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Dinners
Meet your new favorite dinner: One Skillet Crispy Chicken Thighs & Creamy Lemon Garlic Orzo. A one pan wonder that has maximum flavor for a minimal amount of work. Plus it only takes 30 minutes! Kind of my love language.
Step By Step
The ingredients in this recipe are so comforting and nourishing! The chicken thighs provide protein, paprika adds flavor and antioxidants while the garlic, shallots, and lemon juice bring their own antioxidants. Orzo gives you energy, and chicken broth keeps you hydrated. The cream or coconut milk adds richness, while parsley brings vitamins and antioxidants. To sum it up, it’s delicious AND packed with nutrients! You can keep it dairy free with some simple substitutions listed below, but I prefer to use the butter and heavy cream. A little goes a long way!
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Add your chicken to a plate and pat dry with a paper towel. Season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
Rub to evenly coat the chicken.
Heat olive oil in a large deep skillet or Dutch oven with a lid over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken for about 3 minutes on each side until golden and crispy. It does not need to be cooked through. Remove the chicken and set aside.
In the same pan, reduce heat to medium. Then add butter/olive oil, shallot, and garlic. Stir until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Add orzo and stir continuously for about 1 minute.
Add the chicken broth and lemon juice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and stir in the cream plus an additional pinch of salt and pepper.
Add chicken thighs back on top of the orzo and bake in the oven for about 12 minutes or until orzo is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed.
Some liquid on the sides is fine; it will reabsorb back into the orzo as it cools.
Top with fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon to serve.
Serve as is or with your favorite veggie side to round out the meal. Enjoy!
LOVE!!!!!
Tried it for the first time and loved it! I wanted some veggies thrown in so before putting it in the oven i added an entire bag of spinach and it was the perfect addition flavor and texture wise
I want to make this recipe tonight But my skillet can not go in the oven, is there another way to do it? Thank you!
You can turn the heat super low, it might take a few extra minutes to cook.
This recipe is so good! My picky eater told me that he really liked the seasoning on the chicken and it was one of his favorites! that is high praise. This recipe will definitely be added to our rotation.
I have made this 1121003 times at this point…it’s soooooo good! I’ve subbed the chicken with chicken sausages (spinach and gruyere flavored omg) a few times and it’s still awesome. The cream is a MUST. Thanks for the best recipes always!!
This is really good! Creamy, lemony and balanced. The entire family enjoyed it.
Absolutely delicious! Creamy and delicious. Make immediately!
I love your meals! this is one of my favorites. packed with flavor and easy to make!
This recipe was so good. Was wondering if you the calorie breakdown
This was so good! It makes a lot! How long can you keep leftovers in the Refrigerator?