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Lemon Chicken Orzo

lemon chicken orzo in a bowl with blue flowers.
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This zesty lemon chicken orzo is perfect for a super simple, utterly delicious, supper or cosy comforting lunch. Imagine creamy garlicky, herby, lemon orzo topped with succulent chicken complete with the crispiest skin. 

Ingredients

Scale
  • 4 skin-on boneless chicken thighs (see Notes and Cooking Tips for how to remove the bone if you cannot find boneless)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tbsp olive oil 
  • Small knob of unsalted butter
  • 1 lemon (½ cut into slices, ½ juiced)
  • Small bunch fresh oregano 
  • 250g orzo
  • 600ml chicken stock
  • 2 handfuls of fully-prepared fresh baby spinach (or 2 frozen cubes)
  • 1 x 150g Boursin cheese round, or to taste (you don't have to use the whole thing - even 50g is delicious, but using the whole round just takes it to the next level)
  • 20g Parmesan, grated 

Instructions

  1. Place the chicken thighs on a board and season generously all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
  2. Heat the oil and a small knob of butter in a large non-stick pan set over a medium heat. Lay the chicken thighs in the pan, skin-side down. Press something heavy on top (a meat press or pan filled with cans of beans is ideal) for extra crispiness. Cook for about 8 minutes, remove the weight, and flip them over. Continue to cook for another few minutes - or until they are cooked all the way through. Remove from the pan and set aside.
  3. Add the lemon slices and oregano to the pan and reduce the heat to low-medium. Fry for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until the lemons start to soften and take on a nice colour. Take care not to burn them or they will become bitter. Discard the oregano and place the lemon onto a chopping board. Finely chop the lemon and tip into a bowl. Set aside.
  4. Tip the orzo into the pan and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly to coat in all the delicious buttery, herby, lemony oil in the pan. 
  5. Pour in the stock, stir well and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Orzo tends to stick to the bottom of the pan if left unattended, so keep checking and giving it a gentle stir to prevent this from happening. If it does stick to the bottom of the pan, give it a good scrape with a wooden spoon and it should loosen. If the orzo is looking too dry before it has finished cooking, add a splash more stock (or water). 
  6. Once the orzo has cooked, stir in the spinach, Boursin, reserved finely chopped caramelised lemon, half the grated Parmesan and a generous grind of black pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice, to taste, and continue to stir until the spinach has wilted and the Boursin has melted. Taste again and adjust the flavours, as necessary.
  7. Scoop the lemon orzo into bowls. Chop the chicken into strips and arrange on top. Sprinkle with more grated Parmesan and a few fresh oregano leaves. Enjoy!

Notes

Scroll up for the helpful step by step guide with images on how to make this recipe.

To store: this lemon chicken orzo is best eaten straight away. However, leftovers can be cooled quickly then covered and chilled in the fridge for up to 3 days.

To reheat: tip the orzo into a pan and add a splash of water (or stock). Place over a low-medium heat and cook, stirring, until piping hot. Continue to add splashes of water (or stock) to loosen, as necessary. Alternatively, tip into a microwave-safe dish with a splash of water (or stock) and microwave in 30 second blasts, stirring between each and topping up with water (or stock) to loosen until piping hot. 

To freeze: this doesn’t freeze particularly well due to the addition of the creamy Boursin. Having said that, I don’t like food waste so I would pop any leftovers in a sealed tupperware and freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge before reheating. Bear in mind that the orzo tends to soften upon defrosting so the texture will be slightly different.

Preparing bone-in chicken thighs: the easiest way to remove the bone from chicken thighs is to simply snip them out with a pair of strong kitchen scissors. Just place the thigh skin side down on a chopping board and snip your way around the bone. Reserve the bones for making stock (you can freeze them if not making stock imminently).

Extra vegetables: feel free to stir in extra vegetables to this lemon chicken orzo. Sometimes I add frozen petit pois, peas and/or sweetcorn. If you opt for frozen spinach, I prefer the whole leaf variety. Alternatively, you can sauté off some leeks or courgettes at the beginning after cooking the lemon. 

Boursin: using the whole round makes this luxuriously creamy and indulgent. However, you can use anything from 50g if you want this lemon chicken orzo to be a bit lighter. Alternatively, swap for cream cheese or a splash of double cream. I would then recommend adding a couple of crushed garlic cloves when coating the orzo in the lemony oil and stirring some finely chopped chives through before plating. That way you still get that delicious garlicky-herby flavour.

Make it vegetarian: you can easily make this lemon chicken orzo vegetarian by using vegetable stock and omitting the chicken. Then swap the Parmesan for a vegetarian-friendly cheese like Gran Moravia or a strong Cheddar.

Make it vegan-friendly: make this lemon chicken orzo vegan-friendly by using a plant-based spread instead of butter (or more oil), vegan stock and Boursin plant-based. Then simply omit the chicken and use a vegan alternative to Parmesan. If you want to add a topping, you can scatter it with crispy tofu (I love it in panko breadcrumbs) or roasted tenderstem broccoli. 

Find it online: https://desertislanddishes.co/lemon-chorizo-orzo/