Cheesy Lemon Spinach Orzo with Chicken

Posted on August 5, 2020 by nerinatimm in Chicken, pasta

Cheesy Lemon Spinach Orzo with Chicken is that one pot dinner that dreams are made of. Creamy, cheesy pasta, grilled chicken and your veg, done in about 30 min. Best part though, is there is only one pot to wash.

This Cheesy Lemon Spinach Orzo with Chicken is so easy to make, the kids made it tonight and they nailed it. I mean, what can go wrong? If you are a regular on my site, you will know, I love one-pot or one-pan dinners. Take this Tex Mex Beans and Sausages, a hot favorite in my family. It even works outside on the campfire, so does this Creamy Chicken and Mushroom recipe.

I think frying the chicken in the pan first, adds lots of flavor to the dish, but if, like me, you are or have vegetarians, no problem. Just fry and onion or leeks instead of the chicken.

Cheesy Lemon Spinach Orzo with Chicken

serves 4

Ingredients

4 small chicken breasts – I used three really large ones and sliced them in half

30 ml/ 2 T Olyfberg Olive Oil

a few sprigs fresh thyme

salt and pepper

15 ml/ 1 T chicken stock powder or 1 stock cube

2-3 cups boiling water

400 g orzo or risoni

250 ml cream

125 ml grated parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded fresh spinach

juice and zest of 1 big lemon

Method

Heat a big heavy-based pan on the stove. Add the olive oil and thyme. Season the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and fry in the pan until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the pan and keep warm. Add the stock powder or crumble the stock cube into the pan and stir through to lift all the lovely flavors from the chicken.

Add the water and pasta and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the pasta for 7-8 minutes or until all the water has evaporated. Add the cream and spinach and stir through. Cook for a few minutes more to thicken the sauce. Lastly add the grated cheese, juice and zest of the lemon. Give it one more taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Serve in deep bowls. Delicious.