Lemon Chicken & Orzo Pasta Skillet with Tomatoes, Olives
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This delicious lemon chicken orzo is a cozy meal you’ll want to make over and over. Made with chicken tenderloins, olives, orzo pasta, and tomatoes, this simple recipe seems fancy and elegant but is easy to pull off.
Each step uses the same pan, which makes clean-up a breeze. You want to keep an eye on this meal every step of the way so nothing burns. Give the orzo a good stir every so often to ensure everything cooks evenly.
For a similar recipe with creamy chicken and pasta, try marry me chicken pasta and lightened up chicken alfredo.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- 42 grams of protein per serving.
- One pot recipe.
Ingredients and Substitutions:
These are the main ingredients and substitutions for this lemon chicken orzo recipe. See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.
- Chicken Tenderloins: boneless skinless chicken thighs or skinless chicken breasts. You can also use rotisserie chicken to save on time but this won’t give the chicken the same browning.
- All-Purpose Flour: used to coat your chicken. You can swap for gluten-free.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Unsalted Butter: if using salted, lower the amount of salt in your flour batter.
- Lemon: the butter-fried lemon slices add brightness and acidity. They’re meant to be eaten—rind and all!
- Fresh Garlic
- Orzo Pasta: or any short-cut pasta. Ditalini is a good backup, but avoid larger pasta shapes—they won’t cook through evenly in this method.
- White Wine: Cooking Wine, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Riesling. Anything inexpensive!
- Chicken Broth: or chicken stock or bone broth. You can use vegetable stock in a pinch.
- Fresh Tomatoes: use large fresh tomatoes, sliced grape tomatoes or whole cherry tomatoes. You can also use sun-dried tomatoes.
- Green Olives: Castelvetrano olives are ideal—mild, buttery, and not too briny. Avoid green cocktail olives; they’re too salty. Kalamata can work in a pinch.
- Shallot
- Fresh Parsley: fresh basil, fresh dill or fresh parsley all work great.
- Crumbled Feta Cheese: gives a tangy element but goat or ricotta work well, too.
Variations
- Add fresh spinach at the end of cooking.
- Add a sprinkle of parmesan cheese.
- If you want this to be even richer, add a touch of cream when adding the chicken and lemon slices back into the pan.
Dietary Modifications
- For gluten-free, use a gluten-free flour.
- For dairy-free, use a dairy-free butter and feta or omit the feta.
How to make this creamy lemon orzo chicken (a visual step-by-step guide)
Step 1: cook the chicken
Season both sides of the chicken tenderloins with salt and black pepper, then lightly dredge them in flour, shaking off any excess (image 1). Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the chicken and cook for 4–5 minutes per side, until golden brown and cooked through (image 2). Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Step 2: cook the orzo
Add the butter to the same skillet. Add the lemon slices and cook for 1–2 minutes per side, until caramelized (image 3). Remove and set aside with the chicken. Lower the heat slightly and stir in the garlic and orzo (image 4). Cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the orzo in the fat. Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan (image 5). Let it simmer for 1–2 minutes to reduce slightly. Stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed (image 6).
Step 7: add tomato olive shallot sauce & chicken
While the orzo simmers, toss the tomatoes, olives, and shallot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a few grinds of black pepper, and the chopped herbs (image 7). Set aside. Once the orzo is tender, turn the heat to low. Check doneness visually: orzo is ready when it’s al dente and the sauce thickens. Drag a spoon through the skillet—if it takes 1–2 seconds for the orzo to fill back in, it’s ready.
Nestle the chicken pieces and lemon slices back into the skillet (image 8). Cook for 5–7 minutes, until the chicken is heated through. Top with the tomato-olive mixture and crumbled cheese (image 9). Garnish with additional herbs, if desired, and serve immediately (image 10).
Expert Tip!
Make different variations by swapping tomatoes and olives with your favorite veggies.
Recipe FAQs
Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. This recipe does not freeze well.
Add a splash of water or broth when reheating to loosen things up.
Chicken breasts and chicken thighs work well. If using large chicken breasts, you’ll want to butterfly them so they’re not so thick.
Check out our other easy recipes!
If you make this recipe, please leave a rating and/or comment! Tag me on Instagram @ohsnapmacros, I love hearing from you!
Lemon Orzo Chicken Pasta
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Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. chicken tenderloins tendons removed
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour, for dredging
- 4 Tbsp. olive oil, divided
- 2 Tbsp. cold unsalted butter
- 1 large lemon, thinly sliced and seeds removed
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta 7 oz.
- 1/4 cup white cooking wine
- 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups cherry tomatoes, chopped 10 oz.
- 3/4 cup green olives, chopped
- 2 Tbsp. shallot, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp. fresh parlsey
- 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese 1 oz.
- extra herbs or extra cheese (for garnish)
Instructions
- Season both sides of the chicken tenderloins with salt and pepper. Add the flour to a shallow bowl and lightly dredge the chicken in the flour, shaking off any excess.
- Set a large skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and swirl to coat the pan. Add the chicken and cook for 4–5 minutes per side, until golden and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the butter to the same skillet. Add the lemon slices and cook for 1–2 minutes per side, until caramelized. Remove and set aside with the chicken.
- Lower the heat slightly and stir in the garlic and orzo. Cook for 1 minute, stirring to coat the orzo in the fat.
- Pour in the white wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Let it simmer for 1–2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Stir in the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium-low heat. Simmer uncovered for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed.
- While the orzo simmers, toss the tomatoes, olives, and shallot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a few grinds of black pepper, and the chopped herbs in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Once the orzo is tender, turn the heat to low and nestle the chicken and lemon slices back into the skillet. Cook for 5–7 minutes, until the chicken is heated through.
- Top with the tomato-olive mixture and crumbled feta cheese. Garnish with additional herbs, if desired, and serve immediately.
Notes
- Don’t burn the butter: When adding lemons, keep the heat at medium. If the butter turns dark brown or black, it’s burnt—wipe out the pan and start over.
- Separated butter is fine: If the butter looks uneven when the lemons go in, don’t panic—starch from the orzo will pull everything back together later.
- Nutritional information is an estimate and will vary with substitutions.
I made this for my parents last week and we loved it. The orzo is so creamy plus the roasted lemon really pops! I’m not a big olive gal and even I liked them in this.