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South Korea Part Two: Going for Gold.
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When you need something bright, cozy, and low-effort, this one-skillet chicken and orzo hits the spot. Think crispy seared chicken, caramelized lemon, and garlicky, butter-kissed orzo that soaks up all the flavor.
It’s weeknight-easy, pantry-friendly, and pretty enough to bring right to the table. Grab a lemon (Meyer if you’ve got it), a handful of greens, and let the oven finish the work.
You guys, I am not going to lie, at this point I really don’t even know what day it is. This entire time I’ve been in South Korea, I think I have asked what day it is and what the time is over and over again. South Korea is one day and sixteen hours ahead of MST, so the jet leg struggle was, and is, real. Because of work, I needed to be going back and forth between US time and Korean time and for me, it just got way too confusing.
By the time you all read this I should hopefully be home, as I am heading out in a couple of hours with a few family members along with me. I am currently writing this post while sitting in a hotel room in Seoul, trying to catch up on work…and scrolling through all the AMAZING comments, social media tags, and press from the last three days. It’s truly amazing. Thanks for the support you all are showing my brother. He’s living up this gold medal win (well sort of, the jet lag on this quick trip cannot be fun) and traveling around with my brother Malachi, doing a quick US press tour. However, they’ll both be back on a plane to South Korea in a couple of days, as Red needs to start practice for Men’s Snowboard Big Air.
Crazy, crazy ride those two are on…
I mean, did you catch Red on Jimmy Kimmel Live Tuesday night? Here’s the link if you’d like to watch.
And that’s your quick Red and Kai update for the day. Let’s talk food, because you know, that is what I do best.
While the food here in South Korea has been awesome…there’s been a lot of Korean Beef, ramen, and we had some amazing dumplings yesterday in Seoul…I must say, I’m looking forward to heading home and cooking up some of my favorite comfort meals, like this easy one skillet chicken dinner.
I made this before we left for Korea and it was the perfect easy, healthy, cozy dinner to eat the day before a long flight. Plus, it’s full of carbs, lemon, and veggies, so very much my kind of food.
The chicken is pan seared along with some fresh lemon slices and a little butter. The chicken becomes crispy, and the lemon slices caramelize, making them sweet enough to eat. I am aware that eating the whole lemon, peel and all, is still a little odd to many of you, but try it out this way. I promise, it’s so good.
The chicken and lemon alone could be an awesome recipe, classic and delicious, but me being me, I needed to add a little more to the recipe, so in came the orzo.
I mean, obviously, you have to have the carbs, you just do.
You could certainly use quinoa or another grain, but if I were you, I’d go with the orzo. It’s just fitting with this recipe and so delicious in the lemon butter sauce.
This recipe is not only delicious, it’s also super easy…one skillet, under an hour, and uses mostly pantry staple ingredients.
Cool. Cool.
It’s a crowd pleaser, and actually comes out of the oven looking relatively pretty. I threw on some fresh dill for color and served the chicken and orzo up right out of the skillet. Perfect for easy weeknight dinners or even entertaining.
Also, I get a lot of questions about what my favorite cast iron skillet is…I always, always use Staub. The ten and twelve inch are my favorites, I used the twelve inch for this recipe.
If I wasn’t getting home so late tonight, I’d for sure be making this for dinner. Instead, this will definitely be on my table as Friday night’s meal.
Can’t wait to start getting caught up on everything at home. Sorry for being MIA with comments this past week, I will be catching up soon. Thanks for all the messages!
Watch the How To Video Here:
One Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 6 servings
Calories Per Serving: 337 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound chicken breasts or small thighs
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1 Meyer or regular lemon, sliced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced or grated
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup white wine
- 2 1/2 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 a bunch kale, roughly torn
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh dill
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.2. Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven or cast iron skillet set over medium high heat. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper. When the oil is shimmering, add the chicken and sear on both sides until golden, about 3-5 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet. 3. To the same skillet, add the butter and lemon slices. Sear the lemon until golden on each side, about 1 minute. Remove the lemon from the pan and add to the plate with the chicken. 4. To the same skillet, add the garlic and orzo. Cook until the garlic is fragrant and the orzo toasted, about 2-3 minutes. Add the wine to the skillet and de-glaze the pan. Add the chicken broth, kale, and lemon juice. Bring to a boil over high heat and stir. Slide the chicken, lemon slices, and any juices left on the pan back into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and roast, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.4. Serve the chicken topped with fresh dill and lemon zest. EAT!
Chicken dinner for the win…or the GOLD?! I dunno, but clearly I am still way too excited that my brother is an Olympic Gold Medalist. No big deal or anything…
This post was originally published on February 15, 2018
Hi! Not recipe related at all and maybe you already answered this, but where did you get those plates that the lemons are shown on?! I am in love with that pattern. Made this for dinner the other night and it was fantastic. Just ordered your cookbook and am itching to get it. Congrats to Red, too!
HI! I bought the plates from a potter based in Australia. Her link is below. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
http://ceramichomewares.com.au/
Silly question, but when you put it back in the oven in the last step, do you cook it with or without a lid?
Excited to make this! What type of white wine do you suggest? How do you deglaze a pan?
I recommend using a white wine you love to drink. Deglazing the pan is just adding the wine to the pan and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Does that make sense? Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Are you using bone in skin on chicken? Wondering how it would work with boneless skinless chicken. Have a safe trip. Home!
I used boneless, skinless chicken. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Hi! Unfortunately, I can’t use a cast iron on my stovetop. Any suggestions for another way to make this dish?
HI! Just use a skillet that you can use and then transfer everything to an oven safe baking dish before baking. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I love your recipes and follow your blog on Bloglovin. Watched your brother Red in the Olympics and was so impressed with his skill and humility at age 17! Small world……..I read your blog from South Korea on Bloglovin and realized Red was your brother. I got my son your cookbook and he lives in Evergreen, CO. So it sort of feels you’re part of our family. Love your recipes especially this recent lemon chicken with orzo. So tasty.
That is so funny! It really is a small world. I hope your son is loving the cookbook and you are loving some recipes on my blog! Thank you so much Judie!
I made this dish a couple of nights ago and it will be a go to dish every month. It was awesome! I had to make a couple of changes because a few ingredients are hard to find in Mexico where we live. Actually, lemons are difficult to find unlike limes which are everywhere. And forget about finding Meyer lemons. Since I only had one lemon I just had to skip them. Kale is also hard to find so I used fresh asparagus as a substitute which I should have added just before putting the cast iron skillet in the oven. Do you have any suggestions for different vegetables to try? Congrats to Red and hope he wins another gold!
HI! I think broccoli, artichokes, and bell peppers would all be awesome in this recipe. Please let me know if you have other questions. So glad you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
This looks filling! Complete meal in a bowl and I love the mix of ingredients. So zesty!
Thank you so much Lily!!
Good article 😀
Thank you!
Delicious recipe. A little too strong with the lemon for my taste, but I would definitely make it again with a little less lemon.
Thank you Bridget!
This looks so yummy! Could you also make this with a cod filet? If so, would you recommend searing it on both sides and then removing it until the last 15 minutes in the oven?
Also, congrats to your bother on his Gold! What an exciting time for your family!
hey girl- this looks amazing!
Thank you Shawnna!
Is it safe to assume the orzo is cooked before added or does it cook in the pan?
Looks to me like you toast the uncooked orzo and then it cooks the rest of the way in the oven (it will soak up the chicken stock and wine). This looks amazing! Can’t wait to try it.
The orzo is not cooked, it cooks in the pan. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Do you have a substitute for those of us that do not like dil?
Dill
You can just omit it from the recipe or replace it with basil. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Chickie and lemons are just a match made in heaven…let us carmelize those lemons and punch up the jam –
winner winner, chicken dinner!
OK, just watched Red on Jimmy Kimmel….what a scream…he is so chill and love that he is so hilariously honest
about the day of competition. Best EVER is your awesome Squad just partying it down and making some noise.
Your fam are so amazing…color yourself beyond fortunate…Good job to your Mom & Dad…amazing support system
and allowing you all to cultivate your dream jobs to fruition. Know your Squad here are Sooo proud of you and thrilled for Gerards for the win! I know…back to the food 🙂
Awh this is so sweet Tammy! I am really proud of Red and all the things he has accomplished at such a young age! Thank you!