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Say hello to your new favorite dinner — Creamy One-Pot Lemon Feta Chicken with Orzo!
I know, I know, another orzo skillet but I promise you it is another must-make. Deliciously spiced chicken served over a brightly flavored orzo made creamy thanks to some crumbled feta. Aside from the flavor, I also love how this is all made in one pot for easy clean-up.
step one: make the spice blend and brown the chicken
To start this recipe, you’ll first make your spice blend for the chicken. I used a combination of salt, pepper, turmeric, smoked paprika, and cayenne pepper and I absolutely love it. Once your blend is ready, season, and then brown in an oven-safe skillet. The chicken will finish cooking through in the oven along with the orzo so you are just wanting to get a good crust on it for now before setting aside.
step two: start the orzo
Next, you’ll get your orzo started before it finishes cooking in the oven. The orzo is packed with all kinds of goodies, but some highlights are the red pepper flakes, garlic, white wine, lemon juice, and fresh herbs like parsley and oregano. You will also add feta to this mixture to make the orzo nice and creamy!
step three: transfer to the oven
Now that the orzo is treating to come together, you will nestle the chicken back into the skillet and bake until the orzo and chicken are almost cooked through. To finish the dish, top the skillet with more feta and bake until it begins to soften and the orzo and chicken are cooked through.
step four: garnish and serve
Top the skillet with more fresh oregano for a fresh, herby addition then you are ready to serve with some lemon wedges!
I hope you all love this Creamy One-Pot Lemon Feta Chicken with Orzo!
For More Orzo Skillets:
Spinach, Artichoke, and Chicken Orzo Skillet
Creamy Ricotta Chicken and Orzo Skillet
Creamy One-Pot Lemon Feta Chicken with Orzo
Ingredients
Spice Blend:
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon turmeric
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
For the Chicken:
- 1 ½ 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
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ cup white wine
- 1 cup orzo
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- Zest of ½ lemon
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano leaves plus more for serving
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- ¾ cup feta crumbles divided
- lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375℉.
- In a small bowl, combine your spice mix.
- Pat the chicken dry then season both sides generously with the spice mix. In a large oven-safe deep skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. In a single layer, add the chicken and cook until browned on both sides, about 3 minutes per side then remove from skillet and set aside. The chicken will finish cooking in the oven.
- Reduce heat to medium, add the shallot, garlic, and crushed red pepper flakes and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the Dijon and wine, stirring and scraping up any brown bits. Reduce by half.
- Add the orzo, chicken broth, lemon zest, lemon juice, salt, oregano, parsley, and ½ cup of the feta crumbles. Stir to combine then nestle the chicken (and any of its juices) into the skillet. Transfer to the oven and bake for about 15, until orzo is almost cooked through.
- Carefully remove from the oven and top with the remaining ¼ 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.
I am in love with this recipe and would love to share the love and bring it to others. Do you think there’s a good way to transport this? Could you bring it uncooked with baking instructions? Or just reheat instructions?
making this this week. You never fail me! Question: my husband doesn’t love chicken thigh. If I sub chicken breasts, how would I alter the cooking time. Thanks!
Would parmesan or ricotta be a good substitute for feta?
I would probably go with goat cheese if you like that! But if not, ricotta would like work too. You may like this recipe!
This was delicious and easy to follow – my picky kids gave this a thumbs up!! The chicken got a really nice crisp and color, and the lemon flavor was perfect, even for my kids who don’t love lemon. This is definitely going in the rotation for us! The only thing I did not have was fresh oregano, so I just used less of it in the dry version and did not add extra at the end. My orzo stayed very creamy and saucy, so we also did not add extra lemon juice at the end. It easily fed my family of mom, dad, and three elementary aged kids plus one portion leftover. Also for me having wine on hand for cooking makes a difference in the flavor, so I try to use it and not sub it.
Can you leave out the white wine or substitute for something non-alcoholic?
Just sub in extra broth in place for the white wine!
Can this be adjusted to cook entirely on the stovetop? My oven isn’t working but I was excited to make this!! Thanks 🫶🏼
Yes if you cover with a light simmer and cook until the orzo is tender, it should work well!
This was SO EASY to make and SO delicious! The spice is the perfect amount, although next time i’ll leave out the cayenne so the kids wont complain about the heat. Do not skip out on this one! yum!
This looks amazing! What sized skillet is needed?
I use a 3.5 qt braiser!
Alex’s recipes never fail and this was no different. I love how much flavor is jam packed but without a list of 50 ingredients. Alex, you did it again. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
Oh boy, this was a WINNER!! So much flavour, the chicken was so moist and tender, and my husband couldn’t stop raving about it! An instant FAVOURITE! ♥️
I am so glad!!!