Welcome to another episode of “How can so few ingredients make such a delicious meal?!” One-pot meals are a miracle, my friends, and this Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo is the perfect example. This dish is packed with flavor thanks to a hefty dose of lemon pepper, chicken broth, juicy chicken thighs, and a pop of feta at the end. Plus, it’s fast, easy, and barely anything to clean up afterward. :)
What’s in Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo
For this skillet meal, I liberally seasoned some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs with lemon pepper, then combined it with some orzo, chicken broth, and parsley. Everything gets cooked together in one pot so that orzo soaks up all the flavor from both the chicken thighs and the broth, and not a drop of flavor is lost. It’s so simple, yet so good. Add a quick little side salad with fresh greens and you’ve got a five-star dinner (and very few dishes to clean). Victory!
Can I Use Boneless Chicken?
I used bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs for this recipe, but you can use boneless thighs or breasts if you prefer. The chicken will cook a little faster if you use boneless and you might miss out on a little bit of the flavor that comes with bone-in chicken. Also, be aware that chicken breasts do tend to dry out faster than chicken thighs, so the end product won’t be quite as juicy.
Tips for Cooking One Pot Pasta
Getting one pot pasta meals to cook just right can take a little practice, but here are a few tips to make sure your pasta cooks evenly and all the way through without leaving too much liquid behind:
- Use a heavy or thick-bottomed piece of cookware. Thin cookware doesn’t cook evenly and can leave some pasta undercooked and some pasta overcooked. A deep skillet or Dutch Oven will work well for this recipe.
- Use a burner that is close in size to the bottom of your pot or pan. If the burner is a lot smaller than the width of the pan, you may have trouble getting the outside edges to cook evenly.
- Make sure the broth is simmering the whole time. Heat settings on ranges can vary, so you may need to adjust the heat up or down slightly to maintain a simmer in the broth.
One Pot Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo
Servings 4Ingredients
- 4 chicken thighs* ($3.74)
- 2 Tbsp lemon pepper seasoning ($0.60)
- 1 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.04)
- 2 cloves garlic ($0.16)
- 2 cups chicken broth ($0.26)
- 1/4 cup chopped parsley ($0.20)
- 1.5 cups orzo ($1.29)
- 2 oz. feta, crumbled ($1.25)
Instructions
- Blot the chicken thighs dry with a paper towel, then season both sides liberally with lemon pepper seasoning (about 2 Tbsp lemon pepper total).
- Heat a large deep skillet over medium. Once hot, add the cooking oil. Add the seasoned chicken thighs, skin side down, and let them cook undisturbed until browned (about 6-8 minutes for bone-in skin-on thighs). Flip the chicken thighs and cook until browned on the second side. The chicken will be cooked most of the way through at this point but will finish cooking when simmered with the orzo. Remove the chicken to a clean plate.
- While the chicken is browning, roughly chop about 1/4 bunch of parsley and mince two cloves of garlic. After removing the chicken from the skillet, turn the heat down to low, add the minced garlic, and sauté the garlic in the residual fat for about a minute.
- Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve the crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the orzo and half of the chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Finally, return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up.
- Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and let the broth come to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer on low for about 15 minutes, or until most of the broth has been absorbed. Make sure it’s simmering the whole time. If it stops simmering, increase the heat slightly until it just starts to simmer again.
- After about 15 minutes the orzo should be tender and most of the broth absorbed but there will still be a little sauce in the skillet.
- Fluff the orzo around the chicken a bit with a fork, then top with the remaining parsley and the crumbled feta. Serve and enjoy!
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Notes
Nutrition
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How to Make One Pot Chicken and Orzo – Step by Step Photos
Start by blotting four chicken thighs dry with a paper towel. Drying them helps the seasoning stick and helps them brown better in the skillet. I used bone-in thighs with skin, but you could use boneless, skinless if desired. Just keep in mind that boneless and skinless thighs are usually a bit more expensive and will cook faster. Season both sides of each thigh liberally with lemon pepper seasoning (about 2 Tbsp total).
Heat a large deep skillet over medium. Once hot, add 1 Tbsp cooking oil. Add the seasoned chicken thighs, skin side down, and let them cook undisturbed until browned (about 6-8 minutes for bone-in skin-on thighs). Flip the chicken thighs and cook until browned on the second side. The chicken will be cooked most of the way through at this point but will finish cooking when simmered with the orzo. Remove the chicken to a clean plate.
While the chicken is browning, roughly chop about 1/4 bunch of parsley and mince two cloves of garlic. Turn the heat down to low, add the minced garlic, and sauté the garlic in the residual fat for about a minute.
Add 2 cups of chicken broth to the skillet and stir to dissolve the crispy browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
The broth will turn a deep brown color as the drippings are dissolved into the mixture.
Add about half of the chopped parsley and 1.5 cups of orzo. Stir to combine.
Finally, return the chicken to the skillet, skin side up. Place a lid on the skillet, turn the heat up to high, and let the broth come to a full boil. Once it reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low. Let the skillet simmer on low for about 15 minutes, or until most of the broth has been absorbed. Make sure it’s simmering the whole time. If it stops simmering, increase the heat slightly until it just starts to simmer again.
After about 15 minutes the orzo should be tender and most of the broth absorbed but there will still be a little sauce in the skillet.
Fluff the orzo around the chicken a bit with a fork, then top with the remaining parsley and the crumbled feta. And that’s all it takes to make this simple Lemon Pepper Chicken with Orzo. I could seriously eat this orzo all day long. ALL. DAY. LONG.
This is such a great, easy, weeknight meal! We made it with boneless, skinless chicken thighs and added some fresh lemon juice at the end (since we had a lemon on hand that needed to be used). Super tasty and very easy!
Oh my! This was sooo good! Even my picky 6 year old dug in. This is definitely going into the dinner rotation.
Also, Aldi doesn’t sell uncooked orzo, so any suggestions for a substitute? Thank you!
Great subs for orzo include arborio rice, small elbow macaroni, and couscous. XOXO -Monti
Could you make this in the instant pot? How would you adjust? Thank you!
Hi, we have not tested this in a pressure cooker and cannot comment on how to recreate the recipe in one. XOXO -Monti
What grain could I use in place of the orzo that is gluten free?
Any rice. XOXO -Monti
I followed the recipe exactly as written (using boneless skinless thighs) and it was absolutely delicious. The whole thing probably took the 40 minutes it said it would, start to finish, maybe even a few minutes less. I had a withering lemon in my fridge, so I squeezed some fresh juice on top and the end and it was *chef’s kiss* This and a bag of whatever frozen steam-in-bag veggies I had on hand made a perfect weeknight dinner!
I agree with everyone else – simple and delicious.
I LOVE this recipe. It’s one of my go-to’s for a quick and delicious dinner. One question- any tricks on preventing the skin from sticking to the pan when browning the chicken?
You’re always going to have at least a little bit of sticking, but if you let the pan get hot and pat the chicken dry before you add it to the pan, that should help. Once you put it in the pan, leave it alone until it browns, at which point it should mostly de-stick itself.
Yum!! Made this but added potatoes, spinach and cream cheese instead of feta and it was awesome! Will be making again
Can you substitute any grains for the pasta? I’m on a low carb diet.
You could potentially do something like that, but the cooking time and liquid amount will need to adjust according to the grain you’re using and the flavor of the grain may affect the overall flavor of the dish.
Have been making this recipe for years and it’s an all-time favorite! So easy, so flavorful. It’s one of the first recipes that gave me confidence that I could cook. Just ate some leftovers of this meal for lunch and had to post a review. Go make this now! It’s sure to impress and is seriously so easy to make.
Amazing!! First time cooking with orzo and I was thoroughly impressed.
This tastes like something from a restaurant, amazing flavor from the “fond”. :) I calculated about 550 calories per serving with skinless thighs.
I served with the honey balsamic glazed carrots and the flavors went together pretty well. I will definitely make this again.
This recipe is so easy to follow and comes out almost as good as the recipe photos! It’s so flavorful and cooked with simple ingredients, all in one pot. It is definitely in our regular meal rotation! :)
I made this last night for dinner. I used what I had on hand – boneless, skinless chicken thighs and dried parsley – and not only was it super easy to throw together, but it was delicious! Took maybe 20 minutes start to finish: I did 3 mins/side for the chicken, then 12 mins with the orzo. Big hit at the dinner table, with and without the feta. This recipe will definitely be added to our rotation. Thank you for another great recipe!