Next Post
South Korea Part Two: Going for Gold.
This post may contain affiliate links, please see our privacy policy for details.
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 is our go-to easy, weeknight dinner. Always so delicious and easy to tweak with whatever is on hand in the kitchen!
Hi Sarah,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxT
Can I change the chicken for fish like halibut? I want to try
Hey Leslie,
Sure, that will work well for you! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Love this one! Anything with orzo is usually a win and the flavor is amazing! This will be on our regular rotation
Hey Julia,
Awesome!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks a bunch for making it! xTieghan
What if I don’t have a skillet? Can I still make this by putting it in a casserole dish and bake?
Hey Kristi,
You will want to start this on the stove top in a skillet and then transfer to the oven safe baking dish to finish the recipe. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
So good! I didn’t have dill or kale, threw some parsley in the last little bit in the oven and then topped with feta crumbles – YUM!
Hey Joanna,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for giving it a go! xxTieghan
Can you substitute spinach for kale? Not a big fan of kale
Hey Kathy,
Totally, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
Sounds delish! Can’t wait to make it! Are you using bone-in or boneless chicken?
Hey Beth,
I used boneless, but you can totally use bone in and just increase your cooking time. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
This was so yummy! I am going to be making this several times a month. The citrus kick is just delightful during the dreary days of winter. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer,
Happy Sunday!! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks bunch for giving it a go! xxTieghan
Delicious and easy. Another winner for the recipe box!
Forgot to add—subbed jasmine rice in place of orzo because I couldn’t find GF orzo locally. The rice was perfectly done!!
Awesome!!
Hey Jennifer,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
This was shockingly delicious! Such simple ingredients and instructions but huge flavor. Subbed thighs for breasts and spinach for kale for preference purposes and doubled garlic. YUM!
Hey Kristen,
Wonderful!! I am so so glad to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for making it! xT
This is AMAZING and we are hooked. Made it once and had a lot of leftover feta sauce so I made it again a week later to use the sauce! We are literally sad when our plates are empty and then we think about the meal the rest of the night. I will keep this on my permanent rotation
Hi Susan,
Happy Friday!! Thanks a lot for giving this recipe a go, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Can I sub spinach for Kale? All I have on hand…
Hi Meghan,
Totally, that will work well for you! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Fabulous recipe! So savory and tasty. I added sun-dried tomatoes and little dollops of goat cheese in the last 5 minutes. LOVED the orzo. Thanks so much for creating this!
Hi Boni,
I really appreciate you giving the recipe a try, so glad to hear that it was enjoyed! Have a great week! xxT
Are the chicken breasts and thighs skin on and bone in
? Or are they skinless/boneless?
Hey Christine,
I used boneless, skin on, but honestly whatever you like will work. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it!! xTieghan
Made it for one on the stove top as I have no oven at the moment. Added tomato and beans as I had some to hand
Thanks delicious dinner
Hi Yvonne,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that you enjoy this recipe, I so appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
Took a night off of soup to make this. The whole house LOVED it. Subbed spinach for the kale since that’s what was in the fridge. Thank you
Hey there,
Fantastic! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for giving it a try! Have a great weekend:) xxT
We have made this recipe a couple times! We are big fans of lemon so this is right up our alley! Its so easy and the one pan recipe is a fave! Keep it up! 🙂 xo
Hi Heather,
Happy Sunday! So glad to hear you enjoyed this recipe, thanks a lot for making it! xxT
This was great! Based on the comments I cut back on the lemon for fear it would make the dish too bitter and only used one. I also added onion with the garlic. The dish was easy and had an overall neutral flavor!
Hey Caitlin,
Awesome! Thanks a lot for making this recipe. I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Happy Thursday❄️ xxT
What would be a preferred white wine to use for this recipe?
Hi Seth,
I would do a pinot Grigio or a Chardonnay. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan