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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
Inedible. So bitter. Chicken has no taste. Literally tossing and ordering pizza. 😭
Hi there,
So sorry to hear this recipe was so terrible for you! Was there anything that I can help with? xx
What type of white wine would you suggest?
Hi Julie,
I like to use a dry chardonnay. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
While this was simple and I appreciate that, like others, the result was on the soupy side versus a baked vibe. I let it sit for another 10 min like someone else mentioned they let theirs sit and the liquids still did not soak up. I agree it’s too much liquid – maybe use only 2 cups of broth instead of 2.5 cups. I also used rice vinegar since I didn’t have a cooking wine on hand. The flavor all together is slightly bitter, and I followed the instructions for the lemons to a T. It’s a good thing I love lemon, so I’m not too bothered by it. Also, I do love soup, so I’m not entirely mad about this meal, but yea just not what I expected. The meat was very tender and the orzo was perfectly cooked; just too much liquid.
Hi Britt,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear you had issues with the liquid! Unfortunately, I would not have used the rice vinegar in place of wine, more broth would have worked better here. Thanks again! xx
Made this recipe for dinner tonight, it was so good!! I had to make a few adjustments just due to what I had available in the fridge, used baby spinach instead of kale, no dill, only half a lemon juice and used lemon pepper seasoning on the chicken to make up for the less lemon juice! My bet is the original recipe is a 12/10 but with the changes I still think it was 10/10!
Thanks for another great recipe!
Hey Lyndsey,
Amazing! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and sharing what worked well for you, so glad it was enjoyed! xT
Perfection. I’m not the best cook and this tasted restaurant quality. Not sure about all the water to orzo issues I’m seeing, was perfect for me! I’d love to know what other veggies besides spinach I can safely sub for kale…
Hey Jennifer,
Love to hear that you enjoyed this dish:) Thanks so much for making it! Zucchini would also be delicious here:) xx
The flavor was good but the orzo to liquid ratio in the recipe is way off. I had to strain a cup of liquid out of the pan after baking in the oven, otherwise we would have needed to eat it like soup. Otherwise it was easy to make and flavorful! Would recommend only 1.5 cups of broth
Hi Alex,
Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear there was so much liquid for you! xx
I’m so bummed but there is an extremely bitter aftertaste from the lemon being cooked with the pasta – it’s actually inedible. Did I do something wrong?
Hi Kerry,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback, so sorry to hear it was so bitter for you! It’s really key to make sure the lemon slices are golden in step 3 to remove any bitter taste. I hope this helps! xx
Question- could I sub spinach for kale (and probably add in at the end?) Tempted to give this a try but the husband doesn’t like kale! Thanks!
Hey Allison,
Totally, that will work nicely for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
I agree with the previous reviewer who said that the liquid to orzo ratio is off. This turned out like soup, and I’m so disappointed.
Hi Anna,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback! What kind of skillet did you use? I’m wondering if that is having an affect on the results. xx
Perfect! After 15 minutes in the oven, the Dutch oven still has a lot of liquid but during the resting period of about 5+/- minutes, the liquid was absorbed and the meal was outstanding. I did boil and stir the mixture constantly for about 1 minute before placing in the oven.
Hey Kevin,
Happy Sunday! I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear it was enjoyed! x
Hi! I’m pregnant, anything I can sub out the white wine for? Excited to try this!
Hey Bree,
Of course, you can use broth in place of the wine. Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
This was super easy and absurdly delicious! I used ghee instead of butter & oil, since I used my cast iron skillet. Thanks!!
Oops! Apologies for the double post. I didn’t realize the rating option at the top would also post in the comments section.
No worries, thanks again:)
Hey Kirsten,
Happy Friday!! Thanks so much for making this dish and your feedback, so glad it was delish! xT
I apologize if I missed this in the recipe, but do you use boneless, skinless chicken or something else?
Hi Beth,
No worries, I used boneless chicken breasts or small thighs for this recipe:) If you like skin, it will add some great flavor. I hope you love this recipe! xT
This was super easy and absurdly delicious! It was every bit as good as I wanted it to be. I like using leftovers for easy work lunches, and it was still fabulous after a microwave reheat. Thanks so much!!
Truly one of my favorite recipes of all time. It is so easy to make and absolutely delicious! I have made it several times and have never messed it up (and I am not a seasoned cook)! It is perfect as leftovers too! I have used both chicken breast and thighs and they both work with no issues!
Hey Catherine,
Awesome!! Love to hear that this dish turned out well for you, thanks for making it and your comment! xT
LOVE this recipe. Have made it multiple times for different people and it’s always a hit. The perfect early summer recipe to get you ready for summer 😍
Hi Cortney,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try and your comment, so glad to hear it turned out nicely for you! xT
Water-orzo ratio is off, and it doesn’t feed as much people as this recipe says it does.
Hi Becca,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed! x