Description
This One Pot Lemon Chicken Orzo delivers restaurant-quality flavor with minimal effort and cleanup. Tender chicken thighs, creamy orzo, cauliflower rice, and bright lemon come together in a single pot for the ultimate weeknight dinner. Ready in just 45 minutes, this dish is comforting, zesty, and incredibly satisfying.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp oil
- 3 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- 1 large lemon, zest and juice
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups orzo pasta
- 16 oz cauliflower rice
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
Instructions
- Season chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Heat oil in a large pot and brown chicken 4–5 minutes per side. Remove and drain excess fat.
- Add broth, cream, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and orzo. Stir well.
- Nestle browned chicken into the pot and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes, stirring halfway through.
- Turn off heat, stir in cauliflower rice, and cover for 5 minutes.
- Season to taste and garnish with parsley before serving.
Notes
Pat chicken dry for better browning. Stir orzo halfway through cooking to prevent sticking. Add extra lemon juice for a brighter flavor. Substitute Greek yogurt for a lighter creamy base.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: One Pot
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 500
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 680mg
- Fat: 19g
- Saturated Fat: 7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 12g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 50g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 34g
- Cholesterol: 135mg
Keywords: lemon chicken orzo, one pot dinner, creamy lemon chicken, easy weeknight recipe