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This lemon chicken orzo recipe is creamy, comforting, and made in one pot for fewer dishes! It comes together in just 30 minutes for a cozy meal.
Love chicken and lemon? Try my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup, or this Lemon Chicken Gnocchi.
Why you’ll love it
This chicken and orzo recipe is similar to a Risotto, but it’s much easier to make. There’s no need to gradually stir in the liquid. It’s simply added in all at the same time. Pair with some cooked chicken, spinach, and parmesan, and the result is tender chicken and a dreamy lemon cream sauce!
My Creamy Garlic Spinach Orzo recipe gave me the idea for this chicken spinach orzo. It’s similar in ingredients and technique, but I wanted something that would work as a main course. Using rotisserie chicken makes for a fast and fuss-free dinner all in one pot.
What you’ll need
- Olive oil and butter – for sautéing
- Onion and garlic – I like to use sweet (Vidalia) ones
- Italian seasoning – a go-to versatile and fragrant herb blend in a single jar
- Orzo – you’ll find it in the dry pasta aisle
- Chicken broth – for moisture and deeper savory flavor
- Lemon – fresh lemon juice brightens the whole dish and adds a touch of acidity. If you want an even more intense lemon flavor, include the zest of a lemon. Add it along with the lemon juice.
- Heavy cream – it adds a luxurious touch
- Chicken – rotisserie or leftover Cooked Chicken makes this orzo recipe even easier
- Parmesan – for a final cheesy touch. Always grate your own for max flavor and best texture.
- Spinach – we’re using fresh baby spinach
Can I use rice?
Our kitchen hasn’t tested this recipe with rice. Orzo is pasta that happens to be shaped like rice, so I would stick to using it since the liquid ratios and cook time will likely be different. Rice typically takes longer to cook than pasta.
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- I use this lemon zester and lemon saver.
- Here’s the Dutch oven that I like to use.
- A garlic press makes mincing garlic super quick, and I like to store butter in this butter dish because it has markings right on it so measuring is easy.
How to make lemon chicken orzo
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Sauté the onion in the butter and oil in a soup pot. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and orzo. Stirring often, toast the orzo for a couple of minutes. Pour in the broth, cream, and lemon juice. Let it bubble gently, and cook for until the orzo is done, stirring every so often.
Once the liquid is absorbed, stir in the chicken. Remove from the heat, stir in the parmesan and spinach, and let it sit for a few more minutes to thicken up more. Season with salt & pepper.
Pro tip
It may seem like there’s a lot of liquid, but the orzo does a good job of absorbing it! If you find by the end of cooking that there’s still too much, just wait a few minutes and the pasta will soak it up. If you find that it’s too dry, simply add another splash or cream and/or chicken broth.
Substitutions and variations
- Don’t like spinach? No problem. Leave it out. You could throw in other chopped and cooked veggies towards the end (like when the chicken is added) if you happen to have some on hand.
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream for something lower fat (e.g. half-and-half or milk). This recipe is cooked over a fairly high heat, plus the 2 tablespoons of lemon juice means there’s a strong chance of curdling.
- Since this is a one pot meal, the liquid ratios really matter, so I would be careful subbing another variety of pasta. Be prepared to add more liquid if needed.
What to serve with lemon chicken orzo
- Since it’s a hearty meal on its own, all you need is a slice of bread or a dinner roll to round it out. Garlic Bread works too if you’re wanting something more comforting.
- Serve it with a side salad. I like this Super Simple Parmesan Arugula Salad or mixed greens with my Creamy Balsamic Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- You can store leftovers in the fridge for a few days in an airtight container, but definitely be aware that the orzo will soak up the sauce over time.
- When reheating, use a saucepan over a low heat until warmed through. Add a splash of cream or broth if necessary.
- I don’t recommend freezing the leftovers.
Questions about this creamy lemon chicken orzo pasta recipe? Made it? Please leave me a comment below! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Lemon Chicken Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1/2 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
- 2 cups cooked shredded/rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often (this infuses the orzo with more flavor and toasts it a little).
- Stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and cream. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. You will probably need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). It should gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked. See notes below and blog post for troubleshooting tips.
- Stir in the chicken.
- Take the pot off the heat, stir in the parmesan and spinach, and cover the pot for 3-5 minutes or until it has thickened up to your liking. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.
Notes
- Serves 4-6 depending on how much people eat.
- I don’t recommend subbing the cream. There’s a good chance the sauce will curdle with something lower fat (due to the fairly high heat + citrus).
- If the pasta is soaking up the liquid too fast (like before the orzo is cooked), turn the heat down and/or add a splash more broth or cream. If there’s too much liquid, cover the pot for longer than suggested in the recipe and the orzo will absorb it quickly.
- Orzo is pasta. If you want to make this with rice, you may have to adjust liquid measurements and cooking time (it’s a different recipe that I have not tested).
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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If I wanted a more distinct lemon taste, could I just add a little lemon pepper seasoning? If so, how much would you recommend? One of your recipes, I added a little too much lemon juice and my husband said, it was a little too citrusy. So I don’t want to add too much lemon, but I do want that distinctive lemon taste in this dish. Thank you
Hi! Sure, I don’t see why adding some lemon pepper seasoning wouldn’t work. Some of them have salt in them so I’d start sparingly… maybe a half teaspoon?
HOLY!!! Just made this for dinner and there is none left!! Seriously such an easy, quick dinner, and absolutely DELICIOUS 😋 I might have to make it again tomorrow!
Thank you so much, Lillian! 😀
I was successful in creating this amazing dish!
My guest was also impressed.
Recipe was easy to follow.
Thank you, Suzanne! 😀 So happy it worked for you!
Very yummy!! I’ve made it twice and I add almost double the amount of chicken broth and another 1/4 cup cream to keep it creamy/moist. I also add lemon pepper and I still find it’s not very lemony so I think I’ll add juice of 2 lemons instead of 1 next time!
We’ve made this a few times now! Very good! It’s become part of the rotation!
Wonderful!
Loved this, so much sauce! Next time I’m doubling the lemon juice.
Yay!! Thanks, Ashley!
How many grams are in a serving? I feel like if whatever program you’re using to calculate nutritional info/ macros per serving it should give the actual serving size haha. Anyways great recipe as always. But please include what the serving size is :).
Hi Dylan! So glad you like this recipe! 😀 That would actually be a lot more complicated, unfortunately. I am not a trained nutritionist, so I only feel comfortable providing the info that the built-in recipe card software provides – sorry! It’s just meant to be an estimate. Really the only accurate way to get an assessment of calories etc. is to weigh the exact ingredients you’re using. Even things like half an onion in a recipe could vary depending on what size onion I use, what size onion you use, and what size the nutrition database uses. And with more processed ingredients, it can vary wildly from brand to brand… e.g. the number of calories in your brand of orzo can vary from mine.
This was delicious! I used rotisserie chicken and asparagus. My spinach had gone bad, so I diced up several asparagus spears and through them in to boil with the pasta. It was a great substitute. I didn’t let them get too soft, they were perfectly al dente. Thanks for this one pot meal!
You’re very welcome!
I made this recipe last night and I added a can of artichoke hearts to the spinach as well as some fresh mushrooms. Recipe was absolutely delicious. Have company coming Saturday night and guess what they are having? This recipe!!!🩷
Love that!! Thanks, Mitzi!
Thank you for that suggestion of artichoke hearts! I had some that needed to be used.
At 53, I thought all my life that orzo was a type of rice. I learned the truth with this recipe. One burning question: why so skimpy on the Italian seasoning? I double the initial recipe, but I went with two or three full teaspoons of Italian seasoning. https://www.zeste.ca/recettes/melange-depices-a-litalienne
Also, I would propose reducing the heat toward eight minutes, rather than cut it off at 10, to cook the spinach and add the seasoning and chicken. My orzo was just a wee bit overcooked.
Hi Brad! I’m glad you enjoyed it overall! 😀 I don’t like a super herby flavor myself, but it’s definitely easy to tweak to your liking. And yeah, we have the note in there that all stoves etc. vary, so it might take a bit of tweaking to get it perfect for next time, but it sounds like you’ve got a good plan w. the 8 minutes.
Entire family loves this recipe!
Yay!! Thanks, Emily!