This quick and easy One-Pot Lemon Chicken with Orzo is a quick and easy way to brighten up your menu at any time of year.
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless thin-sliced chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon salt divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- 2 cups packed roughly chopped fresh baby spinach
- 1 cup grape tomatoes, halved
- 2 lemons, divided
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
- 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan , divided
-
In a shallow bowl, mix flour and garlic powder. Pound thicker pieces of chicken to 1/4-inch thickness with the flat side of a meat mallet, if needed. Cut each piece in half (to make smaller serving sizes) and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper. Dip both sides of chicken in flour mixture to coat lightly and shake off excess.
-
Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over MEDIUM heat. Add half of the chicken and cook 4 to 5 minutes on each side or until golden brown and chicken is fully cooked through. Transfer cooked chicken to a plate and tent with a piece of foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken. When finished, lightly wipe excess oil from skillet.
-
Return skillet to the heat and add broth and orzo. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered, 8-10 minutes or until tender. Remove cover and stir in spinach, tomatoes, the juice of one lemon, basil and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt. Remove the skillet from the heat. Return the cooked chicken to the skillet and sprinkle with about half of the Parmesan.
-
Cut remaining lemon into wedges. Serve with remaining Parmesan and lemon wedges on the side.
I like to use the finest grate on my box grater when grating the Parmesan for an almost powdery consistency like you see in the images in this post.