A beautiful, creamy pasta dish made with short-cut pasta and tender chicken thighs baked in a flavoursome sauce filled with yummy veggies. Super tasty, affordable and nutritious, this one-pot lemon and chicken orzo is made with very few dishes.
One-pot dishes are among some of the most popular recipes on my website. With good reason! They provide a balanced meal that is big on flavour. My new recipe for One Pot Lemon Chicken Thighs and Orzo Bake absolutely meets this criteria.
But not only is this meal super tasty (my husband gave it a 10/10!), it is also extremely affordable. I also try to buy seasonal vegetables and meat that's on special. By making all of these small adjustments I can really see the savings add up. If you enjoy this type of one-pot, you'll also love my One Pot Chicken and Garlic Rice.
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Ingredient notes:
- Chicken Thighs: Full of flavour, thighs are perfect for a dish like this as they don't dry out.
- Lemon: Chicken and lemon and a match made in heaven. Add a squeeze over the dish at the end to add some punchy flavour.
- Garlic: For this recipe, it is best to use fresh garlic which has a lot of flavour.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card for the ingredients, quantities and the full method.
Step by step instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake. In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil, with the cumin and mixed herbs. Slice each chicken thigh into three pieces and coat in the marinade. Season well with salt and pepper.
Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to an ovenproof casserole dish or large skillet. On a medium heat add the chicken thighs and brown for a few minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
Add the lemon slices to the pan and fry for 1 minute on each side to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
Turn the heat down to low and add the butter. Once bubbling add the garlic and cook stirring for 2 minutes until it just starts to brown. Add the orzo and cook until it starts to brown and is coated in the butter, about two minutes.
Mix the chicken stock cubes with the boiling water and pour into the pan. Stir to deglaze the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
Add the capsicum and baby spinach and stir until the spinach wilts. Add the chicken, lemon slices and any juices left back into the dish.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir through the cream. Place back in the oven for five more minutes until golden and the chicken is cooked through.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with the fresh basil and lemon wedges on the side.
Hint: Chicken thighs are ideal in a recipe like this. They stay nice and succulent compared to chicken breasts which can dry out.
Recipe FAQs:
Orzo is a short cut type of pasta. It is also known as Risoni.
Deglazing is a cooking technique used to flavour a sauce. By pouring liquid into a pan that has cooked meat, it dissolves or removes the flavour that has collected on the bottom and adds it to the sauce.
One-pot meals are so tasty because all of the flavour remains in the pot. From deglazing then pan to cooking the pasta in the cooking juices, all of these steps help to build on the flavour.
Storage:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to three days. Reheat until piping hot and the chicken has been heated the whole way through.
Related Recipes:
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One-pot Lemon Chicken and Orzo Bake
Chicken thighs and orzo cooked together with spinach and capsicum in chicken stock.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp mixed herbs
- 500g boneless chicken thighs
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 cup orzo pasta, 200g
- 2 chicken stock cubes
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 red pepper, thinly sliced
- 70g baby spinach
- ½ cup cream, 125ml
To serve:
- Fresh basil
- Lemon wedges
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180°C fan bake.
- In a bowl, mix 1 tablespoon of olive oil, with the cumin and mixed herbs. Slice each chicken thigh into three pieces and coat in the marinade. Season well with salt and pepper.
- Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to an ovenproof casserole dish or large skillet. On a medium heat add the chicken thighs and brown for a few minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- Add the lemon slices to the pan and fry for 1 minute on each side to brown. Remove from the pan and set aside with the chicken.
- Turn the heat down to low and add the butter. Once bubbling add the garlic and cook stirring for 2 minutes until it just starts to brown. Add the orzo and cook until it starts to brown and is coated in the butter, about two minutes.
- Mix the chicken stock cubes with the boiling water and pour into the pan. Stir to deglaze the brown bits on the bottom of the pan.
- Add the capsicum and baby spinach and stir until the spinach wilts. Add the chicken, lemon slices and any juices left back into the dish.
- Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, remove from the oven and stir through the cream. Place back in the oven for five more minutes until golden and the chicken is cooked through.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately topped with the fresh basil and lemon wedges on the side.
Notes
- In a recipe like this, chicken thighs work better than chicken breasts, which could dry out.
- Orzo is sometimes called Risoni in supermarkets.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 609Total Fat: 36gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 207mgSodium: 471mgCarbohydrates: 35gFiber: 3gSugar: 6gProtein: 40g
Nutritional values are approximate. Please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Thank you for checking out this recipe. I hope you enjoy making and eating it! If you have any questions, queries or feedback, please feel free to leave a comment below.
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Vanya
Sue Vee says
Hi VJ,
I made this last night and it was absolutely delicious. It was very easy to cook too. I will be making this a regular dish. Thank you.
VJ cooks says
Oh thank you for the lovely feedback, Sue. My husband raved about this recipe, we will be making it regularly too!
Lucy says
Hi VJ,
This looks great. My stock cube makes 2 cups of stock - do I just use one or is the recipe asking for double-strength stock?
VJ cooks says
Yes you can just use one stock cube instead. Depending on the brand, some stock is saltier than others so feel free to amend as need be.
Jess says
Made this for dinner tonight, it was yummy, will definitely be on regular rotation. Love your recipes
VJ cooks says
Yes, my husband loves this one! Thank you for the feedback 🙂
Bronnie says
Can I use lactose free milk instead of cream in this?
VJ cooks says
Yes I'm sure that would be fine. I have other pasta recipes that use regular milk instead of cream. If lactose free milk behaves in a similar way it should work well, it will obviously just be less creamy. Or, you could swap the cream for an extra 1/2 cup of stock. I hope that helps.
Angela says
Can you use broccoli instead of spinach if that's what you have at the time? Or grated carrots, sliced tomatoes or pumpkin? Thanks
VJ cooks says
Yes feel free to substitute in your favourite veggies 🙂
Bec says
Would this be suitable to freeze?
VJ cooks says
It has the potential to dry out if frozen. You could try and add a little more liquid to the dish when you are reheating it.
Keita says
Silly question but, is the first steps Don on the stove top then transfered to the oven? I really want to try this sounds delicious!
VJ cooks says
Yes that's right. Most of this recipe is cooked on the stove top, then transferred to the oven for the last 15 minutes to bake.
Paula says
Hi Vanja, is this dish Gluten Free ? If not, how can I make it so?
Much appreciated, Paula
VJ cooks says
Hi Paula, orzo has gluten in it so this is not gluten free. You could try making it with rice though, just check your cooking times to ensure the rice is cooked through.
Diane says
Made this tonight!! Absolutely delicious and I will definitely make this again!!
Thank you
VJ cooks says
That's awesome. Thank you for the feedback!
Wendy says
Made this tonight,so delicious, will be making this again
Thankyou we
VJ cooks says
Thanks, Wendy!
Sam says
Ok I’ve made double and I made it with Italian herbs coz I didn’t have mixed herbs so I’m hoping it will taste ok
VJ cooks says
No worries, I often substitute those herb combos if I need to. I hope it works out well 🙂
Kate says
My mum told me about this dish and we now make it all the time! Thanks VJ 🙂
VJ cooks says
That's awesome! Thanks for the feedback 🙂
Donna A Holdem says
Hi the recipe ingredients say mixed herbs but in the photo and all the way through the recipe you say mixed spices..... I would imagine it is mixed spices? Thanks, making this tonight 🙂
Donna
VJ cooks says
Hi Donna, it is mixed herbs and I've amended the error. Thank you!