Buttery, bright, and beautiful in its simplicity, this pasta dish comes together in minutes starting with uncooked pasta, chicken, and lots of lemon baked in one dish!
We love this at our house because of its strong lemon punch, and I also love it because its a dish my husband makes easily and well which means occasionally, I get to enjoy it without having been the one in the kitchen! It is very much based on Jeff Mauro’s recipe for Greek Lemon Chicken with Orzo. Ever since he used a Mac and Cheese recipe VERY much like mine, I feel like borrowing a few more of his. :o) Seriously, this is a family win for lemon lovers so throw the few ingredients on your grocery list and whip this up in no time!
We have used orzo pasta for this recipe many times with much success, but it isn’t always easy to find and so this time, I used these tiny shells I found. I would imagine any very small pasta would work just as well.
To begin, preheat your oven to 375. Season 1 lb. of chicken tenders with salt and pepper. If you have chicken breasts to use like I did, just slice them into tender-sized strips to help them cook easily.
Next, zest all 3 good-sized lemons and then juice two of them. The third lemon, you can peel and slice or just slice for garnish — you’ll see what I mean later.
In a bowl stir together the following ingredients and whisk well:
- 3 c. chicken broth or stock
- 3 T. melted butter
- 2 T. Kosher or sea salt
- 2 T. fresh dill or 1/2-1 tsp. dill weed
- the juice of 2 good-sized lemons
- 1 clove chopped garlic
- 1 tsp. cornstarch
Add in 2 c. of uncooked pasta — I use tiny shells or orzo. Pour this into a 9 x 13″ baking dish. Lay the seasoned chicken tenders into the sauce and pasta. Garnish with lemon slices. If you’d prefer these to be eaten with the dish, consider peeling them. For wow factor, leave them as whole slices for presentation. Sprinkle with extra dill if desired.
Bake in the preheated oven for around 30 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through (reaching an internal temp of 165 degrees).
That’s it! It bakes all together that easily, and the result is tart and buttery and nourishing! I hope you love it as much as we do!
Need more lemon recipes? I have lots! Luscious Lemon Bars are a huge hit, or Classic Lemon Meringue Pie. How about these Lemon Ricotta Pancakes or Lemon Crumb Bars which both utilize luscious lemon curd! Lots more lemon (soups, chicken, muffins) to love on That Which Nourishes, so type LEMON into the search field on the top left for more puckery-sweet goodness!
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