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As soon as I saw EatingWell’s new recipe for Lemon Chicken Orzo, I clicked on the little heart above the recipe image to save it to my “Dinners” collection on MyRecipes. I like to organize the recipes I find on EatingWell and some of my other favorite recipe sites (like Food & Wine and Real Simple) on MyRecipes, so I can reference them quickly when I’m planning meals for the week.

This dinner instantly made the cut because I could tell from the name that my husband and I would enjoy it. Orzo is a go-to in our house; and so is chicken, for that matter. After scanning the ingredient list and seeing 6 cloves of garlic (!) in addition to lemon juice and zest, I knew it would have punchy lemon-garlic flavor. I needed no more convincing than that to add it to the next week’s meal plan. And clearly I’m not the only one who was excited about this recipe, because it ended up being one of our most-saved recipes in April.

How to Make Lemon Chicken Orzo

The recipe starts with slicing boneless, skinless chicken breasts in half horizontally to make thin chicken cutlets that will cook through quickly while still picking up some nice browning. I always buy chicken breasts in packages of three, but the recipe calls for only two. I was about to wrap the extra and put it in the freezer, but then I decided to just go ahead and cook it. This way my husband could have a whole chicken breast and I could have a half that night, and we’d still have plenty for leftovers the next night. (It’s such a bonus to have leftovers on hand on a packed day when I’m trying to squeeze in a workout between work and dinner.)

After cutting all the chicken breasts into cutlets, I sprinkled them with Italian seasoning (an herby mix that typically contains basil, oregano, rosemary and thyme) and salt. Then I sautéed them in a little olive oil in a cast-iron skillet until they were nicely browned on both sides—just the right amount of time for them to cook through to 160°F degrees. (To accommodate my extra chicken breast, I simply browned the chicken in batches, adding more olive oil to the pan before adding the second batch.)

With the chicken well-browned and resting on a cutting board off to the side, I moved on to the rest of the dish. Leaving all that nice fond (the browned bits from cooking the chicken) in the pan, I added more olive oil, a finely chopped shallot, all that minced garlic, chopped fresh rosemary and a little crushed red pepper. I let the shallot soften and then poured in the orzo.

Adding the orzo to the pan before introducing liquid gives it time to toast and builds flavor. I then stirred in broth and heavy cream and simmered the orzo until it was tender and had absorbed most of the liquid. The recipe calls for whole-wheat orzo, which I love but always have a hard time finding at my regular grocery store, so I used white orzo instead. It cooked perfectly in the amount of time and liquid the recipe calls for.

Next, I mixed an entire 5-ounce container of baby spinach into the pasta. It won’t seem like all that spinach will fit, but just add it by the handful, stirring and letting it wilt slightly after each handful, until it’s all in. Voila! Like magic.

To finish the pasta mixture and add a serious boost of flavor, I stirred in grated Parmesan cheese and the lemon zest and juice. Finally, I sliced the chicken, arranged it on top of the orzo and covered it to let it warm back up. Just before serving, I sprinkled some fresh basil on top. After the final touch, I grabbed a large spoon and scooped portions onto our plates.

Why I Love Lemon Chicken Orzo

Oh my goodness…how do I even tell you how delicious this easy weeknight meal is? My husband immediately said, “Wow, lemony!” after his first bite, whereas I picked up on the pungent garlic notes and the nutty Parmesan right away.

I really loved how the dish was creamy but not overwhelmingly rich or heavy. It’s also high in protein due to the sliced chicken on top (and whole-wheat pasta if you use it), so it’s very satisfying. You get a good balance of protein and carbs, plus lots of nutrients from all that baby spinach. I loved scooping up the orzo mixture and including a small piece of chicken in every bite.

Also, you might have picked up on this as I walked you through the recipe, but this is a one-pan dinner. I’ll admit that I’m not usually the one who does the dishes in our house, but I still love the idea of a meal that comes together in one pan and doesn’t require much cleanup. Yes, you have to cook the chicken, then remove it, then add it back in at the end, but that’s so much easier than crowding the stovetop with three different pots and pans to make your chicken, pasta and vegetable separately (and cleaning all those pots and pans). Plus, cooking everything in the same pan means you get extra flavor when those browned bits from the chicken infuse the pasta mixture.

I hope you give this delicious recipe a try sometime soon! Be sure to click the little heart to save it to your own MyRecipes collection as a reminder.