One Pan Chicken Piccata Orzo
This One Pan Chicken Piccata Orzo combines crispy Parmesan-coated chicken with creamy orzo, lemon, capers, and fresh parsley. Everything comes together in one pan for an easy twist on classic chicken piccata.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1 ½ pounds Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts thin-cut or regular
- ½ cup All Purpose Flour
- ¼ cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon Kosher Salt
- ½ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil divided, plus more as needed
- 1 tablespoon Unsalted Butter
Orzo
- 1 Shallot minced
- 3 cloves Garlic minced
- 1 ½ cups Orzo Pasta uncooked
- ½ cup Dry White Wine
- 2 ½ cups Reduced Sodium Chicken Broth plus more as needed
- 1 Lemon zested and juiced
- 2 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 3 tablespoons Capers drained
- ¼ cup Fresh Parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Prep the chicken: If using whole chicken breasts, slice each breast in half horizontally to create thinner cutlets. If the pieces are very large, cut them in half crosswise. If using thin-cut chicken breasts, you may not need to slice them. Pound the chicken to an even ¼-inch thickness as needed.
- Season and coat: Drizzle the chicken with 1 tablespoon olive oil. In a shallow bowl, whisk together flour, Parmesan, salt, and pepper. Dredge each piece in the mixture, pressing to help the coating adhere and shaking off any excess.
- Cook the chicken: Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 3 to 4 minutes on the first side until golden brown. Flip and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, or until cooked through, working in batches if needed. Transfer to a plate.
- Cook the aromatics: Reduce the heat to medium. Add the shallot to the same pan and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring often. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Toast the orzo: Add the uncooked orzo and cook for about 1 minute, stirring often.
- Deglaze the pan: Pour in the white wine and scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook for about 1 minute, until slightly reduced.
- Cook the orzo: Add the chicken broth and half of the lemon juice. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the orzo is al dente and most of the liquid is absorbed. You will likely need to add additional broth a splash at a time as the orzo cooks.
- Finish the orzo: Stir in the lemon zest, remaining lemon juice, capers, parsley, and 2 tablespoons butter until creamy and combined. Add a splash of broth if needed to loosen the orzo.
- Serve: Divide the orzo among bowls and top with the chicken. Finish with freshly grated Parmesan.
Notes
- Chicken: Thin-cut chicken breasts work best for this recipe. Aim for an even ¼-inch thickness so the chicken cooks quickly and evenly.
- Cooking the chicken: Cook the chicken in batches if needed to avoid overcrowding the pan. Add another drizzle of olive oil between batches if the pan looks dry.
- White wine: Use a dry white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay. If you prefer not to cook with wine, substitute an equal amount of chicken broth.
- Chicken broth: Reduced-sodium chicken broth is recommended so you can better control the salt level, especially since the Parmesan and capers are salty. Regular chicken broth works too, but you may want to reduce the added salt.
- Lemon: Lemon size and acidity can vary, so adjust the amount of lemon juice to taste when finishing the orzo.
- Cooking the orzo: Orzo cooking time and the amount of broth needed can vary depending on the brand of orzo, your cookware, heat level, and how frequently you stir. Add additional broth a splash at a time as needed until the orzo is al dente.
- Consistency: The finished orzo should be creamy and slightly saucy, not dry. It will continue absorbing liquid as it sits, so add another splash of broth before serving if needed.
Nutrition
Calories: 679kcal | Carbohydrates: 56g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 134mg | Sodium: 1052mg | Potassium: 1013mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 671IU | Vitamin C: 23mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 3mg
