I need all the QUICK and EASY meals these days! This is one of our absolute favorites. A risotto-like orzo pasta with a lemon garlic sauce, fresh spinach and chicken done in 1 pan in less than 30 minutes.
I did a recipe video using thinly sliced, boneless chicken breast to speed things up even more! The recipe below can be done with thin, boneless, chicken breast, or bone in chicken breast, cut into pieces. Just make sure the chicken is cooked through out in both instances and you should be set.
TIP: If you choose to do bone-in chicken pieces, sear them in the skillet, and finish them in the oven while you make the orzo and spinach component of the dish!
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An easy, flavorful, 30 minute meal that will become part of your regular rotation!
Ingredients
- 1 pound of chicken breast, thinly sliced OR Bone- in split Chicken Breast*, cut into pieces.
- salt and pepper, to season chicken
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 1/2 yellow onion, diced
- 1 C all- purpose flour
- 2 +1 tbsp oil and ghee, divided
- 1 C orzo
- ~2 C chicken stock
- 1 tsp oregano
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 pepper
- 1 tsp- 1 tbsp half and half
- 2 tbsp + 2 tbsp parmesan cheese, divided
- fresh parsley, chopped
- zest of 1 lemon
Instructions
- Season chicken with salt and pepper. Dust chicken with flour and pan fry in oil + ghee. Set aside.
- Add an additional tbsp of olive oil to the pan. Saute diced onion and garlic till fragrant. Add orzo to skillet and stir to “toast” ~ 3 minutes.
- Add chicken stock in increments. Make sure to stir continuously so it doesn’t stick. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano. Add more liquid as necessary.
- Stir in the spinach. It should start to wilt quickly. Add a squeeze of lemon juice and taste.
- (OPTIONAL ) You can add a splash of cream or milk and a little grated parmesan if you so desire. Nestle the chicken back into the pan. Serve with fresh chopped parsley and additional parmesan.
Notes
QUICK TIP: If you choose to do bone in chicken pieces, sear them in the skillet, and finish them in the oven while you make the orzo and spinach component of the dish!
zest the lemon before you juice it!
You could also do broccoli, mushrooms, zucchini, etc. the key is to just make sure it’s a fast cooking veggie.
In the pictures, I used bone-in split chicken breast but you can also use boneless skinless chicken breast to make the recipe that much quicker (as seen in the video)
Keywords: lemon, chicken, orzo, 30 minute meal, easy dinner, risotto
Marissa is a wife to Texans Offensive Lineman #79, mother to a baby girl named Joy, a baby boy named Jeff, and a lover of food . She loves to feed people on game day and try new recipes during the week. 
