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One Pot Lemon Chicken
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5 from 3 votes

One Pan Lemon Chicken and Orzo

One pan weeknight dinner with crispy flavorful, juicy chicken thighs, orzo, lemon & fresh herbs.
Prep Time15 minutes
Bake Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Servings: 4 servings
Author: Sam Maccini

Ingredients

  • 1 lb chicken thighs with skin*
  • 1 large yellow onion chopped
  • 2-3 stalks celery chopped
  • 2-3 tbs fresh oregano leaves chopped roughly
  • 2 tbs thyme leaves
  • ¼ cup dry white wine or 2 tbs lemon juice or another splash of broth
  • 1 lemon sliced, for serving
  • 16 oz chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1 cup orzo pasta heaping cup
  • 4 oz crumbled feta
  • 1 tbs olive oil

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 400° & while oven is preheating, prep your veggies & herbs. Blot chicken dry & sprinkle pinch salt & pepper over the chicken. Then sprinkle the dried oregano & rubber everything evenly around.
  • Sear Chicken: In your biggest oven-safe skillet or braiser, heat 2tbs olive oil on high. When oil is hot, add chicken skin side down to oil, it should sizzle. Let cook without touching for 5-8 minutes on skin side, until golden and crispy. Once skin is golden and crispy, remove it from the pan and set aside. Remove from heat. Drain some of the fat.
  • Soften Veggies: Put pan on medium high heat & add onions & celery to chicken fat in pan with pinch of salt. Cook until softened and beginning to brown. If pan is dry or things are sticking, now is the time to deglaze. Pour in juice of one lemon & ¼ cup dry white wine & herbs. Toss everything around until most of the liquid has been cooked out, and all of the brown bits are loosened up from the pan. Add the dry orzo & toast it in the pan for about 1 minute, tossing with the veggies & herbs.
  • Bake Chicken: Cover orzo with broth and stir. nestle chicken skin side up on top of everything. Bake uncovered for 30-40 minutes, or until orzo has soaked up all or most of the liquid & chicken is cooked through. When you remove from the oven, crumble feta over top. Serve warm with orzo & a piece of chicken *and extra feta*

Notes

  1. You can use boneless chicken thighs & follow the same instructions. Use chicken breasts or boneless chicken thighs, but keep in mind cooking times will change for each of these. You will also follow all of the same steps (rub in the spices, sear one side until brown, etc.), but let the orzo bake 15 minutes or so before adding seared chicken.
  2. Feel free also to add more chicken pieces & more orzo. Just be sure to use the same ratio of liquid. Ex: if you double the orzo, double the broth as well. And keep an eye on cook time (it's okay if it has to go a little longer). 

Nutrition

Calories: 502kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 122mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 448mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 379IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 192mg | Iron: 2mg