Make this One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo recipe for a quick and easy weeknight dinner! It’s so simple to make, quick to clean up, and amazing for leftovers.
One-pot
Easy cleanup
You’ll Learn: The secret ingredient to make your chicken a little crispier
Worth It: It’s a satisfying, protein-forward option that actually keeps you full
Bonus: One-pan approach for easy cleanup
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Easy weeknight eating – This recipe is so easy to make and comes together in under a half hour. Make it for a simple and delicious weeknight dinner!
- Great for a dinner party – This lemon chicken orzo is easy to make, but also perfect for a group! If we are having friends over for dinner, I love making this recipe. It feels decadent but couldn’t be easier to put together.
- One pan meal – There is nothing better than easy clean up! This recipe all goes in one pot, so you have minimal dishes when you are done eating!
Serving suggestions
One of the best parts of this lemon chicken orzo recipe is that its a complete meal on its own! It’s got protein, carbs, and vegetables to make it a perfect lunch or dinner. If you want to add some more greens or salads, serve a lemon kale caesar. For a side of bread, you could make this overnight bread recipe.
For dessert, you could make some mixed berry crumb bars or strawberry pound cake.
If you’re looking for another easy dinner with orzo, try this chicken orzo bake.
Ingredients
- Chicken breasts – boneless skinless chicken breasts are best for this recipe, but you can use boneless skinless chicken thighs too
- Salt, garlic powder, black pepper – a simple spice blend is all you need to add to your chicken for this recipe
- Olive oil – I used extra virgin olive oil, but you can use any neutral oil
- Butter – make sure to use salted butter for this recipe. If you use unsalted, adjust the amount of added salt as needed!
- Dried orzo – use your favorite boxed orzo pasta to make this one pot meal
- Chicken broth – I love adding chicken broth for a depth of flavor in my orzo
- Parmesan cheese – use freshly grated cheese for this recipe! It melts into the dish to make a perfectly creamy sauce
- Lemon juice and lemon zest – fresh lemon juice and zest add a ton of brightness to this lemon chicken orzo
- Fresh spinach – feel free to up the amount of spinach depending on your preference! Spinach cooks down so much, so you can add a lot
Ingredient Substitutions
You can customize this recipe with added veggies if you would like! Blistered grape tomatoes, bell peppers or sauteed mushrooms would be a delicious addition.
If you would like the chicken a little crispier, you could also coat it in a little flour with your seasoning blend.
For a gluten free option, you could make this dish with rice instead. For an even creamier dish, you can replace some of the chicken broth liquid with heavy cream.
Top your lemon chicken orzo with any fresh herbs you love! A tablespoon of fresh basil, fresh parsley, or fresh dill would be delicious. For some spice, add a teaspoon of red chili pepper flakes on top!
How to make
Step 1: Brown the Chicken
Preheat oven to 400F.
Cut the chicken breasts into bit sized pieces and season with the salt, garlic powder and black pepper (Image 1).
Heat oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add seasoned chicken to the hot skillet and sear on all sides – leave in pan for about 4 minutes then remove from pan (Image 2).
Step 2: Cook Orzo, Combine and Bake
Reduce heat to low, melt butter in skillet and add the orzo. Toss to coat in the butter and toast for 2 minutes.
Increase heat to medium and add chicken broth, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest to skillet. Stir until cheese is melted, and scrape any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Add in the spinach and keep mixing until mostly wilted (Image 3). You want your orzo to simmer, but this recipe does not require a boil.
Mix chicken back into skillet (Image 4) and place in the oven to bake covered at 400F for 12-15 minutes. Check to make sure the orzo is tender and remove from oven. Serve in bowls with a fork and some extra parmesan on top. Enjoy!
Storage, reheating and Freezing
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. To reheat, put the lemon chicken orzo in the microwave or oven until warmed through.
To freeze, place in a freezer safe container before baking and cover tightly. Bake directly from frozen covered at 325F for a half hour to an hour.
Check out these other One Pot Recipes
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
You can find the full recipe below. If you make this recipe, please rate and review it in the comments, or share it with me on Instagram!
Email Recipe for Later
Recipe
One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 cup dried orzo
- 2 cups chicken broth
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese freshly grated
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp lemon zest
- 4 large handfuls fresh spinach
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cut the chicken breasts into bit sized pieces and season with the salt, garlic powder and black pepper.
- Heat oil in a large oven safe skillet over medium heat. Add seasoned chicken to the hot skillet and sear on all sides – leave in pan for about 4 minutes then remove from pan.
- Reduce heat to low, melt butter in skillet and add the orzo. Toss to coat in the butter and toast for 2 minutes.
- Increase heat to medium and add chicken broth, parmesan cheese, lemon juice and lemon zest to skillet. Mix until cheese is melted. Mix in the spinach and keep mixing until mostly wilted.
- Mix chicken back into skillet and place in the oven to bake covered at 400F for 12-15 minutes. Check to make sure the orzo is tender and remove from oven.
Nutrition Information
This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.
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