Lemon Chicken Orzo

• servings: 4 servings
• active time: 10 minutes
• total time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

1/2 medium onion (chopped)

3 cloves garlic (minced)

1/4 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 cup uncooked orzo pasta

2 cups chicken broth

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 cup heavy/whipping cream

2 cups cooked shredded/rotisserie chicken

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

2 cups (packed) fresh baby spinach

Salt & pepper (to taste)

Directions

Add the oil, butter, and onion to a pot over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion for 3-4 minutes.

Add the garlic, Italian seasoning, and orzo. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring often (this infuses the orzo with more flavor and toasts it a little).

Stir in the chicken broth, lemon juice, and cream. Once it starts to bubble, continue cooking for 10 minutes, uncovered, stirring fairly often. You will probably need to turn the heat down a bit (to medium or even medium-low). It should gently bubble vs. furiously boil, and you don't want the liquid to reduce too much before the pasta has cooked. See notes below and blog post for troubleshooting tips.

Stir in the chicken.

Take the pot off the heat, stir in the parmesan and spinach, and cover the pot for 3-5 minutes or until it has thickened up to your liking. Season with salt & pepper as needed and serve immediately.

Nutrition

• Calories: 616 kcal
• Total Fat: 40 g
• Saturated Fat: 21 g
• Cholesterol: 160 mg
• Sodium: 761 mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 34 g
• Dietary Fiber: 2 g
• Total Sugars: 2 g
• Protein: 30 g