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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 have made this several times in only a few weeks and it is delicious. I don’t have access to meyer lemons but used half lemon and half tangerine and it turned out a lot better than when I only used lemon. Very tasty!
That is so creative! I am really glad this turned out amazing for you Hayley! Thank you!
You say that it seems odd to eat the lemon peel and all but it’s good, but there is an important caveat to go with that statement and this recipe that you have failed to add.
You are using Meyer lemons, which are not actually lemons. They are a hybrid of lemons and mandarin oranges and are much much sweeter and taste quite different to ordinary lemons.
If you make this dish with ordinary lemons and you try to eat the whole lemon skin and all, you are going to get a very sour shock.
Also worth pointing out for the non Americans, Mayer lemons are extremely seasonal, and here in the UK, (unlike ordinary lemons that are available year round), Mayer lemons are pretty much only available in December.
The recipe will still work with ordinary lemons, although it will taste different, but don’t eat them.
Thank you so much Nick! I am really glad you enjoyed this recipe!
Delicious! I substituted the kale with green beans, but I suspect I would be able to substitute with pretty much any vegetable – bok choy, chard, etc. What a great weekday recipe, thanks!
Thank you Nancy!
It was so good but forgot picture
I am so glad you enjoyed it Ruth! Thanks!
I made this for dinner last night and my family LOVED it!!! My husband is excited to have the leftovers for lunch today. Delicious and very simple!
Thank you so much Crystal!
A light and delicious dish. Greetings from Poland ?
I am so glad you liked this! Thank you!
I made this rice (my husband tries to steer away from pasta during the week) – and WOW is this good. I have been telling everyone to make it! It’s so creamy and delicious without the guilt. Plus, one pot meals = the best weeknight meals there are!!
I am SO glad you loved this! Thank you so much! Totally agree… one pot meals are the best!
Hi there! What size is the skillet you use? Thank you!
I use a 12 inch skillet. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
I made this for the first time tonight and it was a hit. Since I don’t really like kale, and I can’t eat spinach, I substituted red, orange, and yellow peppers cut in 1″ lengths and it was outstanding! Oh, and I added twice the garlic as called for because my family can’t get enough of the stuff. Thanks for such a great and simple recipe.
That is amazing! Thank you so much Larry!
I was wondering if the white wine could be omitted. No one in my family is big on drinking wine, and I don’t want to open a bottle to only use a 1/3 of a cup of it. What would you recommend as a substitution?
HI! You can use an equal amount of chicken broth in place of the wine. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
made this the other day, & WOW! very easy to do, great presentation, and very kid friendly. All kids loved! very tasty. I made with an herb bread went great.
in answer to a previous post, you don’t pre-cook the pasta, kinda saute it dry in the butter (like a rice a roni-ish type of thing), the pasta cooks in the oven with the liquid and the chicken. This works great.
Thank you for another great recipe Tieghan!
I am so glad you loved this dish Karen! Thank you so much!
IF I if used gluten free orzo, do I need need to tweek the recipe in any way?
HI! I have not tested the recipe using GF orzo, but I do not think you need to change anything to the recipe. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! ?
Oh Lord, just made this for dinner and its to die for!!!! It was super easy to make especially after a long day of work, and more importantly minimal cleanup needed (lol) . Definitely going to be on our regular meal list…Thank you
Thank you Thana!
Seems like a lot of liquid for a cup of orzo. Does it all absorb?
It does for the most part, but it is supposed to be on the soupy side. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂
Cook the orzo prior to browning it or what? I don’t cook much ? but I really want to eat this!!!
HI! The orzo get’s cooked with the chicken, so don’t cook it prior to browning the chicken. Please let me know if you have other questions. Hope you love this recipe! Thanks! 🙂