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!
Hello lemony creamy goodness. This is certainly my kind of speedy weeknight meal, with juicy chicken thighs (breasts can absolutely be substituted) and the creamiest orzo with just the right amount of lemon of course, which all comes together in a single pot. It’s less dishes for everyone involved.
You can also throw in your favorite kind of greens – kale, spinach, collard greens or even swiss chard. Even the pickiest of eaters will get their share of greens in here, all soaked and swimming in this lovely creaminess.
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.
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
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.
Did you make this recipe?
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This was so yummy and not too lemony
This was delicious!! I subbed coconut milk for the heavy cream and made it gluten free, but otherwise followed the recipe. It is definitely a keeper!
So you made it dairy- free and gluten-free? What did you sub the flour and orzo with?
I made this last night; an emergency recipe using what I had on hand in my fridge and pantry. It was a homey, yummy surprise! I had three large bone-in chicken thighs that I browned in the butter. I did not have chicken broth, so used water, pan drippings and some Montreal Chicken seasoning. I also substituted Acini de Pepe pasta for the Orzo and stirred in a bag of baby spinach. Loved by the two men in my household and asked to make again! I also subbed half and half for the heavy cream. Really damn delicious!
This is easy and delicious! I used the boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which is the right choice. Next time, I might pound them a little just to get them to an more even thickness. I also substituted spinach instead of kale (just a preference). I used my mini food processor to chop the shallots, garlic and herbs. Easy.
I just made this tonight and it was delicious, minus the kale, because we don’t like kale. Next time I will add mushrooms. Thank you for this great recipe.
Just made this… and it was damn delicious!
It’s a heavy dish, but the lemon helped cut through some of that heaviness. I would make this again.
I made this to the instructions (minus the kale) and it was so good. This will be made again!
Love this, using broccoli and asparagus
Sounds good minus the kale. I would add some sauteed mushrooms instead of the kale.
1 bunch of Kate? That seems like a lot. Think I may just make my lemon garlic Kale salad to go with.
This is great! I might make this for thanksgiving!
I can’t do dairy – do you think I can substitute butter for oil and cream for coconut cream?
let us know if you do!
Made this tonight and it was so good! Accidentally subbed a dairy free heavy cream and it was great. I used chicken breast instead of thighs.