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South Korea Part Two: Going for Gold.
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One Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken and Orzo, just what tonight needs.
You guys, I am not going to lie, at this point I really don’t even know what day it is. This entire time I’ve been in South Korea, I think I have asked what day it is and what the time is over and over again. South Korea is one day and sixteen hours ahead of MST, so the jet leg struggle was, and is, real. Because of work, I needed to be going back and forth between US time and Korean time and for me, it just got way too confusing.
By the time you all read this I should hopefully be home, as I am heading out in a couple of hours with a few family members along with me. I am currently writing this post while sitting in a hotel room in Seoul, trying to catch up on work…and scrolling through all the AMAZING comments, social media tags, and press from the last three days. It’s truly amazing. Thanks for the support you all are showing my brother. He’s living up this gold medal win (well sort of, the jet lag on this quick trip cannot be fun) and traveling around with my brother Malachi, doing a quick US press tour. However, they’ll both be back on a plane to South Korea in a couple of days, as Red needs to start practice for Men’s Snowboard Big Air.
Crazy, crazy ride those two are on…
I mean, did you catch Red on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night? Here’s the link if you’d like to watch.
And that’s your quick Red and Kai update for the day. Let’s talk food, because you know, that is what I do best.
While the food here in South Korea has been awesome…there’s been a lot of Korean Beef, ramen, and we had some amazing dumplings yesterday in Seoul…I must say, I’m looking forward to heading home and cooking up some of my favorite comfort meals, like this easy one skillet chicken dinner.
I made this before we left for Korea and it was the perfect easy, healthy, cozy dinner to eat the day before a long flight. Plus, it’s full of carbs, lemon, and veggies, so very much my kind of food.
The chicken is pan seared along with some fresh lemon slices and a little butter. The chicken becomes crispy, and the lemon slices caramelize, making them sweet enough to eat. I am aware that eating the whole lemon, peel and all, is still a little odd to many of you, but try it out this way. I promise, it’s so good.
The chicken and lemon alone could be an awesome recipe, classic and delicious, but me being me, I needed to add a little more to the recipe, so in came the orzo.
I mean, obviously, you have to have the carbs, you just do.
You could certainly use quinoa or another grain, but if I were you, I’d go with the orzo. It’s just fitting with this recipe and so delicious in the lemon butter sauce.
This recipe is not only delicious, it’s also super easy…one skillet, under an hour, and uses mostly pantry staple ingredients.
Cool. Cool.
It’s a crowd pleaser, and actually comes out of the oven looking relatively pretty. I threw on some fresh dill for color and served the chicken and orzo up right out of the skillet. Perfect for easy weeknight dinners or even entertaining.
Also, I get a lot of questions about what my favorite cast iron skillet is…I always, always use Staub. The ten and twelve inch are my favorites, I used the twelve inch for this recipe.
If I wasn’t getting home so late tonight, I’d for sure be making this for dinner. Instead, this will definitely be on my table as Friday night’s meal.
Can’t wait to start getting caught up on everything at home. Sorry for being MIA with comments this past week, I will be catching up soon. Thanks for all the messages!
Watch the How To Video Here:
One Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 337 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts or small thighs
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 a bunch kale, roughly torn
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.2. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or cast iron skillet set over medium high heat. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet. 3. To the same skillet, add the butter and lemon slices. Sear the lemon until golden on each side, about 1 minute. Remove the lemon from the pan and add to the plate with the chicken. 4. To the same skillet, add the garlic and orzo. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the orzo toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the wine to the skillet and de-glaze the pan. Add the chicken broth, kale, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir. Slide the chicken, lemon slices, and any juices left on the pan back into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.4. Serve the chicken topped with fresh dill and lemon zest. EAT!
Chicken dinner for the win…or the GOLD?! I dunno, but clearly I am still way too excited that my brother is an Olympic Gold Medalist. No big deal or anything…
This lemon chicken with orzo is very good. Can it be put together and refrigerated over night and then baked the next day. Thank you
Hey Barbara,
Wonderful!!😃 I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad it was a winner! I wouldn’t prep this recipe the day before:) xx
Is it okay to use bone in chicken thighs?
Hi Patricia,
Totally, that will be great! I hope you love this dish, let me know if you give it a try! xT
This was a huge hit! My two year old absolutely CRUSHED it, and we had everything but shallots in our garden, so it was perfect, simple, elegant, so clean and fresh! Thank you, this is definitely on repeat!
Hi Sharis,
Wonderful!!😃 I appreciate you making this dish and sharing your comment, so glad it was a winner! xx
What changes would need to be made to make it with rice?
Hey Mia,
For best results, I would use arborio rice! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was a hit! So simple but so good. Will definitely make again! 3 for 3! Thanks Tiegan!
Hi Rebeca,
Happy Monday!! ☀️⛅️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
Hi Tieghan; I love this recipe and am making it this weekend for some friends. Normally I have made it for family only so never worry about sides. What kind of side dishes would you serve with this recipe?
Hey Dana,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! I might just do some bread and salad! xT
Made with roasted broccolini & was perfect
Hi Sandy,
Awesome!! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
We make this monthly. It’s a staple in our house. Perfection.
Hi Beth,
Happy Wednesday! I appreciate you making this recipe so often and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it is always a winner!
Second time I’ve made this in the last month – it’s so delicious. This time I swapped kale for spinach and let the orzo boil a little longer before putting in the oven. Also added tomatoes. I am obsessed! Could eat this every night. Thank you for sharing! Always love your recipes.
Hi Meaghan,
Wonderful!!🍀 I love to hear that this recipe turned out well for you, thanks so much for trying it out:)
Doubled this recipe for a big family meal and it came out great! Big hit!
Hey Perri,
Happy Monday!!🌴 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
My daughter sent this to me but needed to make this gluten free. Luckily was able find GF orzo. Made this substituting spinach for kale and it was absolutely delicious. Thank you for a simple tasty dinner.
Hi Shelley,
Happy Monday!!🌴 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xT
I will definitely be making this again! It was so delicious; I could have easily eaten the whole skillet myself. My husband said it was so good and had a second helping. The chicken was very tender and the orzo was so flavorful!
Thanks so much Aylin!!