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.
Love it! Going to make it again tomorrow. So good. Big fan!
Very quick and easy, but so rich in flavor! Thank you :)
Very peppery, would recommend to not add the extra teaspoon to the broth. Super easy and looks great but heavy on the pepper.
YUMMY!!! just made this tonight,it’s so good! love the one pan clean up too! I will probably do with breasts next only because that’s what we prefer. Thanks for another great and affordable recipe. :D
This was, in a word, SUPERB. I added a diced shallot to the garlic and brown bits along with some sliced cherry tomatoes that I had in the fridge. This was seriously easy, and seriously full of flavor. My husband and I devoured ours– I cannot wait to make this again. I have been a long-time fan/lurker of your site, but I have actually never made your food. You just made me a believer! Thank you!!
Beth, this is awesome! It’s a family favorite for all 5 of us.
My only question is how do you do this without the orzo sticking to the pan? I swear I lost half the orzo because it stuck to the pan. Sad faces from everyone at the table!
Should I use more liquid? I simmered for 10 min. What’d I do wrong?
I think there are three things that really affect whether or not the orzo (or rice, when using the same technique) sticks. 1) Using a thick bottomed pan really helps because it evens out the heat. 2) Finding that sweet spot with the heat. You want the heat to be at the lowest setting possible that keeps the liquid simmering. Too high and the bottom will dry out and scorch. 3) Let the dish rest with the heat turned off for about 5-10 minutes. I find that this helps the moisture redistribute and it sometimes loosens any rice or pasta that may be stuck to the bottom. I hope that helps! It just takes a little practice. :)
Made this tonight aaaaand DELICIOUS! All my 2 year old kept saying was,”mama more!!”
He definitely has a new favorite dish and so do I! Husband also loved it! Thanks for this awesome recipe, Beth. You’re wonderful! :)
This is an absolute hit in my household. We use rice instead of orzo since that’s what we had on hand. We prepare this once a week (yes every week!) with some steamed veggies.
This is delicious, but in two times making this, my chicken is always not quite done at the end. Going to start browning for longer I think. Right now, my chicken is in the oven finishing up while I impatiently wait to eat it all! Great recipe, just need to tweak the cook time a bit. I add diced onion and a pint of halved grape or cherry tomatoes (whichever I find for cheap) to sautée with the garlic and a ton of spinach at the end to make it a one pot meal.
I personally have never had this issue. I would trying browning longer.
Instead of orzo I use rice in this recipe and have it cook for 20 minutes.
It didn’t cook all the way for me either and I couldn’t really brown it longer so I out it in the oven at 400 degrees for 15 minutes.
This dish is pure joy! So ah-mazingly good. The hardest part was not eating seconds. Budget Bytes at its best: easy, qucik, delicious, and inexpensive. The one pan clean up is a bonus. I had to buy the lemon pepper because it’s not a staple in my pantry, but it will be now.
This was delicious! I seriously love this site and it is my go-to for easy, great and fast meals! I made this one when my mom was coming over one night for dinner and we both were blown away by how good it was! Thank you for sharing!
i really loved this recipe but i felt it needed something and i remembered i had a package of kale in the freezer that i just knew would fit well with the flavor of the lemon pepper. of course i remembered after i finished cooking the food…oh well, i went ahead and microwaved the kale and mixed it into the food anyway, added the feta, and it was heavenly.
Amazing recipe & very easy to make. It was my first time making a dish like this, i added 21 seasoning (from trader joes) and fresh lemon to the chicken… Made it for my boyfriend & friend. They wouldn’t stop talking about how amazing it was! I will definitely make it again.
I loved it, but my husband thought the lemon taste was too strong. Next time I’ll cut the lemon pepper down and add some white wine for additional flavor.
so delicious! I used boneless skinless thighs, but next time will try with skin and bone – bet it will be more flavorful.