What’s for dinner tonight? Let’s take it nice and easy and whip up a batch of One-Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo! You’re gonna love this recipe for SO many reasons. First off it’s fast and easy to make which means it’s perfect for a busy weeknight dinner. It’s loaded with wholesome ingredients that you can feel good about like whole wheat orzo, spinach, tomatoes, lemon, and basil. They’re also simple and fresh ingredients that you can find just about anywhere right now. And then there’s my favorite part…this recipe is one-pot….meaning everything cooks in the same skillet. Being home more lately means my dishwasher is packed full like every single day. So the fact that this recipe uses only a single skillet is a major bonus in my book!
Here’s all you’ll need: flour, garlic powder, boneless skinless chicken breasts, salt and pepper, olive oil, reduced-sodium chicken broth, whole wheat orzo pasta, fresh spinach, grape tomatoes, lemon juice, fresh basil, lemon wedges (for serving).
First things first let’s prep that chicken! Pound the chicken with a mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. If you don’t have a mallet handy, you can use a heavy rolling pin, the back of a skillet, or even a thick cookbook. Pounding not only tenderizes the meat but it also helps to keep each piece even in size which results in a more even cooking rate. This simple trick can be used in just about any recipe and will makes your chicken breasts taste so much better! I always pound in a ziploc bag to keep the mess to a minimum. Not sure about your mallet skills? Buy chicken cutlets instead which are cut thin in size.
Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Next combine the flour and the garlic powder in a small shallow bowl. Cut the chicken into small pieces and dredge in the flour mixture. Dredging simply means to coat an item in flour (or sometimes breadcrumbs) before cooking. Lightly shake off any excess flour.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes per side or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
Add the chicken broth to the same skillet and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to loosen the brown bits and boost flavor. Stir in the orzo and return to a boil. Once the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the skillet and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the orzo is tender.
The key to this part is the simmer. The goal here is to cook out the liquid over the course of 8-10 minutes. If the liquid cooks out before then, the heat is too high and you’ll need to add more broth. If after 10 minutes you’re still left with a bunch of liquid, the heat is too low and you’ll need to continue cooking until the broth has absorbed into the orzo mixture.
Stir the spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice, basil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the orzo. Return the chicken to the pan and lightly warm if needed. Gently toss to combine.
And dinner is served! Garnish with additional lemon slices if you wish. Or just go to town and gobble it down! Lemon Chicken with Orzo is a meal you can really feel good about. In need or more dinner ideas? Try our Grilled Chicken with Peach-Cucumber Salsa or our Bruschetta Chicken next!
One-Pot Lemon Chicken with Orzo
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1-1/4 cups uncooked whole wheat orzo pasta
- 2 cups roughly chopped fresh spinach
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
- Lemon wedges, optional
Directions
- Step 1 Pound the chicken with a mallet to 1/4-inch thickness. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on both sides. Combine the flour and the garlic powder in a small shallow bowl. Cut the chicken into small pieces and dredge in the flour mixture. Lightly shake off any excess flour.
- Step 2 Heat 2 Tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chicken to the hot skillet and cook about 3-4 minutes per side or until the chicken is no longer pink. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside. Cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.
- Step 3 Add the chicken broth to the same skillet and bring to a boil. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan to loosen the brown bits. Stir in the orzo and return to a boil. When the mixture starts to boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer. Cover the skillet and simmer for 8-10 minutes or until the orzo is tender.
- Step 4 Stir the spinach, tomatoes, lemon juice, basil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt into the orzo. Return the chicken to the pan and lightly warm if needed. Gently toss to combine. Garnish with additional lemon slices if you wish. Enjoy!
We’d love to hear from you! Leave us your comments and love down below!
Shop this post!