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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…
I found your recipe because I needed a one skillet dinner and this was perfect! I can’t believe the comments here! This recipe is perfect and do we really need to ask for substitutions? Yea. You can use spinach. Peas broccoli. Add some chickpeas if you want. Use quinoa. Don’t add wine. Add beer. Use sausages. I mean come on. What is wrong with everyone!? Live a little!
Hey Becky,
LOL Awesome!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for making it. Have the best week! xTieghan
We really wanted to like this. Super nervous about some of the comments. Someone mentioned it was bitter. That’s an understatement. I can’t even eat it. I even watched the video to make sure I did everything as the recipe calls for. I never leave reviews but this was so terrible, I had to let others know. Such a waste of money.
Hi Melissa,
So sorry you did not enjoy this recipe, thanks for giving it a try! xTieghan
Delicious…I replaced the kale with peas and cook for the last 3 minutes in the oven and I topped with feta cheese when I took it out….olives would be a nice addition too
Hey Connie,
Happy Friday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was almost 5 stars, however ours turned out SO bitter from the lemon. I’m not sure if we got a particularly bitter lemon but it definitely overpowered the dinner. Will be making again without baking the lemons and see how it goes!
Hey Liza,
So sorry to hear about the lemon! You really want to make sure it is caramelized to remove all of the bitterness. I hope this helps for next time! xTieghan
We made sure to caramelize the lemons. And it was still terribly bitter. Would never make this again nor recommend it.
I understand, thanks for letting me know:)
I agree this recipe was insanely bitter. Way too much lemon!!! Especially w the peels. And the chicken was so unseasoned. Other than that orzo was good
I completely agree with you. It was terribly bitter and would never make this again.
do you think it would be ok to use broken spaghetti instead of orzo? Would you need to cut back on the liquid?
Hey Linda,
That should work just fine for you, since I haven’t tested this, I can’t say for sure on the liquid. Please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! So excited to make this. Is there any “healthy” substitute for the butter? Can I use olive oil?
Thanks!
Hey Alexis,
The butter really adds so much extra flavor here, but you could certainly add olive oil if you like. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
My husband and I had this for dinner tonight and it was incredible! I pretty much followed the recipe but added a half chopped onion in with the orzo and garlic. Also added extra salt and pepper before putting in the oven. It was perfection. Thank you, Tieghan, for all of your culinary inspiration.
Hey Jeannie,
Happy Sunday! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for making it! xxTieghan
Hi! If I wanted to make this with rice instead of orzo, what rice would you recommend? Jasmine, wild rice? Thanks!
Hey Laura,
I would do a basmati rice, just note it will take longer to cook than the orzo. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
AMAZING!! Snow day today abs only had two chicken breasts and 4 kids to feed. This was perfect! Lemon was terrific. I added spinach and whole grain rice (bcoz I didn’t have orzo). So good!!
Hey Reena,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
Soooo, maybe I used the wrong kind of wine (pinot grigio) but this recipe didn’t work for me at all?? Trying to figure out what I did wrong, lol 🙂
Hi Melissa,
So sorry you are having issues here. What do you mean it didn’t work for you? A little more information would help me to better answer your question. xTieghan
Question: do you leave the skin on the chicken or pull it off before searing?
Hey Berni,
That is a personal preference, you can use skin on chicken or skinless to your liking. I hope you love the dish, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
What is a good substitute for the kale ?
Hey Nicole,
You could use spinach in place of the kale. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
This was insanely delicious! I loved how quickly it came together for a quick weeknight meal! Will definitely be adding this to my regular rotation. It’s like a much simpler chicken piccata but with all of the flavour! Can’t wait to make it again! Thanks for sharing such a great recipe!
Hey Tamara,
Wonderful!! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe, I am so glad that it was enjoyed! ☀️xTieghan
I love this recipe! Making it for some friends next week. Have you tried sub the orzo for pasta? Have a guest w a gluten allergy and cannot find gf orzo. Thanks!!
Hey Christine,
This recipe will work just fine with a short cut GF pasta. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Hi! Just FYI ~ you can order GF orzo from Delallo!
So good!! Love that it’s a rich flavor without being creamy. Great weeknight meal.
Hey Sarah,
So so glad this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a lot for giving it a try!! xxTieghan
Is there a substitute for the wine? I have a toddler, and have read conflicting reports about how much alcohol cooks off during cooking. I just want to be on the safe side.
Hey Christina,
You can use chicken broth in place of the wine. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
I’ve made this before, and it’s on my menu for this week. We used the risoni from Trader Joe’s. It’s delicious! Thank you for the great recipe!
Hey Christina,
Fantastic! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! Have a wonderful holiday weekend ?? xTieghan