Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo (30 Min, One Pot, ZERO CREAM!)

Lemon Chicken Orzo is a 30-minute, one pot wonder that’s lusciously creamy (without any cream) and singing with bright lemon feta flavor!

This Lemon Chicken Orzo is vibrant comfort food the whole family will love! It’s astonishingly quick and easy and all made in one pot in under 30 minutes! It’s creamy (without any heavy cream!) yet light at the same time, brimming with sunny citrus, earthy-sweet zucchini, basil, and dill, punctuated by tangy, rich salty feta. This Lemon Chicken Orzo is fabulous as written, or swap the veggies, protein or herbs. Serve this lemon orzo recipe with garlic bread and tomato cucumber salad for an easy chicken dinner win!

We love orzo around here for its perfectly al dente texture! Try it with Lemon Garlic Shrimp with Greek Orzo, Italian Chicken Orzo Pasta, Parmesan Meatballs and Orzo and Southwest Orzo Salad,

HOW TO MAKE lemon chicken orzo VIDEo

Ingredients for Lemon Chicken Orzo

This recipe for Lemon Chicken Orzo takes advantage of so many fresh summer flavors, including lemon, zucchini, and fresh herbs. Here’s what you’ll need to make lemon orzo with chicken:

Chicken: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs will work – whatever you prefer! The chopped chicken is seasoned with paprika, salt, and pepper.
Orzo: Looks like rice, but it’s actually pasta! Orzo can be found in the pasta aisle of any grocery store and has a lovely, al dente bite to it and is much more forgiving than rice.
Lemon: Use the juice and zest of one large lemon, or use two smaller lemons to equal ¼ cup juice.
Herbs: Dill, parsley, basil, and thyme infused the orzo with flavor. Use fresh or dried, noting that dried herbs are about three times as potent as fresh.
Cheeses: Feta and mozzarella are stirred into the orzo just before it’s served. Feta infuses the lemon orzo with alluring salty, tangy flavor, while the mozzarella is super creamy and melts like a dream. Make sure to use freshly grated mozzarella for the best flavor and meltability.
Garlic: I used four cloves of garlic but use more or less depending on your garlic love.
Onion: One small onion or you may use shallots or 1 teaspoons onion powder.
Zucchini: I love using zucchini in this recipe, but yellow summer squash or another seasonal veggie may be used. You can also omit the zucchini completely.
Chicken broth: I recommend using reduced sodium chicken broth so you can control the amount of salt in this dish. If you don’t have reduced sodium broth, omit the salt and bouillon in the recipe, then add to taste at the end.
Chicken bouillon: I tasted the lemon orzo recipe without bouillon and it definitely was missing that elevated flavor! The bouillon infuses the orzo with intense flavor, just as if it had been simmering and reducing all day. You may use 1 teaspoon granulated bouillon, 1 bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon better than bouillon. If using a bouillon cube, crush it up before stirring directly into the pot (don’t dissolve in water first).
Evaporated milk: NOT to be confused with sweetened condensed milk! Evaporated milk is the secret to making an ultra-creamy orzo pasta and allows you to cook the orzo directly in the sauce without it curdling. You will not have the same results with half and half or heavy cream.
Cornstarch: Helps to thicken the sauce without using heavy cream. Make sure to fully dissolve/whisk the cornstarch into the chicken broth before adding it to the pot, otherwise you’ll wind up with lumps that will never dissolve.

Shortcut Ingredient Substitutions

To minimize the amount of chopping required for this recipe, try using one or more of the following ingredient swaps:

Substitute the chicken with 2 cups rotisserie chicken.
Substitute the chopped onion with 1 teaspoon onion powder.
Substitute minced garlic with 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
Substitute the fresh dill and parsley with 1 teaspoon each dried.

How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo

This Lemon Chicken Orzo is a straightforward recipe that’s almost impossible to mess up. The chicken is first cooked most of the way through before the orzo, aromatics, and zucchini are added in. After the broth and other liquids are added to the pot, the orzo is cooked until al dente and then mixed with melty cheese!

Let’s take a closer look at how to make it (full recipe measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

Step 1: Prep the chicken. Pat the chopped chicken dry and season with paprika, salt and pepper.

Step 2: Brown the chicken. Brown the chicken until opaque, but not cooked through. Remove to a plate.

Step 3: Sauté the chicken and aromatics. Melt the butter in the chicken drippings and sauté the onions for a few minutes to give them a head start. Next, add the orzo and sauté for a couple minutes to toast it (for extra flavor and prevents it from easily becoming mushy) then add the garlic and zucchini and cook an additional 2 minutes or until the onions are completely tender.

Step 4: Cook the orzo. Add the evaporated milk, chicken broth whisked with cornstarch, lemon zest and lemon juice, chicken bouillon, dried thyme, salt and pepper. Simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until orzo is tender, stirring occasionally.

Step 5: Add the cheeses. Stir in the mozzarella cheese until melted followed by the feta, fresh basil, fresh dill and fresh parsley. Dig in!

Swap protein: Swap the chicken for rotisserie chicken, ground chicken, chicken sausage, lean ground beef or Italian sausage or add roasted or sautéed shrimp or salmon at the end of cooking. This lemon orzo would also be great to stir in leftover chicken, pork, or steak!
Add extra veggies: Add sautéed mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, green beans, tomatoes, peas, corn or spinach to the orzo. You will want to stir the peas and spinach into the orzo after simmering.
Add artichokes: Artichokes are tender, slightly sweet and nutty. Purchase artichoke hearts in water NOT marinated. The marinated ones often have an acrid taste. Chop and add to the simmering sauce.
Make a crunchy topping: Add panko toasted in butter and olive oil to the top of the lemon orzo.
Swap cheese: Instantly change the flavor profile by changing one or all of the cheeses. You can swap the feta for Parmesan, and the mozzarella for Gouda, Havarti, cheddar, Pepper Jack, etc.

Orzo FAQs

What is orzo?

Orzo, (also known as risoni and Italian for “barley”) is a short-cut rice-shaped pasta. It is made with whole-wheat flour, semolina flour (a product of durum wheat), white flour, or whole-grain flour.

How do I use orzo?

Just like all pastas, orzo is cooked by boiling in liquid (in this case, evaporated milk, chicken broth and lemon juice) until al dente. You may use orzo instead of rice or pasta in many dishes. Orzo is often used in rice pilaf, in soups, and sides.

What is orzo made of?

Orzo is usually made from white flour, although it can be made from whole-grain flour. Both orzo pasta and rice are categorized as cereal grains but orzo is not gluten free. For this recipe, we are going to use the traditional white-flour orzo.

Is orzo healthier than rice?

Orzo pasta boasts twice the protein of brown rice and is a good source of thiamin and niacin as well as some B6, folate, iron and zinc. Orzo is a glucose bearing carbohydrate that creates serotonin, the “happiness neurotransmitter,” and eating this orzo pasta salad will certainly make you happy!

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CHICKEN

1 pound chicken breasts, chopped into large bite size pieces
1/2 tsp EACH paprika, salt, pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

ADD LATER

1/2 cup shredded mozzarella
1/4 cup feta
1/4 cup chopped basil
1 TBS EACH minced fresh dill, parsley (OR 1 teaspoon EACH dried)

While chicken is still on the cutting board, pat it dry and season with ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon paprika and ½ teaspoon pepper.
Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a 3.75 or larger braiser (this is the one I use) or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add chicken and cook until most off the chicken is opaque (chicken will not be cooked through). Remove to a plate.
Melt the butter in the drippings and heat over medium-high theat. Add onions and sauté for 4 minutes. Add orzo and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the grated zucchini and garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes or until the onions are tender.
Stir in the evaporated milk. Whisk the chicken broth with the cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup (or bowl) and add to the pot. Add the remaining ingredients up to “Add Later” (lemon juice, lemon zest, chicken bouillon, salt, pepper and thyme).
Cover the pot and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 8-10 minutes, or until orzo is tender, stirring every couple minutes so the orzo doesn’t burn on the bottom, and replacing the lid. Add additional broth if the orzo isn’t done and most of the liquid is absorbed.
Stir in the mozzarella cheese until melted followed by feta and fresh herbs. Taste and season with additional lemon juice, salt and pepper. If desired, you can make the dish “saucier” or creamier by stirring in additional broth, milk or cream.

Tips and Variations

Chicken bouillon: I tasted the lemon orzo recipe without bouillon and it definitely was missing that elevated flavor! . You may use 1 teaspoon granulated bouillon, 1 bouillon cube, or 1 teaspoon better than bouillon. If using a bouillon cube, crush it up before stirring directly into the pot (don’t dissolve in water first).
Swap protein: Swap the chicken for rotisserie chicken, ground chicken, chicken sausage, lean ground beef or Italian sausage or add roasted or sautéed shrimp or salmon at the end of cooking. This lemon orzo would also be great to stir in leftover chicken, pork, or steak!
Swap or add extra veggies: Add sautéed mushrooms, eggplant, bell peppers, green beans, tomatoes, peas, corn or spinach to the orzo. You will want to stir the peas and spinach into the orzo after simmering.
Swap cheese: Instantly change the flavor profile by changing one or all of the cheeses. You can swap the feta for Parmesan, and the mozzarella for Gouda, Havarti, cheddar, Pepper Jack, etc.

How to Store and Reheat

Storage: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. The lemon orzo does not freeze well.
Microwave: Microwave small portions for 1 minute, stir, then continue to heat at 15-second intervals until warmed through.
Stove: For larger portions, reheat orzo gently on the stove, stirring occasionally. You may need to add a splash of milk or chicken broth to make it ultra creamy again.

Meal Prep

This Lemon Chicken Orzo can be made completely in advance (it reheats really well!) or you can prepare the individual ingredients ahead of time:

Chicken: can be chopped and seasoned up to three days ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Lemon: can be zested and juiced a couple days in advance and stored in the fridge.
Aromatics and zucchini: can be minced/grated and stored up to three days ahead of time in separate containers in the fridge.
Cheese: mozzarella be shredded and stored in an container in the fridge.

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Creamy Lemon Chicken Orzo (30 Min, One Pot, ZERO CREAM!)