Lemon Orzo Chicken Recipes

LEMON CHICKEN ORZO

Steps:

• Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
• Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often (this infuses the orzo with more flavor and toasts it a little).
• Stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and cream. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. You will probably need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). It should gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked. See notes below for troubleshooting tips.
• Stir in the chicken.
• Take the pot off the heat, stir in the parmesan and spinach, and cover the pot for 3-5 minutes or until it has thickened up to your liking. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.

GREEK LEMON CHICKEN AND ORZO CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• For the orzo: Whisk together the stock, butter, salt, cornstarch, dill, lemon zest and juice and garlic in a bowl. Mix in the orzo.
• For the chicken: In a separate bowl, mix together the coriander, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken all over with the seasoning.
• Pour the stock/orzo mixture into a glass 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the chicken breasts, laying them at an angle so all but the tops of the breasts are submerged. Shingle the lemon slices in between the chicken breasts.
• Bake, uncovered, until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 35 to 40 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes. Top with the chopped parsley before serving.

LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water until partially cooked through but not yet soft, about 5 minutes; drain and rinse with cold water until cooled completely.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir carrots, celery, and onion in hot oil until the vegetables begin to soften and the onion becomes translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute more. Season mixture with thyme, oregano, salt, black pepper, and bay leaf; continue cooking another 30 seconds before pouring chicken broth into the pot.
• Bring the broth to a boil. Partially cover the pot, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes.
• Stir orzo, lemon juice, and lemon zest into the broth; add chicken. Cook until the chicken and orzo are heated through, about 5 minutes. Add baby spinach; cook until the spinach wilts into the broth and the orzo is tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with lemon slices and Parmesan cheese.

LEMON CHICKEN WITH ORZO

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix flour and garlic powder. Cut chicken into 1-1/2-in. pieces; pound each with a meat mallet to 1/4-in. thickness. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Dip both sides of chicken in flour mixture to coat lightly; shake off excess., In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Add chicken; cook 3-4 minutes on each side or until golden brown and chicken is no longer pink. Remove from pan; keep warm. Wipe skillet clean., In same pan, bring broth to a boil; stir in orzo. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, 8-10 minutes or until tender. Stir in spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice, basil and remaining salt; remove from heat. Return chicken to pan. If desired, serve with lemon wedges.

CHICKEN, LEMON, AND DILL WITH ORZO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a saucepan, bring broth, 3/4 cup water, butter, salt, and pepper to a boil. In a 3-quart baking dish, combine chicken, orzo, feta, dill, lemon zest and juice. Pour broth mixture over orzo and stir once to incorporate. Bake until orzo is tender and cooking liquid is creamy, 40 minutes. Sprinkle Parmesan on top and let stand 5 minutes before serving.

LEMON CHICKEN WITH FETA ORZO

Steps:

• Equipment: large pan for chicken, small pot for orzo, grater, strainer
• In your small pot, add water and season heavily with salt. Once the water is boiling, add the orzo to the pot.
• Place your large pan over high heat. Grab your chicken thighs and season both sides generously with salt and pepper. Drizzle the pan with olive oil and add 1 tablespoon of butter. Add the chicken thighs to the hot pan.
• Smash your garlic, breaking apart the cloves but leaving the paper on, set aside. Zest your lemon, always rotating the lemon to a new spot that's not white. Cut your lemon into wedges and set aside.
• Check the underside of the chicken thighs, they should be browned nicely after having cooked for about 6 minutes. Flip the thighs to brown the other side. Add the smashed garlic to the pan. Now squeeze your lemon wedges all over the chicken and toss the wedges into the pan. Add your lemon zest, white wine, and feta water to the pan.
• Grab a bowl for your orzo. To the bowl, add well-crumbled feta, a drizzle of olive oil, Aleppo chili powder, dried dill, and mix well. Strain the orzo through a strainer and add to the bowl. Toss to combine and salt and pepper to taste.
• Back over to the chicken thighs. Tilt your pan and, using a spoon, baste the chicken with its sauce. Take the pan off the heat and crumble in 2 tablespoons of butter to finish the sauce.
• To serve, plate a pile of orzo. Add several chicken thighs on top, add lemon wedges, add garlic cloves (that have released from their paper), and spoon your sauce over the entire dish.

LEMON ORZO CHICKEN PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
• Combine chicken, mozzarella cheese, spinach, basil, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper with orzo pasta.
• Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate to let flavors mingle, 20 to 30 minutes.

LEMON BASIL ORZO WITH CHICKEN

Steps:

• In a pot of generously salted water, cook orzo just until al dente; don't overcook. Drain and toss with about 2 TB olive oil to prevent sticking. Keep warm.
• While pasta is cooking: pat dry the moisture from chicken tenders with paper towels. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly on both sides of chicken pieces.
• In a large skillet (not non-stick) add 4 TB olive oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot, cook chicken tenders just until no longer pink in center, about 2-3 min per side (depending on thickness of chicken.) Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
• In same used skillet, add the butter over medium high heat. Once melted, add garlic and onion, stirring 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add wine; deglaze pan by scraping bits loose with your spatula while the liquid cooks. Reduce liquid by half, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and turn off heat. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp each.)
• Place cooked orzo in a large serving bowl; toss with freshly grated parmesan and onion/garlic mixture. Toss in basil leaves. Serve with chicken and garnish as desired.

LEMON CHICKEN ORZO SOUP

Steps:

• Sauté the celery, carrots, and onions in a large soup pot with the butter and oil over medium-high heat for 5-7 minutes.
• Stir in the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the flour and cook for another minute or so.
• Pour in chicken broth and stir until the flour has dissolved, then add the Italian seasoning and chicken. Bring the soup to a boil.
• Cover the soup (lid slightly ajar), and reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
• Stir in the orzo and cook for another 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through. I keep the lid off and stir it fairly often because it tends to stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Take the chicken out of the pot and cut it up, then add it back in. Add the lemon juice (you may want to add more than I suggest - I didn't want to make the soup too lemony for some people), parsley, and season the soup with salt & pepper as needed. Serve immediately.

ONE POT LEMON CHICKEN WITH ORZO

Steps:

• In a shallow bowl, mix flour and garlic powder. Pound thicker pieces of chicken to 1/4-inch thickness with the flat side of a meat mallet, if needed. Cut each piece in half (to make smaller serving sizes) and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Dip both sides of chicken in flour mixture to coat lightly and shake off excess.
• Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add half of the chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and chicken is fully cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and tent with a piece of foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken. When finished, lightly wipe excess oil from skillet.
• Return skillet to the heat and add broth and orzo. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8-10 minutes or until tender. Remove cover and stir in spinach, tomatoes, the juice of one lemon, basil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove the skillet from the heat. Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with about half of the Parmesan.
• Cut remaining lemon into wedges. Serve with remaining Parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.

LEMON ORZO CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the leeks for 5 mins over a medium-high heat, adding a splash of boiling water from the kettle halfway through to steam them slightly. Add the orzo, asparagus and stock, and cook for 10 mins over a high heat, stirring continuously.
• Stir through the crème fraîche, lemon zest, juice, chicken, peas and most of the chives. Season and keep on the heat for 3-4 mins to warm through the chicken, adding a splash of water to loosen if needed. Divide between bowls and top with the remaining chives.

CRISPY CHICKEN WITH LEMON ORZO

Steps:

• Combine the flour, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper in a shallow bowl. Remove the tenders on the underside of the chicken breasts and save for another use. (This makes the chicken breasts an even thickness so they cook evenly.) Heat the canola oil and 4 tablespoons of the butter together in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium heat until the butter has melted and begins to sizzle.
• Dredge the chicken in the flour mixture and shake off any excess. Place the chicken, skin side down, in the skillet and cook over medium heat without moving for 12 minutes. With the chicken still skin side down, place the skillet in the oven and roast for 10 minutes.
• Return the skillet to the stovetop over medium heat (careful; the handle will be hot!). Turn the chicken skin side up, add the remaining 5 tablespoons of butter, and continue cooking for 3 to 5 minutes, until the butter is a nutty brown color and the chicken breasts are just cooked through (an instant-read thermometer will register 130 to 140 degrees F). Off the heat, sprinkle on the parsley.
• Divide the Lemon Orzo with Feta among four dinner plates. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and slice each breast crosswise in thick slices. Arrange one breast on each plate with the orzo. Spoon a few tablespoons of the brown butter over each chicken breast, squeeze on some lemon, and sprinkle with salt. Serve hot with a fresh wedge of lemon on each plate.
• In a large saucepan, bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 teaspoons salt and the orzo. Return the water to a boil and simmer uncovered for 9 to 11 minutes, until the orzo is al dente. Drain.
• Transfer the orzo to a bowl and stir in the lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, dill, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper. Fold in the feta and serve hot.