This is one of those dinners that’ll make your regular rotations and never leave. Mainly because it’s so delicious, but also because it’s just so easy to make! Follow me…
Chicken and Asparagus
Lemon orzo is great, but we’re going to serve it with a couple of additions, both of which take on lemon so beautifully. The asparagus is optional, but lemon chicken orzo is nothing without the chicken
Prepping the Chicken
We’ll be using boneless skinless chicken breast. I like to slice the breasts right through the centre to make 4 even-sized breasts, just to ensure they cook through quicker and more evenly too. I also like to season with garlic & onion powder, salt & black pepper.
Cooking Order
If you want to keep things one-pan style, then fry the chicken & asparagus at the start. If you’d prefer them to be fresh out of the pan, then you can fry them in a separate pan as you cook the orzo. Process shots: slice and season chicken then add to pan (photo 1), fry until lightly browned & cooked through the centre (photo 2), remove and add asparagus (photo 3), fry until softened then remove (photo 4).
Creamy Lemon Orzo
The great thing about the orzo is it’s cooked in the same pan as the sauce. Strictly speaking, you could cook the orzo separate from the sauce, but it won’t suck in all those gorgeous flavours. Plus, as the orzo cooks, it releases starch into the sauce, which helps create a gorgeous, silky texture.
How lemony is this recipe?
I’d say it’s more on the subtle side. When I first played about with this recipe I added the zest and juice of a lemon but found it slightly too sharp. As such, I find the zest of a lemon and half of its juice hits the sweet spot. Then I like to serve with a wedge of lemon if people want it more lemony. It’s much better to be on the side of caution; it’s more difficult to balance out too much lemon than it is to add more in! Process shots: fry leek in butter (photo 1), fry garlic, lemon zest and thyme (photo 2), stir in uncooked orzo (photo 3), add chicken stock, lemon juice and cream (photo 4), stir and simmer until orzo is al dente (photo 5), stir in parmesan then stir in butter (photo 6).
Can I use a different cut of chicken?
You could definitely use thighs if you’d prefer. You could even use bone-in thighs, you just obviously won’t be able to serve it sliced over the top of the orzo. You could also just add cooked rotisserie chicken and stir it through at the end.
Can I make this ahead of time?
This is best made fresh, but you could make the orzo ahead of time, then reheat it over low heat in a pan with a splash of milk, cream or stock to loosen up the sauce. Then just cook the chicken as you reheat orzo.
Can I substitute the cream?
I don’t recommend substituting the cream. Definitely make sure it’s heavy (US) or double (UK) cream. Anything thinner (i.e. half and half or milk) will likely curdle due to the acidity of the lemon.
Serving Lemon Chicken Orzo
To serve, I like to add sliced chicken to individual portions, alongside the asparagus (if using), a good helping of fresh parsley and a lemon wedge each, for if people are wanting it more lemony. For another delicious lemon pasta recipe check out my Easy Lemon Pasta! Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this lemon chicken orzo shall we?!
How to make Lemon Chicken Orzo (Full Recipe & Video)
For another lemon chicken recipe check out my Creamy Lemon Chicken Breast! For more similar recipes check out these beauties:
Delicious Orzo Recipes
Garlic Parmesan Sausage Orzo Baked Chicken Meatballs & Orzo Creamy Mushroom Orzo Spanish Chicken Orzo Tomato Spinach Bacon Orzo Garlic Butter Prawn Orzo
