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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
I love this recipe!! I’ve made it about 4 times and I’m here making it again today. It’s my go to recipe if I am bringing dinner to someone.
I never seem to have white wine on hand, so I just add chicken broth in place of it.
Make this, you will Love it!
Yay! Thanks so much, Richelle. I am so glad to hear you have been enjoying this recipe, I appreciate you making it!
So delicious! I used chicken thighs and added basil instead of dill. Perfection. It was simple to put together, you could easily prep the next step while the 1st step was cooking. Minimal clean up, too!
Hi Meghan! Thank you so much for trying out the recipe! So glad you loved it! 🙂 xT
I made this for dinner tonight. Very flavorful and the chicken was juicy.
Hi Kelly! So glad you loved this skillet recipe! Thanks for giving it a try! 🙂 xT
Excellent great flavors and it’s beautiful!!
Thank you SO much Ami! I am so glad you enjoyed this orzo! xT
This is an all time favorite recipe in my house. I make this recipe probably once a month for me, my husband, and our two young children and have been making this for at least the past 6 years. My husband always says this is his favorite thing I make. I am trying to figure out how to make it on a larger scale for a crowd because it’s one we’d like to make when we have company over.
Hey Anne! Thank you SO much for trying out the recipe! I’m so so glad you loved this one skillet recipe! xT
I made this for dinner tonight and my husband was obsessed! He loves his orzo so I’ll probably double it next time per your instructions below. You tik Tok video shows a feta cream you made in the food processor. Is it just feta and olive oil? I’d love to make that next time.. we love our feta cheese too! Thanks!
Hey Tanya! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! Yes, I normally just throw the feta in the food processor with some olive oil to throw on top! xT
Would sliced mushrooms added to the recipe work well with the lemon?
Hi Helen,
Sure, I bet that would be a nice idea! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
My husband doesn’t like kale so I use mushrooms and artichoke, and it definitely works. Very tasty!
If I want to double the orzo how much extra broth should I add? I have made this a couple of times and so good. just everyone wants more orzo! thank you!
Thanks so much, Elizabeth! I would do another 2 cups of broth and just be sure your skillet can handle all of the orzo, otherwise I would just make extra on the side. I hope this helps! xx
Excellent, but we must have done something wrong as the orzo didn’t absorb all the liquid.
Hi Megan,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe! Sorry to hear about the liquid…I would try turning your heat up a bit next time, that should help! xx
same issue here, do you mean turning the heat up on the burner or the oven? Thanks! It sure smells great!
On the stove in step 4 just so it can get a good boil in before going into the oven. I hope this helps!
I also had the same issue. Had to bake it for an extra 30 minutes
Loved this recipe! I did doctor it up a bit though. Swapped kale for spinach, added marinated artichokes, capers, and finished with feta. This is definitely a do-again-er!
Hi Eva,
Happy Monday!! Thrilled to hear this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and your feedback!🌷
Made for my family of 6 doubled the chicken..it was perfection! Thank you
Hey there,
Amazing! I appreciate you giving this recipe a try, so glad it turned out nicely for you! Have the best weekend!🌸
Could I use anything else other than Kale?
Hey Nicole,
Totally, spinach would also work nicely for you! Please let me know if you have any other questions!
Can I prepare this dish before hand and leave out the chicken broth until I’m ready to put it in the oven?
Hey Lynn,
Sure, I don’t see why not! I hope you love this dish! Happy Sunday!
Has anyone evr made this with cauliflower rice?
Hi Aimee,
So sorry, I have not tested that with this recipe, I’m not sure it would be the best idea, I would probably just serve it on the side. I hope this helps! xx
Is there any way to adapt this recipe to avoid putting the skillet in the oven? I don’t have a dutch oven/oven-safe pan. Really would love to make!
Hi Natalia,
Sure, you could just continue to cook this on the stove top, I think that would work nicely for you! I hope you love this recipe! xx