Making a quick pantry pasta is one of my favorite meals to make when I’m in a pinch. This lemon chicken orzo pasta came to life one evening when I found half a box of orzo in the back of my pantry. I gathered rotisserie chicken, chicken broth, lemon, and cream, which I already had in the fridge, and made a delicious one-pot meal in about half an hour.
My family was so impressed with how delicious each spoonful was and I loved the no-fuss effort that it took to make! I can’t wait for you to try it too. It’s now been bookmarked as one of our favorite 30-minute meals along with cast iron pork chops and Greek lamb meatballs.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- One-pot pasta. We love a cozy, nourishing meal made in one pan for easy cleanup. This lemon chicken orzo is delicious any time of the year and will become a weeknight staple in your house too!
- 10-ingredient dinner recipe. When developing this recipe, I wanted to keep the ingredient list short and sweet. Every bite is bursting with flavor, even with a short ingredient list of mainly pantry staples.
- Flavors the whole family will love. People of all ages will find this lemon orzo with chicken delicious. It’s creamy, rich, and bright, plus filling, thanks to the chicken.
Tips for Busy Cooks
We cook the orzo like risotto in this recipe to make it super easy and quick cooking in one pot. Toast the orzo pasta in oil to enhance flavor, then simmer it slowly in chicken stock until al dente in texture. It’s so creamy and requires much less effort (as well as equipment) than the classic pasta recipe.
Key Ingredient Notes
- Cooked chicken – Use store-bought rotisserie chicken or leftover roasted chicken for ease. You can also roast your own from scratch if you have time.
- Shallot – Similar in flavor to a red onion but a little sweeter.
- Garlic – The rich flavor we all love in a pasta recipe.
- Orzo – A quick-cooking small shape pasta similar in size to rice. It’s easy to cook orzo in the one pot pasta method since it can cook so quickly.
- Heavy cream or half-and-half adds creaminess to every bite.
- Baby spinach with large stems – We love the freshness of baby spinach wilted into the warm orzo.
- Lemon – We’ll use lemon zest and juice to add bright flavor and nice acid to elevate all of the other flavors in the dish.
- Grated Parmesan adds a salty, cheesy quality to the orzo and makes it extra creamy.
- Butter – This is optional, but we highly recommend it for more silkiness.
- Parsley – For garnish as a finishing touch of freshness.
How to make lemon chicken orzo
Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
Add dry orzo to the pan and toast for 30 seconds.
Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring halfway, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
Tips for Busy Cooks
Don’t skip toasting the orzo. That quick step boosts flavor and gives you a better bite. Small effort, chef-level payoff! 👌
Stir in heavy cream, spinach, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let simmer for 1–2 minutes, until creamy, and the spinach has wilted.
Fold in the shredded or diced chicken to heat through.
Stir in Parmesan and butter if using. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
Expert Tips:
- Don’t stir the orzo too much when it’s simmering. You want it to absorb the liquid at an even rate so it becomes al dente in texture and not mushy. Let is simmer and stir halfway through the cooking to make sure it’s not sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- Keep a close eye on the orzo so you don’t overcook it. This can make the pasta mushy and also thick in texture rather than silky and creamy. Orzo absorbs the liquid quickly, so check the texture periodically.
- Add the chicken at the end. That’s the beauty of this pasta recipe, the chicken only needs to warm through. Shred the chicken in advance to cut down on prep time or use leftover chicken to clean out the fridge.
- Use any leftover greens or herbs in the fridge. We use spinach in our recipe, but any softer green like arugula or baby kale would also be delicious.
- Add the parmesan at the end. If you add the parmesan cheese too early it can actually clump in the orzo pasta. By adding it at the end, it will melt into the orzo evenly for the creamiest texture.
- Swap the chicken for another protein. You could also make this orzo with seared shrimp or cooked salmon if desired, or omit the protein and use veggie stock for a vegetarian version.
Storage
Store any leftover lemon chicken orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth or water until warmed through and creamy again.
We don’t recommend freezing this pasta dish as it will change the texture of the pasta.
FAQs
You can use any short or smaller shape of pasta. We can’t guarantee it will work as well, but something like small shells or ditalini.
Resist the urge to stir when the orzo is simmering. Just let it lightly cook until it’s al dente in texture and only add more liquid if it’s still too hard when you take a little taste at the end of cooking.
Add another splash of chicken stock and stir to combine. Remove it from the heat if the pasta is already tender to avoid overcooking, and add the stock in very small increments.
More easy pasta recipes
Lemon Chicken Orzo (One-pan)
Ingredients
- 2-3 cups cooked chicken shredded or diced (rotisserie or leftovers work great)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 small shallot finely minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry orzo
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half Note 1
- 3 cups baby spinach with large stems removed roughly chopped Note 2
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- ¼ cup grated Parmesan optional
- 2 tablespoons butter optional, for extra silkiness
- Fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic and cook for 1–2 minutes until fragrant.
- Add dry orzo to the pan and toast for 30 seconds.
- Pour in chicken broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook for 8–10 minutes, stirring halfway, until most of the liquid is absorbed.
- Stir in heavy cream, spinach, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Let simmer for 1–2 minutes until creamy and the spinach wilts.
- Fold in the shredded or diced chicken to heat through.
- Stir in Parmesan and butter if using. Adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve immediately.
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Notes
– Store any leftover lemon chicken orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
– Reheat in a skillet over medium heat with a splash of chicken broth or water until warmed through and creamy again.
– We don’t recommend freezing this pasta dish as it will change the texture of the pasta.
Nutrition
* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full nutrition disclosure.
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