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One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce, the perfect winter dinner…quick, easy, colorful and delicious! Pan-seared dijon chicken with lemon butter, cooked together with orzo pasta for an all-in-one dinner. Go that extra step and serve drizzled with a delicious creamy feta sauce. A dinner that everyone at the table will love.
I think the day I got my first Staub skillet was the day I created the “one skillet” dinner. Not saying I invented the one skillet dinner by any means. Just that that I invented it for myself that day. It was many, many years ago. But ever since then I’ve made countless one skillet dinners in my Staub pan. It’s a method of cooking I fall back on weekly.
Throwing everything in the same skillet just makes sense. For one, you’re saving dishes by avoiding using multiple pans. But even more importantly, you’re creating a dish that’s full of flavor. When you cook everything together, the flavors are able to blend, making every element of the recipe delicious.
Of course, with this recipe I created one extra step with that feta sauce. But trust me, it’s worth it!
The process – cook the chicken
Season the chicken with Dijon, garlic, shallots, a bit of rosemary and some paprika. I like to sear the chicken to give it a nice crisped base. Then I toss it in a little butter, add some lemon slices, and let everything cook up along side the chicken. The butter browns and everything smells delicious.
Next, pull the chicken and lemon out out of the skillet, then add the orzo and broth. Stir in the kale…or you could also use spinach. Then slide the chicken into the orzo and throw the whole skillet into the oven to finish cooking.
Make the feta sauce
I couldn’t share this recipe without including a sauce. You all know how it goes around here, never enough sauce. Enter my feta sauce. It’s whipped feta cheese with a bit of yogurt, lemon, and if you have some fresh herbs on hand, toss those in too.
The salty feta creates an addicting sauce. Every spoonful is delicious, but it’s especially great over this dijon chicken.
It’s a real crowd pleaser, and comes out of the oven looking pretty and smells even more delicious. I threw some fresh dill on top for color and served the chicken and orzo right out of the skillet.
Perfect for easy weeknight dinners or even entertaining. It really brightens the table on a cold winter day!
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Souvlaki and Potatoes
Browned Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Cheese Ravioli
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
Lastly, if you make this One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 683 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 small shallots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped kale
- chopped fresh dill, for serving
Feta Sauce
- 4-6 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400° F. 2. In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, Dijon mustard, 3 cloves garlic, 1 shallot, rosemary, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss well to combine.3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the butter and lemon slices. Remove everything from the skillet.4. Add the orzo, 1 shallot, and 1 clove of garlic. Cook until the orzo is toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, kale, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Slide the chicken, lemon slices, and any juices left on the pan back into the skillet. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.5. Meanwhile, make the feta sauce. Combine the feta, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until creamy. Stir in the paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. If desired, thin with additional lemon juice.6. Serve the chicken and orzo topped with the feta sauce and dill.
Hi!
I have all the ingredients but orzo. Could I substitute farro?
Thank you,
Heidi Lantagne
Hey Heidi,
Yes, that should work for you, I would just watch your cooking time, you might have to change it up a bit. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan,
I made it tonight with farro instead of orzo. It was absolutely delicious! My husband kept commenting on how good it was! I can’t wait to make it for Sunday night dinner for the whole family! That feta sauce…divine!
Thank you,
Heidi
Hey Heidi,
Awesome! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it! xTieghan
Made this and it was absolutely delicious
Hey Tracy,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Great easy dinner! Would definitely only use lemon juice next time. I didn’t even include the juice this time because I ran out of lemons (I just did the full lemon sliced) and it was so tart. Still good, but might have not been able to eat it if I also added the juice in. Would definitely make again though just with the adjustment to the lemon! Could’ve also used only 1/2 Rosemary.
Looking forward to trying more of your recipes!
Hi Meredith,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
This is one of the most delicious chicken dishes I’ve ever tasted! I’ll definitely be making this again.
(full disclosure…I used sour cream instead of yogurt because I only had vanilla yogurt. It was delicious!)
Hi Theresa,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Sooo delicious! Will definitely make again. I wonder if pearled couscous would work instead of orzo??
Thanks for this amazing recipe.. absolutely loved it!!
Hey Anne,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
Hey Bri,
Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am thrilled to hear it was enjoyed. Sure, I bet that would work well for you! Thanks for sharing your comment! xTieghan
I’ve been really enjoying both your books and look forward to the new one. Thank you!
We loved this recipe and will certainly make it again. Just wanted to give you a slight heads up with the built-in converter you have to change quatities, and I assume this applies to all the recipes. I decided to make it for 4 servings and while the ingredient list revised the quantities, the text did not make those adjustments, so I ended up putting more lemon juice in etc. and having to adjust later. Also would suggest a slight edit to the description of what to leave in the pan between searing the chicken and making the orzo; I found it a bit confusing. We love the orzo and contrary to another review, the roasted lemon was perfect. I made it with bone-in, skin-on breasts and seared and roasted a bit longer. The Feta Sauce was yummy and I followed your suggestion for thinning it with extra lemon juice. In future I would make the full orzo and full feta sauce for 4 servings. Thinly sliced/chopped kale worked well and I’m not generally that keen on cooked kale. Made in 12” Staub cast iron. Again, thanks.
Hey Karen,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! Thanks for sharing your notes. xT
Concept and flavours good but I only added half the rosemary and it was still very strong. I also would just use dry instead of fresh as it would cook up better due to short bake time. Secondly pleeeeease do your self a favour and don’t cook with the slices of lemon. This came out so bitter it was terrible due to the rinds cooking … I knew this was a thing but thought I’d gamble and try. MISTAKE. I would use only lemon juice and add zest. The feta sauce next time I would reverse the amount of feta and yogurt as it’s way too salty and becomes too thin if over mixed when adjusting. I did use a touch of the left over sauce in some scrabbled eggs with Spinach topped with every bagel seasoning and it was delish.
Hey there,
Thanks for giving the recipe a try, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. xTieghan
Solid dinner, easier than I thought it would be!
Hey Carol,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Hi!
I made this for a special Sunday dinner and it was wonderful. Everyone loved it! I added a tiny bit of water to the sauce because it wasn’t coming together for me , but everything else I made as directed. So good and easy!
Hey Stacia,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Wow! Made this this evening. So incredible! My husband told me I better let you know what a favorite it was. And the sauce was such a bonus! You never disappoint ❤️
Hi Erica,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Would dried herbs work ok for this recipe? I am looking forward to trying this out this week
Hey there,
Sure! For every 1 tablespoon of fresh herbs you will want to use 1 teaspoon of dried herbs. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Delicious, everyone loved it!
Hi Kim,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Really, really good! Next time I’d lower the amount of oil a tinge but just so good! Using it as a base recipe now for playing with new flavors/recipes!
Hey Amanda,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
I just made this tonight and it is amazing. Followed the recipe exactly and tastes as great as it looks. Easy, delicious, thanks!
Prepping before hand helped. This tasted so good. I liked the feta sauce with just a tad drizzled. Any more and it was too much for me. I used cast iron and this was really good. The orzo was incredibly flavorful. I also used spinach instead of kale.
Hey Ashley,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Hi Dolores,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
Recipe was really good. It turned out just like your photo (which is unusual for me). I did have trouble with the sauce. I followed the recipe but it was not creamy. In fact, I had to keep scraping down the ingredients in the blender hoping they would combine. I ended up trying to hand mix them as best I could. I don’t know where I messed up.
Hey Carla,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! Sorry to hear about your sauce. Did you use block or crumble feta? xT
Hi Tieghan!
I used block feta. I’ll try crumbled next time. My daughters turned me on to your Instagram. So glad they did!
Carla
Thank you! Definitely stick with the block feta though, the crumbled feta does not work very well:)