Ingredients
Chicken: (makes 4-5 servings)
- 6 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs
- 3 tbsp olive oil / 40 g
- 1 tsp salt / 5 g
- ½ tsp black pepper / 1 g
- 1 tsp garlic powder / 3 g
- 1 tsp onion powder / 2.5 g
- 1 tsp paprika / 2 g
- 2 tsp dried oregano / 2 g
- Zest of 1 lemon / 5 g
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes / 1 g
Orzo
- 350 g orzo
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter / 57 g
- 3½-4 cups chicken broth / 830-950 g
- Salt + black pepper, to taste
- 1 tsp lemon zest / 2 g
Creamy lemon sauce
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter / 57 g
- 3-4 garlic cloves, grated / 12-16 g
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes / 1 g
- 1 tsp dried oregano / 1 g
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 2 cups chicken broth / 475 g
- ½ cup heavy cream / 120 g
- Zest + juice of ½ lemon / 30 g juice
- Thin lemon slices
- 2-3 tbsp fresh dill / 6-9 g
- 1-2 tbsp cold butter / 14-28 g
Method
- Pat chicken very dry. Toss with oil and seasonings; marinate 30 min.
- Roast skin-side up at 425°F for 30-45 min. Broil 1-2 min for crispier skin.
- Melt butter, add orzo and toast 30-60 sec. Add broth, salt, pepper, and lemon zest. Simmer until tender, adding more broth as needed.
- For sauce, melt butter and sauté garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, and black pepper. Add broth and cream; gently simmer.
- Add lemon zest, juice, lemon slices, and dill. Low simmer and finish with cold butter until glossy.
- Serve chicken over orzo and spoon sauce over tops.
Resources
Debriefs
2026-10-31
The orzo was magnificent. The sauce was good, but too little. I evaporated a bit too much of it. And I used minced garlic at first instead of cloves. But it was a bit too much lemon, but I liked it, not too Timaf’s liking but she still liked it.
The chicken, sigh. I just get scared. Because we take it out the freezer the night beforehand, then I put it in a bowl of cold water for an hour. And then, there is still a frozen part in the center. So I think we need to make the freezer not be so freezy.
The chicken I cooked at 425 for 45 minutes, then broiled for 2-3 minutes. And it was just too tough. I just cooked it too much. It took a lot to cut it with a knife. The chicken inside was almost tender but not too much. Used Costco chicken btw.
