I love to discover a mix of ingredients that blend together perfectly. This Buttery Lemon Chicken & Orzo is one of those dishes. Golden chicken and caramelized onions in a buttery lemon sauce, and orzo and broccoli finished with parmesan, make up this dish.
THE INGREDIENTS
- Bone-in chicken thighs
- Oil
- Minced garlic
- Red onion
- Fresh broccoli
- Orzo pasta
- Butter
- Lemon juice
- Lemon zest
- Salt and pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Chicken or turkey broth
Several months ago I made something similar to this, and I was really happy with the results. However, I somehow managed to completely lose my recipe notes and could not, as hard as I tried, remember the exact details. I decided to do my best to recreate the first recipe and also to look at this as an opportunity to make this even better than it was the first time around. I made some great changes to the cooking process, so I guess it’s actually a good thing that I lost the first recipe. Otherwise, I would not have the final recipe that I do today, that is in my opinion, even better!
Lesson learned: losing something isn’t always a bad thing.
When you start making this, be prepared. Your neighbors will smell it four houses down, and show up on your doorstep for dinner. It will seriously fill your entire house with the best smells.
This is one of those recipes that is so nice to have on hand when you just don’t have the brain power to come up with a dinner plan. It is fairly simple to make and features a really gourmet tasting, homemade sauce.
No matter what your level of cooking skill is, you will be able to perfectly pull this one off and feel like a world-class chef doing it. Cheers!
Buttery Lemon Chicken & Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. oil
- salt and pepper
- 4 chicken thighs, bone in, skin removed
- 1/4 red onion, sliced into thin strips
- 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
- 1 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta, prepared according to package instructions
- 1 cup chicken broth (turkey broth can be used as a substitute)
- 5 tbsp. butter
- 1/4 tsp. lemon zest
- 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (juice from 1 whole lemon)
- 1 cup fresh broccoli, but into small florets
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large skillet on medium-high heat.Season both sides of the chicken thighs with salt and pepper, and fry for 9 minutes on one side. Then flip the chicken, turn the heat to medium, add the onions and garlic, and cook for another 9 minutes. If the onions start to get too dark, scoop them up onto the chicken to get them away from direct heat. While the chicken is on the second round of 9 minutes, start boiling the water for the orzo. Prepare orzo according to the package instructions. About 5 minutes before the orzo is finishing cooking, add the broccoli florets to the orzo. Let them cook a couple of minutes, then drain the orzo and broccoli and set aside.While the orzo cooks, keep working on the chicken. After the second 9 minutes is up for the chicken, add 3/4 cup of the broth, 4 tbsp. of the butter, the lemon zest, and the lemon juice to the skillet. Whisk together, cover with a lid or a piece of foil, and cook covered on medium heat for 15 minutes. Flip the chicken about halfway through, and spoon the sauce over it.At the end of the 15 minutes, the sauce should be really thick and the chicken cooked the whole way through. Add the remaining 1/4 cup broth, 1 tbsp. butter, and 1/4 tsp. salt and whisk well. Add the drained orzo and broccoli and stir to coat all the orzo evenly in the sauce. Top with parmesan and serve.
