Buttery Lemon Chicken & Orzo
A main-dish featuring golden chicken, orzo, and broccoli in a buttery, lemon sauce topped with parmesan cheese.
Servings 4 people
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.