One Pot Lemon Chicken and Orzo
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Golden brown, juicy chicken with the creamiest lemony orzo + sneaked in greens, all made in ONE SINGLE POT!
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Hello, lemony creamy velvety lush goodness. This is certainly my kind of speedy weeknight meal with oh-so-juicy, tender chicken thighs (breasts can absolutely be substituted), sneaked in leafy greens along with the creamiest, dreamiest of orzos. Yes, please!
reasons to make one pot lemon chicken and orzo
- One pot goodness. Everything truly comes together in a single pot in this no-fuss meal, even the uncooked pasta. This means less dishes, less clean up. Seems like a magic trick, no?
- Family-friendly meal. This dish is truly family-friendly, a hit with grown ups, teens, kids and picky eaters, not to mention the most perfect opportunity to sneak in extra leafy greens.
- Flexible and forgiving. Chicken and orzo is a great recipe to swap in your favorite chicken (breasts, thighs, tenderloins) and any other vegetable that needs to be used up like carrots, green beans and broccoli.
what is orzo
Orzo is a short-cut type pasta, similar in shape to a long grain of rice. Orzo can be added to one pot dishes, helping to thicken the dish naturally by releasing starch as it cooks in the broth, yielding a richer, more velvety smooth consistency.
tips and tricks for success
- Use a heavy pot. A heavy bottom pot, such as a Dutch oven, is ideal here for even heat distribution and a better sear.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs (thyme, rosemary, sage or basil) are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor.
- Use good-quality stock. The better quality your stock, the better your dish. Many brands love to pack in the salt so always opt for unsalted or a lower-sodium variety. Homemade stock is even better.
- Add in leafy greens. This is a great recipe to sneak in leafy greens for those picky eaters. Spinach, kale, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options.
- Add the cream slowly. Always add the heavy cream at the very end, pouring very slowly to prevent curdling.
what to serve with one pot lemon chicken and orzo
Tools For This Recipe
Dutch oven
One Pot Lemon Chicken and Orzo: Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, chicken breasts can absolutely be used here but chicken thighs have more dark meat and a higher fat content which will yield juicier, more flavorful chicken.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent/concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. The correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh herbs to 1 teaspoon dried herbs.
Spinach, collard greens, swiss chard, or arugula are all great options to swap out the kale.
Heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream) has one of the highest fat contents with about 36-40% fat. Half and half or whole milk are suitable substitutes, but will yield a lighter result.
The lemon juice helps balance out the flavors and richness of the dish.
Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days.
One Pot Lemon Chicken and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 large shallots, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1 ½ teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves torn into bite-sized pieces
- ⅓ cup freshly grated Parmesan
- ¼ cup heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
Equipment
Instructions
- Season chicken with 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper.
- Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Working in batches, add chicken to the Dutch oven in a single layer and cook until golden brown and cooked through, reaching an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 4-5 minutes per side; set aside.
- Add shallots, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 3-5 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, thyme and rosemary until fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in flour until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Stir in chicken stock and Dijon, scraping any browned bits from the bottom of the Dutch oven. Stir in orzo; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until pasta is cooked through, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in kale, Parmesan, heavy cream, lemon juice and lemon zest until the kale has wilted, about 3 minutes. Return chicken to the Dutch oven.
- Serve immediately.
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Omit the heavy cream. Increase cooking times across the board. Great recipe.
Love this recipe but I’m allergic to dairy. Do you have a good substitute besides coconut cream or coconut milk? I make this for my husband with heavy cream and I don’t eat it. I want to eat it so badly but I can’t.
You have so many yummy recipes !
Thank you
My husband is allergic to dairy so I simply omitted the cream and parmesan. It is still delicious! We use a plant-based butter substitute for the sauteeing step.
It was delicious! Opted for juice of whole small lemon, no zest, and a little extra orzo. Loved how deep the flavors were from the first few steps. Absolutely a do again!!!
My kids loved this! Even my picky 5 year old. I used arugula instead of kale. So good, I’ll def make this one again!
This came out absolutely delicious! I used spinach instead of kale due to an allergy. I’ll be making this many times over in the future!
Had this for dinner tonight! It is sooooo good! Subbed arugula for kale, but still yummy!
Arugula sounds like a great swap! Thanks for sharing, Dottie. 🙂
I have made a few of your recipes and they never disappoint! My family and I devoured this! So delicious!! ☺️
Every one of your recipes i try, i fall in love with! Thank you for sharing all that you do with us~
I made this recipe for my daughter, son-in-law and their 5 children (ages 4-15) and it was delicious. I substituted dried rosemary and thyme, and spinach instead of Kale. I was surprised how the lemon flavor really came through in the dish and my picky grandchildren cleaned their plates !
Tasty but 6 minutes isn’t enough time to cook the orzo. Had to do more like 10.
So, so good! Followed the recipe exactly as is. Chicken was tender, and the orzo was creamy and delicious.
Tender chicken and the rest bursting with flavour!
This has to be one of our most favorite weeknight dishes! It does not look like a weeknight dinner nor does it taste like it – so elevated and yet easy enough I’ve taught both of my boys (17 and 21) to make it. It is a STAR dish. Even better as leftovers the next day at work – I could eat it almost daily. The only change I have ever made is to sub spinach for kale – but it works.
Every time I make this, I love it more! And I don’t even add the cream at the end! 🙂 So delicious!
So so good… used spinach not kale and more lemon juice than the recipe called for. This will definitely go in dinner rotation.
Holy shit. Absolute crowd pleaser. Delicious and satisfying. Saving for the recipe book!
My 15 yr old son and I made this together for our family of six last night – it was amazing! What a special experience to do this together. Absolutely delicious and easy to follow directions. We are super impressed!
Can couscous be used instead of orzo?
Question: The photo shows sliced lemon but the recipe doesn’t say what step to add that in. Help please!
Hi Suzanne! The sliced lemon is simply used as a garnish.
I’ve made this twice now, and I have to say I’m addicted! I LOVE this dish! ❤️❤️❤️
The first time I used frozen spinach and the second time I used frozen broccoli and spinach because I didn’t have enough spinach left. It was amazing either way!