Recipe
Lemon chicken orzo
Greek · 40 min · Easy
Chicken and orzo cooked in one pan with lemon, garlic, spinach and a little feta.
Everything for this bright, comforting dinner cooks in one pan. The orzo simmers right in the stock, soaking up the flavor of the browned chicken, then gets finished with lemon, spinach and a little feta.
It's creamy without any cream, and there's only one pan to wash.
Lemon chicken orzo recipe
By FeastPick Kitchen · Updated October 11, 2026
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 30 min
- Total
- 40 min
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lb (570 g) boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- Black pepper
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion, finely chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 cup (200 g) orzo
- 3 cups (720 ml) chicken stock
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 3 cups (90 g) baby spinach
- 1/3 cup (50 g) crumbled feta
- Chopped fresh parsley, to serve
Instructions
- Season the chicken with the oregano, salt and pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat and brown the chicken for 5 to 6 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a plate (it will finish cooking later).
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the onion to the pan and cook for 4 minutes, until soft. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the orzo and stir for 1 minute to toast it lightly.
- Pour in the stock and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom. Bring to a simmer and cook for 8 minutes, stirring often so the orzo doesn't stick.
- Return the chicken and any juices to the pan. Simmer for 4 to 5 minutes more, until the orzo is tender, the liquid is mostly absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through (165°F / 74°C).
- Stir in the spinach until wilted, then the lemon zest and juice. Taste for salt, scatter with feta and parsley, and serve.
Tips
- If the orzo absorbs all the stock before it's tender, add a splash of water and keep stirring.
Storing leftovers
Keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Add a splash of stock or water when reheating; orzo keeps absorbing liquid.
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