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One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce, the perfect winter dinner…quick, easy, colorful and delicious! Pan-seared dijon chicken with lemon butter, cooked together with orzo pasta for an all-in-one dinner. Go that extra step and serve drizzled with a delicious creamy feta sauce. A dinner that everyone at the table will love.
I think the day I got my first Staub skillet was the day I created the “one skillet” dinner. Not saying I invented the one skillet dinner by any means. Just that that I invented it for myself that day. It was many, many years ago. But ever since then I’ve made countless one skillet dinners in my Staub pan. It’s a method of cooking I fall back on weekly.
Throwing everything in the same skillet just makes sense. For one, you’re saving dishes by avoiding using multiple pans. But even more importantly, you’re creating a dish that’s full of so much flavor. When you cook everything together, the flavors are able to blend, making every element of the recipe delicious.
Of course, with this recipe I created one extra step with that feta sauce. But trust me, it’s worth it!
The process – cook the chicken
Season the chicken with Dijon, garlic, shallots, a bit of rosemary and some paprika. I like to sear the skinless chicken breasts or chicken thighs to give it a nice crisped base. Then I toss it in a little butter, add some lemon slices, and let everything cook up along side the chicken. The butter browns and everything smells delicious.
Next, pull the chicken and lemon out out of the skillet, then add the orzo and broth. Stir in the kale…or you could also use spinach. Then slide the chicken into the orzo and throw the whole skillet into the oven to finish cooking.
Make the feta sauce
I couldn’t share this recipe without including a sauce. You all know how it goes around here, never enough sauce. Enter my feta sauce. It’s whipped feta cheese with a bit of yogurt, lemon, and if you have some fresh herbs on hand, toss those in too.
The salty feta creates an addicting sauce. Every spoonful is delicious, but it adds the best taste over this dijon chicken.
It’s a real crowd pleaser, and comes out of the oven looking pretty and smells even more delicious. I threw some fresh dill on top for color and served the chicken and orzo right out of the skillet.
Perfect for easy weeknight dinners or even entertaining. It really brightens the table on a cold winter day! Leftovers can easily be stored in an airtight container.
Looking for other easy weeknight dinners? Here are some favorites.
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken Souvlaki and Potatoes
Browned Garlic Butter Creamed Corn Cheese Ravioli
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
Lastly, if you make this One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Skillet Lemon Butter Dijon Chicken and Orzo with Feta Sauce
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 683 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 4 cloves garlic, chopped
- 2 small shallots, chopped
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless chicken breasts or thighs
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 lemon, sliced
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 cups chopped kale
- chopped fresh dill, for serving
Feta Sauce
- 4-6 ounces feta cheese
- 1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 clove garlic, grated
- juice from 1 lemon
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 400° F. 2. In a bowl, mix 2 tablespoons olive oil, Dijon mustard, 3 cloves garlic, 1 shallot, rosemary, paprika, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Add the chicken and toss well to combine.3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the butter and lemon slices. Remove everything from the skillet.4. Add the orzo, 1 shallot, and 1 clove of garlic. Cook until the orzo is toasted, about 2 minutes. Add the broth, kale, and 2 tablespoons lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. Slide the chicken, lemon slices, and any juices left on the pan back into the skillet. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.5. Meanwhile, make the feta sauce. Combine the feta, yogurt, garlic, and lemon juice in a blender and blend until creamy. Stir in the paprika, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. If desired, thin with additional lemon juice.6. Serve the chicken and orzo topped with the feta sauce and dill.
This post was originally published on January 12, 2022
I make at least 1-2 of your recipes a week. Religiously. Wowwwwww this is my new favorite. It’s perfect and easy.
Hey Mical,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great Wednesday! xx
This was soooo delicious! Incredibly fragrant and so warming, it was perfect for a cool winter day. It was also extremely easy to make! I don’t like feta, so I used labneh instead to make the sauce; while it was very tasty, I think the dish was still excellent without it. I can’t wait to make this again!
Hey Andrea,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was a winner! Have a great Wednesday! xx
I accidentally forgot the Dijon and it was still amazing!
Hey Jennifer,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
I made this one dish Wunder tonight for my family and it was a huge hit. Are used rice instead of orzo, and it came out beautifully. I also finished the cook on the stove top as opposed to putting it in the oven. The feta yoghurt sauce was amazing and I can’t imagine this dish without it. We are definitely putting this on rotation in our house. Even my two year old grandson loved it.
Hey Nancy,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Super quick and easy! Yummy recipe that is bursting with flavor between the citrusy taste of lemons and salty creamy taste of feta sauce which enhance all other ingredients! I doubled the kale because we like a lot and could’ve used more. Substituted orzo with Acini De Pepe because that’s what I had on hand. Also used lemon juice instead of lemon slices. I will definitely make this over and over!
Hey Pamela,
Happy Monday!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your review, so glad to hear it turned out well for you! xx
Just made this for dinner last night and I highly recommend removing the peel/pith from the lemon slices prior to adding it to the pan (or just not adding the lemon slices back to the pan for baking). The bitterness from the pith permeated the entire dish, and it really detracted from what otherwise would have been a tasty meal.
The sauce also was VERY thick as others have mentioned. Probably due to the type of feta and greek yogurt I had on hand. Would use a full fat greek yogurt and French feta next time. Had to thin my sauce out with water to get it to blend properly.
The marinade for the chicken thighs was lovely, and I appreciate the addition of the kale. I will definitely make this again, modifying as mentioned above. Thank you so much for sharing such wonderful recipes!
Hey Jessica,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing what worked well for you! So glad to hear that this was a hit! xT
Aloha! Does this freeze well?
Hey Louise,
So sorry, I probably wouldn’t recommend freezing this recipe! Check out my freezer friendly section on the blog for some ideas:
https://fett-weg.today/category/recipes/type-of-meal/freezer-friendly/%3C/a%3E%3Cbr /> Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Another of your recipes to add to the family favorites! Delicious!!!
Hey Lisa,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I only had Greek Vanilla yogurt and it was still amazing. I just sent the recipe to a bunch of people.
Hey Melissa,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
This was a lovely meal — thank you! Have to use gluten free pasta for my family and just cooked it a little bit less, it worked out well!
Hey Sarah,
Happy Friday!!⛄️ Thanks a bunch for giving this dish a try, I love to hear that it turned out well for you:)
I made this tonight and it was amazing so many flavors and came together pretty quickly. do not skip the feta sauce or lemon slices -so good!I whipped it up in my mini prep Cuisinart because I didn’t want to use the blender and it was perfect. my husband was raving about this meal and I will make again soon!
Hey Amelia,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx
Made this tonight and it was delicious! Next time I would put less rosemary (for my husband)
I did have a problem with the sauce, it was too thick, I didn’t see your comment about adding more lemon so I added a bit of cream.
Hopefully next time the addition of more lemon would make an actually sauce!
Hey Diana,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! Sorry about the sauce! xx
Made this tonight and it was delicious!!
Hey Jenny,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx
This was amazing.
Make the feta sauce…it’s a must!
Thanks so much Mary!!
Absolutely loved this meal! Can’t wait to make it again!
Hey Lauren,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear it was delish!! xx