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Say hello to your new favorite dinner — Creamy One-Pot Lemon Feta Chicken with Orzo!
I know I’ve shared a lot of orzo skillet recipes on the blog before, but that’s just because they’re so easy and so delicious. And this one is no exception. It features deliciously spiced chicken served over a brightly flavored orzo that gets its creaminess from crumbled feta. The combination of warm spices, fresh herbs, and tangy feta cheese works so well together. Aside from the flavor, I also love how this is all made in one pot, which makes for super easy clean-up.
ingredients:
- Kosher Salt
- Turmeric
- Smoked Paprika
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- Cayenne Pepper
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Shallot
- Garlic Cloves
- Crushed Red Pepper Flakes
- Dijon Mustard
- Dry White Wine
- Orzo
- Low-Sodium Chicken Broth
- Lemon Zest
- Lemon Juice
- Fresh Oregano
- Fresh Parsley
- Crumbled Feta Cheese
- Lemon Wedges
step-by-step:
step one: preheat the oven
Preheat oven to 375℉.
step two: make the spice blend
In a small bowl, combine the salt, turmeric, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
step three: season and sear the chicken
Pat the chicken dry, then season both sides generously with the spice mix. Heat the oil in a large, deep oven-safe skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to a separate plate and set aside.
step four: add the aromatics and wine
Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the Dijon and wine, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Cook until the mixture has reduced by half.
step five: add the orzo and cook
Add the orzo, chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, oregano, parsley, and 1/2 cup feta crumbles. Stir to combine, then nestle the chicken (and any juices) into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until orzo is almost cooked through.
step six: top with more feta
Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and top with the remaining 1/4 cup feta crumbles. Transfer back into the oven and continue to bake until the orzo is cooked through and the feta has softened, about 5 more minutes.
step seven: serve and enjoy
Remove from the oven and garnish with more oregano. Serve with lemon wedges.
recipe faqs:
Any sort of dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay will work well!
Absolutely! Although I haven’t tested it with anything other than chicken, my readers love to make it with salmon!!
I hope you all love this Creamy One-Pot Lemon Feta Chicken with Orzo!
want more cozy chicken recipes? try these!
One-Pan Roasted Chicken Ratatouille
Spinach, Artichoke, and Chicken Orzo Skillet
One-Pan Roasted Chicken with Lemony White Beans
Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet
Creamy One-Pot Lemon Feta Chicken with Orzo
Ingredients
For the Spice Blend:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Chicken:
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the Orzo:
- 1 large shallot, halved and thinly sliced
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- zest of 1/2 lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves, plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese, divided
- lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375℉.
- In a small bowl, combine the salt, turmeric, smoked paprika, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Pat the chicken dry, then season both sides generously with the spice mix. Heat the oil in a large, deep oven-safe skillet set over medium-high heat. Working in batches as needed, add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer the skillet to a separate plate and set aside.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallots, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the Dijon and wine, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Cook until the mixture has reduced by half.
- Add the orzo, chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, oregano, parsley, and 1/2 cup feta crumbles. Stir to combine, then nestle the chicken (and any juices) into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, until orzo is almost cooked through.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and top with the remaining 1/4 cup feta crumbles. Transfer back into the oven and continue to bake until the orzo is cooked through and the feta has softened, about 5 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven and garnish with more oregano. Serve with lemon wedges.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography by Eat Love Eats.
Can this all be thrown in a crockpot and if so how long?
I have not tested this in a crockpot so cannot advise on that.
Absolutely delicious! I mixed the spices and a bit of EVOO in a large ziploc bag, tossed the chicken around in it, then let it sit in the fridge while I put other items together. Delicious with a bibb lettuce and fennel salad.
That’s a great tip! And that salad sounds delicious.
Love this recipe! So simple to make and the flavors are amazing. I added some broccoli and zucchini for some extra veg and it came out perfect!
This is a fantastic dish!! Flavor can’t be beat and is definitely a 5! I used GF orzo (Jovial Cassava) and believe the cooking time needed to be reduced slightly – it turned out slightly mushy. Overall an amazing dish.
Wonderful flavor! Perfect spice. Subbed chicken breast for thighs, veggie broth for chicken broth and acini di Pepe for orzo as that’s what I had on hand. But it worked out great. Will def be making again. Thx for sharing your craft.
So yummy! And the flavors are great. I used chicken breasts because that is what I had on hand. This is a perfect weeknight dinner.
This was delicious! Thank you Alex for adding another staple to my week day rotation! Even my picky eater 10 year old loved it.
can i use quinoa instead?
Quinoa would cook differently (timing and liquid amount) so would not be a direct swap here. But if you try it, let us know!
I enjoyed this recipe. It was a quick weeknight meal! How to I heat up the leftover?? Stovetop or oven?
Delicious!!! Easy, tasty, great leftovers