This Lemon Basil Orzo with Chicken is quick, easy, and absolutely scrumptious. It’s the ultimate spring-summer dinner; light yet incredibly tasty. It’s an instant hit you can count on.
April showers are swooping in, but they’ve got nothin’ on our bright spring vibe today.
The skies might be pouring, but we’ve got a kitchen full of bright, cheerful lemons and a cute little pot of basil thriving in an indoor pot. Poor little basil almost didn’t make it through our spring break in Beantown, but a some tender loving care brought it back to life.
BTW, if any of you have tried and true suggestions on how to keep basil alive indoors for more than two months (my record)…please do tell.
About this Lemon Basil Orzo with Chicken. Oh my goodness gracious. OMGG.
This dish is the ultimate happy spring-summer dinner. Easy. Quick. Tasty. Healthy.
You’ll wonder how Healthy can taste this good…
Our Littlest literally begs for slivers of lemon to nibble on, straight up. No sugar, no nothing. A kitchen of lemons equals a candy store to him. I exaggerated, but he does gobble up lemons.
Then there’s The Bulldog who falls for anything that falls on the ground, but quickly spits out any accidental lemon offering.
Meanwhile, all of us are crazy about this Lemon Basil Orzo with Chicken.
If it’s been awhile since you’ve cooked orzo, now’s the time to rekindle that flame. Orzo is quite possibly the most fun pasta there ever was. It looks like a grain, but it’s just baby pasta.
Paired with a zesty bright lemon sauce, plenty of garlic, basil, and tender chicken to create a ridiculously fantastic meal.
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This Lemon Basil Orzo with Chicken is quick, easy, and absolutely scrumptious. It’s the ultimate spring-summer dinner; light yet incredibly tasty. It’s an instant hit you can count on.
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb dry orzo pasta
- 2 lbs chicken breast tenders
- Olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 2 TB salted butter
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 2 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 1/2 cup freshly torn basil leaves
- Garnish: Lemon wedges, more parmesan, extra basil leaves
Instructions
- In a pot of generously salted water, cook orzo just until al dente; don’t overcook. Drain and toss with about 2 TB olive oil to prevent sticking. Keep warm.
- While pasta is cooking: pat dry the moisture from chicken tenders with paper towels. In a small bowl, whisk together 1/2 tsp kosher salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper, and 1 tsp garlic powder. Sprinkle evenly on both sides of chicken pieces.
- In a large skillet (not non-stick) add 4 TB olive oil over medium high heat. When oil is hot, cook chicken tenders just until no longer pink in center, about 2-3 min per side (depending on thickness of chicken.) Remove chicken from pan and keep warm.
- In same used skillet, add the butter over medium high heat. Once melted, add garlic and onion, stirring 1-2 minutes until fragrant. Add wine; deglaze pan by scraping bits loose with your spatula while the liquid cooks. Reduce liquid by half, about 3 minutes. Add lemon juice and turn off heat. Add kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste (1/4-1/2 tsp each.)
- Place cooked orzo in a large serving bowl; toss with freshly grated parmesan and onion/garlic mixture. Toss in basil leaves. Serve with chicken and garnish as desired.
Source: Chew Out Loud
Kitchen Essentials:
Spring-Summer Pasta Perfection:
2. No-Cook Tomato Garlic Sauce with Pasta
3. Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Chicken
4. Bruschetta (Tomato Basil) Pasta
This is one of my favorite dinners to make for my family! It comes together so quickly. When we have leftover rotisserie chicken, I’ll just reheat that for the dish. We make this all year long!
★★★★★
I’m so glad you found a family-favorite with this dish, Alexandra! Yay!! 🙂