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This One Pan Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Meal is ready quickly with minimal prep and clean up, and tastes like a 5-star restaurant meal! Made with flavorful chicken, orzo, coconut milk, lemon and veggies, this lemon orzo with chicken will quickly become a new family favorite!

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Orzo pasta is so underrated. It’s quick, tasty and versatile – goes well with (in?) so many things, like lemon chicken.

This creamy lemon pasta orzo with chicken is sure to change your mind about orzo, and show you how easy and quick it is to cook with, and how much flavor it offers.

Technically, orzo is a pasta, but behaves and looks like a grain. It’s almost like risotto, but much, much easier and hands off. As in you don’t have to watch it constantly.

So, it’s easy to mesh with so many flavors, like this chicken orzo with coconut milk or a lemon orzo broccoli salad. While that salad is light and refreshing, this lemon chicken orzo pasta has a creamy texture.

There are so many healthy chicken recipes that pair well with grains.

The first time I tested this orzo recipe with coconut milk, it wasn’t quite creamy enough – the second time, it wasn’t flavorful enough.

So, I made some adjustments and the third time it was the most perfect creamy lemon chicken orzo skillet meal I’ve ever had! This one pan orzo dish is a great healthy one pot meal for families any time of year.

Why You’ll Love This Creamy Lemon Chicken with Orzo

• One pot – You’ll cook your chicken first, and then set it aside and cook your orzo in the same pot. This way, it maintains all the flavor. Then, you’ll add your chicken back in. Easy cleaning!
• 30 minute meal – Not only is this creamy lemon orzo chicken pasta cooked in one pot, but it’s an easy recipe in under 30 minutes – even quicker if you have pre-cooked chicken or rotisserie chicken! The best for a busy family meal that’s still delicious.
• Get some veggies – We’ve got spinach and tomatoes together in this dish, but you can swap in what you have or like – red peppers, arugula, etc.
• Easy to freeze – This is one of those meals that you’ll want to make extra of to eat later in the week, or even next week! You know, one of those family-friendly pasta recipes that aren’t boring. Freeze it and warm it up for a future, hands-off meal. Great for those nourishing postpartum freezer meals!

What You’ll Need For One Pan Orzo

• chicken breasts
• shallot
• garlic
• orzo
• grape tomatoes
• lemons
• olive oil or butter
• parmesan cheese
• cream cheese
• spinach
• coconut milk
• chicken broth
• basil

How to Make this Lemon Chicken and Orzo Pasta

Don’t let the lines of instructions fool you – making this lemony orzo chicken is easy and only uses one pan.

First, season your chicken with italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper, and add it to a cooking pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

Cook for 4-6 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Sometimes, I’ll cover it towards the end to speed it up.

Once the chicken is cooked, remove it and set it aside on a separate plate. Deglaze your pan if needed.

Then, add olive oil, shallot and garlic to the cooking pan and sauté for 2-3 minutes. These are the flavor starters and enhancers!

Add your chicken broth, coconut milk and orzo, and gently bring to a boil. 

Keep an eye on it and stir as needed to ensure orzo doesn’t stick to bottom of pan. After 5-7 minutes, add in the halved tomatoes. 

Once the orzo is cooked through, add in your lemon juice, cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Then, add your spinach and cooked chicken back in.

Stir together until cheese is melted and distributed and spinach wilts. Finally, add in your lemon zest and basil and enjoy your hard work!

Tips for Success

Here are some tips to make your lemon chicken orzo pasta recipe as good as can be!

• Substitutions – Make it dairy free – Use olive oil, a cashew-based cream cheese, dairy-free or vegan cheese. Make it gluten free– This dish is not naturally gluten-free, but if you can find a gluten-free orzo, you can modify it!
• Time Tip – If you have rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken, you can use that to speed this recipe up! Also, If you have thick chicken breasts, you may want to cut them in halves lengthwise so they cook quicker. You can also put the top on when cooking to speed up cook time.
• Check for dryness – You may need to add more liquid (chicken broth) when cooking the orzo. If it seems dry, add a little more liquid for it to absorb.
• Easy pairings – I love to pair my one pan chicken orzo with a simple 10 minute cantaloupe salad. Or even just a bagged salad if you want to keep it super easy.
• Storage– Store this lemon chicken orzo pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3-4 days, or freeze it for up to 3 months. These are the best freezer-friendly containers for pasta and casseroles.

Servings 4 servings

Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo

Sarah Schlichter, MPH, RDN

This One Pan Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Meal is ready quickly, has minimal prep and clean up, and tastes like a 5-star restaurant meal! Made with flavorful chicken, orzo, coconut milk, lemon and veggies, this lemon orzo with chicken will quickly become a new family favorite!

5 from 3 ratings

Print Pin

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Ingredients  

1x2x3x

• 1 lb chicken breasts (thinner will cook faster)
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp paprika
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 3 tsp olive oil or butter, divided
• 1 shallot
• 2 garlic cloves, diced
• 8 oz chicken broth
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1.5 cups orzo pasta
• ½ cup grape tomatoes, halves
• 2 lemons, juiced (about ¼ lemon juice – save the lemon zest!)
• ½ cup parmesan cheese + more for topping
• ¼ cup cream cheese, optional
• 1-2 cups spinach
• 2 tsp lemon zest
• 1 Tbsp basil, diced

Instructions 

1. In a bowl or on a small plate, season chicken breasts with italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, salt and pepper.
2. Over medium high heat, add 2 tsp of olive oil and chicken breasts to a medium cooking pan (we're saving the last tsp of olive oil for later). Cook chicken breasts for 5-8 minutes, or until cooked through. Note you can put the lid on to cook longer, if needed.
3. Once the chicken is cooked, remove it and set it aside on a separate plate. You can cut it into pieces while you finish cooking the orzo. Deglaze your pan if needed.
4. Add another tsp of olive oil, shallot and garlic and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, coconut milk and orzo and gently bring to a boil. Then cover and turn the heat down.
5. Keep an eye on it (uncover and stir as needed) to ensure orzo doesn’t stick to bottom of pan. After 5-7 minutes, add in the halved tomatoes.
6. Once orzo is cooked through, add in the lemon juice, cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Lastly, add your spinach and then add the cooked chicken back in.
7. Stir together until cheese is melted and distributed and spinach wilts. Add in lemon zest and basil, and enjoy.

Notes

*you can add all coconut milk after boiling the orzo, but I find that it’s creamier when it boils in along with coconut milk 🙂  Personal preference!

Nutrition

Calories: 593kcalCarbohydrates: 49gProtein: 39gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 17gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 96mgSodium: 844mgPotassium: 840mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1315IUVitamin C: 9mgCalcium: 216mgIron: 4mg

Did you make this recipe?Let us know how it was!