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Lemon Chicken Orzo

Name: Lemon Chicken Orzo
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
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)

Published January 16, 2021 / Updated January 16, 2021 / 32 Comments

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This lemon chicken orzo recipe is creamy, comforting, made in one pot (for fewer dishes!), and comes together in about 30 minutes.

My Creamy Garlic Spinach Orzo recipe gave me the idea for this one. It's similar in ingredients and technique, but I wanted something that would work as a main course. We use rotisserie chicken (or any cooked chicken if you happen to have some that needs to be used up) for a fast and fuss-free dinner. Fresh lemon juice brightens the whole dish.

Love chicken and orzo? Try my Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup or this Lemon Orzo Salad with Chicken.

This chicken and orzo recipe is similar to a risotto, but it's a bit easier to make. Instead of stirring in the liquid gradually, it's added all at the same time. You simply stir it fairly often until the pasta absorbs the liquid (this also prevents the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pot). The cooked chicken, spinach, and parmesan cheese are added in towards the end. The result? Tender chicken and a dreamy lemon cream sauce.

Recipe notes & tips:

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.
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.
Don't like spinach? No problem. Leave it out.
If you want an even more intense lemon flavor, include the zest of a lemon (add it along with the lemon juice). I use this lemon zester.
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).
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.

Can I use rice?

I haven't tested this recipe with rice. Orzo is pasta (that's shaped like rice), so I would stick to using it since the liquid ratios and cook time will likely be different (rice typically takes a bit longer to cook than pasta).

More creamy chicken recipes to try:

Questions about this creamy lemon chicken orzo pasta recipe? Made it? Leave me a comment below!