One Pan Lemon Chicken & Orzo. A delicious one pot dinner that is minimal ingredients with maximum flavor. It is good for a girls night, but it’s also works for a weekly meal prep or Sunday night dinner. A lightly lemon chicken with crispy, flavorful skin. Onions & orzo baked to a risotto-y consistency and then tossed with feta. Start to finish, this recipe takes 20 minutes of hands on cook time (& that is mostly chopping).
One Pan Details
Make sure to use an oven safe skillet or your largest skillet or braiser to make this recipe. I love to do this in a cast iron pan or my Le Creuset braiser. If you have a smaller skillet, you can can also sear the chicken & then cook your veg and toast orzo. Transport everything to a larger, oven-safe dish, just make sure the broth does not cover our crispy chicken skin.
My favorite part of a one pot meal is the clean up, of course, but it is also that all of the flavors stay in one place. You just know the dish is going to be so flavorful when you get to sauté onions in some chicken fat and toast orzo in lemon-y white wine veggies. And of course, the simplicity. No fancy ingredients over in this dinner, but it all works together.
Home Cook’s Notes: Searing Chicken
Searing the chicken thighs is probably my most favorite, but the most important part of the dish. We want to sear it until super golden and brown and crispy. The skin stays crispy as it bakes in the oven, but the chicken get juicy sitting in the broth.
To get the best sear, make sure your oil is heated in the pan before you place the chicken in. When I first started cooking, I just threw everything into a cold pan with oil and waited for it to get hot. But we want the chicken to hit the pan hot as can be so it sears the skin without cooking the chicken too much. All of this for the ultimate flavor, obviously.
Our second flavor maker: deglazing the pan with white win and lemon. If everything is sticking to the pan, your veggies are cooked, it seems a little dry — splash the pan with your white wine and lemon juice. The alcohol and acidity will cook right out, and all of the delicious brown parts that were stuck to the pan will lift right off. It’s basically cleaning the pan, but with more food.
So finally, the orzo. Toast the orzo for extra flavor & cover in broth. It bakes super slow in the oven and soaks up chicken juice & all of the broth and flavors we caught in there before we added the pasta. And of course, always always extra feta.
From the Kitchen
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When you make this One Pan Lemon Chicken & Orzo, please let me know your thoughts in the comments. Or Tag me on Instagram @quartersoulcrisis – I love hearing from you.
One Pan Lemon Chicken and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken thighs with skin*
- 1 large yellow onion chopped
- 2-3 stalks celery chopped
- 2-3 tbs fresh oregano leaves chopped roughly
- 2 tbs thyme leaves
- 1/4 cup dry white wine or 2 tbs lemon juice or another splash of broth
- 1 lemon sliced, for serving
- 16 oz chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup orzo pasta heaping cup
- 4 oz crumbled feta
- 1 tbs olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° & while oven is preheating, prep your veggies & herbs. Blot chicken dry & sprinkle pinch salt & pepper over the chicken. Then sprinkle the dried oregano & rubber everything evenly around.
- Sear Chicken: In your biggest oven-safe skillet or braiser, heat 2tbs olive oil on high. When oil is hot, add chicken skin side down to oil, it should sizzle. Let cook without touching for 5-8 minutes on skin side, until golden and crispy. Once skin is golden and crispy, remove it from the pan and set aside. Remove from heat. Drain some of the fat.
- Soften Veggies: Put pan on medium high heat & add onions & celery to chicken fat in pan with pinch of salt. Cook until softened and beginning to brown. If pan is dry or things are sticking, now is the time to deglaze. Pour in juice of one lemon & 1/4 cup dry white wine & herbs. Toss everything around until most of the liquid has been cooked out, and all of the brown bits are loosened up from the pan. Add the dry orzo & toast it in the pan for about 1 minute, tossing with the veggies & herbs.
- Bake Chicken: Cover orzo with broth and stir. nestle chicken skin side up on top of everything. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until orzo has soaked up all or most of the liquid & chicken is cooked through. When you remove from the oven, crumble feta over top. Serve warm with orzo & a piece of chicken *and extra feta*
Home Cook’s Notes
- You can use boneless chicken thighs & follow the same instructions. Use chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, but keep in mind cooking times will change for each of these. You will also follow all of the same steps (rub in the spices, sear one side until brown, etc.), but let the orzo bake 15 minutes or so before adding seared chicken.
- Feel free also to add more chicken pieces & more orzo. Just be sure to use the same ratio of liquid. Ex: if you double the orzo, double the broth as well. And keep an eye on cook time (it’s okay if it has to go a little longer).
TICTAC Digital Marketing says
This looks amazing! Total comfort food. So good.
Quarter Soul Crisis says
Yes! Exactly. And pretty healthy too!
Christie says
Ummm wow. So much great flavor!! Not difficult to make, no crazy ingredients. I wish I could bottle up the smell while I was cooking this! Definitely making it for a girls night or when I’ll be having my parents over. Loved it!!
Quarter Soul Crisis says
you are the best I am so happy to hear that! thank you, Christie!!!!!