This one-pan lemon chicken and orzo recipe is great for those busy weeknights. I love one-pot dishes. It makes clean-up so much easier, and if there is only one pan or pot, then it must be a simple recipe with minimal ingredients. This checks all of those boxes.
You’ll begin by marinating chicken thighs in olive oil with a few spices, lemon zest, and minced garlic. While the chicken is marinating, you’ll prep the rest of your ingredients and possibly make a salad.
Ingredients for One-Pan Lemon Chicken & Orzo:
Marinade for chicken
- Chicken Thighs- 2 pounds of skin on, bone-in chicken thighs. You can also use skinless and boneless. Bone-in chicken takes a little longer than boneless. I’ve never tried the recipe using chicken breasts so I cannot comment.
- Fresh Garlic– 3 garlic cloves, minced
- Lemon Zest– 1 lemon zested. Use a microplane grater or box grater to remove just the outer yellow part of the lemon. Don’t go too deep to where the white part is. The white part is bitter and you want to avoid this. There is no juice in the marinade. The acid from the lemon juice will start to “cook” or break down the chicken and make it mushy. So, I only like to add the zest, which is not as acidic but has great flavor. You will reserve the lemon for later in the recipe when cooking the orzo.
- Red Pepper Flakes– 1/2 teaspoon of crushed red pepper flakes.
- Oregano– 1 teaspoon of dried oregano.
- Parsley– 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, minced. If you don’t have fresh you can substitute dried. You’ll use 2 tablespoons of dried parsley. Fresh basil would also work in this recipe.
- Olive Oil– 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil.
Orzo
- Orzo Pasta– 1 1/3 cup orzo pasta, uncooked. Orzo looks like rice, but it is a small pasta!
- Yellow Onion– 1 small onion, diced small
- Fresh Garlic- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- Lemons- 2 lemons, to get 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice. For this recipe, you need two lemons in total. The juice of two lemons and the zest of one.
- Chicken Broth or Stock- 3 cups of chicken broth or stock. This is the main cooking liquid so use a brand that you like. I like Swanson.
- Salt- 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt. If you don’t have kosher it’s ok to use table salt.
- Black Pepper- 1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
Here’s how to make this lemon chicken orzo recipe:
Marinate the chicken
First, you will begin by marinating the chicken thighs. Use a medium-sized bowl and add the chicken pieces to the bowl. Next, add the minced garlic, lemon zest, and all of the spices. Finish the marinate by adding the olive oil. Lastly, using your hands, toss the chicken and rub the marinade around so that it evenly coats all the chicken. Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. Set the bowl aside until it’s time to cook.
If you are not cooking it right away, cover it and put the bowl in the refrigerator. Take it out 10-15 minutes before cooking. Remember to wash your hands thoroughly with soap and warm water before moving on to the next steps in the recipe! You can marinate the chicken earlier in the day if you have time but don’t marinate longer than 3 hours because the acid from the lemon zest will break down the chicken and make it mushy.
Prep the ingredients:
While the chicken is marinating, cut the onion. Dice the onion into small pieces. You don’t want big chunks of onion in this. It should be adding flavor, not bite. Next, mince the garlic. Try and use two good-sized pieces. If the garlic cloves are on the small side, then use 3 or 4 cloves. Juice the two lemons into a small bowl. You need 1/4 cup of lemon juice, so if you don’t get that from two lemons, then squeeze a third. I like to do this ahead of time so I can just pour it into the pan when it’s time.
Let’s cook:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. After at least 30 minutes of your chicken marinating, it’s time to cook. Use a cast iron pan or large skillet that can go into an oven. Warm the pan over high heat until it’s hot. Lower the flame to medium heat and add the chicken skin side down. You do not need to add any oil to the pan because the chicken marinade has olive oil in it, so the chicken should be coated enough. Reserve the marinade until later in the recipe.
Searing the chicken:
Once you place the chicken in the pan, do not move it or touch it too much because you want the chicken to brown. This step is called searing. It’s when you brown the outside of something, but the inside still has to cook. It creates a richer flavor and also looks pretty! Sear the chicken for 5-7 minutes on both sides. If using boneless and skinless thighs, they will cook faster, so reduce the cooking time accordingly. About 3-5 minutes per side. If you find that the chicken is browning too fast, lower the heat. Once the chicken is golden brown on both sides, remove the chicken pieces from the pan to a plate and set aside.
Cook the orzo:
To the same pan, add the finely diced onion. If the pan seems a little dry, add a tablespoon of olive oil or a little butter. Sauté the onions until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Next, add the minced garlic. Stir and cook until soft and fragments, about 30 seconds to one minute. Add the uncooked orzo pasta and stir. Cook the orzo until lightly brown for about 1-2 minutes.
Deglaze the pan:
Once the orzo is lightly browned, add the lemon juice, chicken broth, remaining marinade, salt, and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to scrape up browned bits that may have stuck to the bottom of the pan. Bring this to a simmer over medium-high heat.
Add the chicken and finish in the oven:
Once the liquid is simmering, add the chicken thighs back to the pan. Turn the heat off and carefully cover the pan with foil. Put the pan into the oven and bake for 15 minutes covered. After 15 minutes, remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Return to pan to the oven and continue baking for another 15 minutes until the chicken is done and the orzo is tender.
Finishing Touches:
I like to finish the dish with a squeeze of lemon and a sprinkle of fresh herbs to add a pop of color, and if I’m feeling fancy, I’ll add lemon slices to the top as well. I usually put the whole pan on the table to serve. It’s a pretty presentation, and then everyone can serve themselves. Be sure to put an oven mitt or wrap a towel around the handle of the pan so no one, including yourself, gets burned. (I’ve done it more times than I’d like to admit!)
This is a complete meal in one pan. I do like to serve a salad with this so that there is a vegetable on the table. You could also serve any veggie that you like. Steamed broccoli or green beans would be delicious. The juicy chicken and lemony orzo make for a delicious meal. This one-pot skillet dinner is a family favorite that I hope you try.
More Recipes To Try!
Crispy Roasted Brussels Sprouts
One-Pan Lemon Chicken & Orzo
This one-pan recipe is easy and delicious. It is made with marinated chicken thighs browned in a cast iron skillet. Onions, garlic, orzo, lemon juice, and stock are added, and the whole thing is finished in the oven.
Ingredients
Marinade for chicken
- 2 pounds of skin on bone-in chicken thighs (can be skinless and boneless)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 lemon zested
- 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1/4 cup Italian flat leaf parsley, minced (2 tbsp dried)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Orzo
- 1 1/3 cup orzo pasta
- 1 small onion, diced small
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 lemons, to get 1/4 cup juice
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
- In a large bowl add chicken thighs, garlic, lemon zest, red pepper flakes, oregano, parsley, and olive oil. Using your hands toss the chicken until the marinade is all over and evenly coat the chicken. Let sit and marinate for 30 minutes.
- While the chicken is marinating prep the rest of the ingredients for the recipe. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and juice the lemon.
- After 30 minutes, over high heat warm a cast iron pan or any large deep-sided pan that is oven-safe.
- After the pan is hot, lower the flame to medium, add the chicken skin side down, and sear for 5-7 minutes on each side until golden brown. (If using skinless, it doesn’t matter what side, and you can reduce the searing time to 3-5 minutes per side). Reserve the marinade until later. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven for an additional 30 minutes.
- Remove chicken to a plate and set aside until later.
- In the same pan, add diced onion and sauté until soft, about 4-5 minutes. If the pan is dry add a tablespoon of oil to coat the pan.
- Add minced garlic cook for about 30 seconds and then add in the orzo. Brown the orzo for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, lemon juice, and remaining marinade, salt, and pepper. Stir with a wooden spoon and scrape up in bits left on the pan.
- Bring to a simmer and then add the chicken back in. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with foil.
- Bake for 15 minutes in the oven covered, then uncover and cook an additional 15 minutes until the chicken is done.
- Remove from the oven and serve!
Recommended Products
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Microplane Premium Classic Series Zester Grater, 18/8, Black - Lemon Zester & Cheese Grater & Vegetable Grater - Citrus, Parmesan Cheese, Garlic, Ginger, Nutmeg, Chocolate - Stainless Steel Grater -
Zulay Kitchen Metal Lemon Squeezer - Handheld Lemon Juicer Squeezer - Easy to Use Citrus Juicer - Manual Press for Extracting the Most Juice Possible - Extracts Every Last Drop -
Lodge Cast Iron Skillet with Red Silicone Hot Handle Holder, 12-inch
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 572Total Fat: 32gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 151mgSodium: 768mgCarbohydrates: 38gFiber: 3gSugar: 7gProtein: 36g
**I have included an estimation of the nutrition information for this recipe. However always remember a recipe is so much more than just nutritional content and these numbers do not need to dictate your food choices. Please don’t forget that both your body and soul need nourishment! The owner of this website is not liable for this estimation.
