Salt & pepper to taste
• Fresh chives chopped (optional, to taste)

Directions

• Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring fairly often (this step infuses the orzo with more flavor and toasts it a bit).
• Pour in the chicken broth. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring quite often. You will need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). You want it to gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked (it this seems to be happening, add in a splash more broth as needed).
• Stir in the Boursin until smooth.
• Take the pot off the heat and stir in the spinach and chicken, then cover the pot for 5 minutes. The spinach will wilt, the chicken will heat through, and the sauce will thicken a little more.
• Season with salt & pepper to taste and serve with chopped chives sprinkled over top if desired.