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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.
Love this recipe! We’ve made it a couple of times when having people over and for a mealtrain dropoff and it was a hit! Omitted the cayenne pepper and my kids loved it too.
so happy to hear that!
So delicious!
I made this when I was looking for something easy to make with young kids running around. This fit the bill! My oldest said it was “the best chicken of his life!” The orzo was a little spicy for the kids but my husband and I loved the bit of heat from the cayenne.
Made this last night and we both enjoyed it. Thanks for sharing it.
Thanks for the review!
I substituted rice for the orzo to make it gluten free, and it was incredible! My husband (usually skeptical about new dishes) and my toddler loved this meal. Will be adding to the rotation for sure!
So glad to hear it! Thanks for the review!
Love this recipe! I have a weird reaction to tumeric—is there anything I could use in its place? Thank you!!
You can omit it and it will still be great– the color just wont be as vibrant/yellow.
Can u use chicken breasts vs. thighs?
yes you can- i prefer thighs just to ensure they remain juicy! I recommend tenderizing the chicken breasts with a meat mallet before adding them! 🙂
Flavorful, easy, and amazing chicken dish! I served it with a side of green beans. I will definitely be making this again!
This recipe is so good. We have a big family and I’d love a way to size up the batch since I can’t fit more than 5 chicken thighs in my 3.5q MadeIn. Anyone have any amazing ideas on how to double the recipe? Thank you so much! We love your food!!
Delicious! I didn’t use low-sodium stock, so it tasted a bit salty for my taste; my wife loved though. I’ll sub some stock for water next time.
It was such an easy recipe and I loved that it finished off in the oven – gave me 15 minutes to tidy up the kitchen.
Glad you loved it!!