One-Pot Lemon Chicken and Orzo

Tender chicken, orzo pasta, tomatoes and spinach come together in a lemon cream sauce for a delicious dinner made all in one pan. This one-pot Lemon Chicken and Barley dish will become a weeknight dinner favorite in no time!

We love one-dish dinners around here. There’s nothing better than minimal cleanup and a meal my family will happily devour.

One-pot spaghetti and one-pot beef stroganoff are a big hit around here. I wanted to add to my list of one pot dinners with something around chicken and orzo (one of my favorite pasta shapes) and this one pot lemon chicken and orzo was born.

Between the chicken, orzo, spinach, and tomatoes, this is truly a complete one-pan meal. Talk about a weekly dinner win!

What is barley?

If you’ve ever eaten barley in a restaurant or seen it in prepared salads at places like Whole Foods, you might think it’s a type of rice because of the shape.

But orzo is actually pasta! You can find it in the supermarket together with other small and shaped pastas.

Orzo is great in pasta salad recipes like my Greek Orzo Salad and barley salad with herbed shrimp. It is also delicious in soups and main dishes such as barley in a pot with chicken sausage and this unique dish of chicken with lemon and barley coffee.

Just like most pastas, you can often find whole grain orzo in addition to regular orzo. Feel free to use the whole grain version in this recipe if you want to increase the fiber and protein content.

Gluten-free barley options are also available for anyone following a gluten-free diet.

My tasty one pot lemon barley chicken

This One Pot Lemon Barley Chicken has so many great things packed into one dish.

Tender chicken is nestled in a pot of creamy barley coffee. A touch of lemon and Dijon mustard add lots of flavor and liven up the dish.

Add spinach and tomatoes for extra color and flavor and you have a lot of goodness in this meal.

The entire recipe is cooked in one pot, so you’ll have fewer dishes to clean up at the end of dinner. Leftovers also make great lunches later in the week!

How to make lemon chicken and orzo

This one-pot lemon chicken and barley dish looks fancy, but it’s actually pretty easy to make. Let’s talk about!

Ingredients you will need

Don’t be intimidated by the long list of ingredients in this recipe. Once you get into the recipe, you’ll see that it’s actually not that bad.

To make this dish you will need:

• 2 pounds boneless/skinless chicken breasts or thighs
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 large nut
• 4-5 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 1/2 cups dried barley
• 1 cup cream
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan
• 4 tablespoons lemon juice
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 10 ounces cherry tomatoes or halved cherry tomatoes (optional)
• 5 ounces fresh spinach
• Salt and pepper to taste

I created this recipe so you can use chicken breasts or thighs, depending on what you prefer or have on hand.

I like to add cherry or cherry tomatoes to my orzo lemon chicken. I like the added acidity and the pop of color they add, but feel free to omit them if you don’t like tomatoes.

Technically you could omit the spinach too, but I like to have it here so it’s truly a whole one pot meal. If you want to leave it out, I suggest having another vegetable side dish, like air fried green beans or honey glazed carrots.

Prepare the chicken and barley

In a large dutch oven oh deep pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the chicken pieces and cook until browned on both sides and the internal temperature is 165°F on medium. instant read thermometer.

This will take about 5-7 minutes per side. Work in batches if necessary! Once the chicken is cooked, remove it to a plate, but leave the pan over medium heat.

Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, thyme, and Italian seasoning and cook for another minute.

Sprinkle flour over cooked onions. Stir to combine and cook for 1 minute, then add the chicken broth and mustard. While stirring, use the spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil.

Once simmered, add the barley along with the cream, parmesan, lemon juice and zest and the cherry tomatoes cut in half. Season with a generous pinch of salt and pepper and stir to combine.

Reduce the heat to low. Cover and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the barley is cooked.

Once the barley is ready, taste the seasoning. Add additional salt and pepper as needed, then add the spinach and return the chicken to the pot.

Let the spinach wilt and the chicken warm through before serving with more Parmesan and a squeeze of lemon.

Ways to change this recipe

Here’s how to prepare this lemon and barley chicken according to the recipe. But like so many of my dinner recipes, you can change a few things to suit your family’s tastes!

Make it gluten-free replacing traditional barley with gluten-free barley. Omit the flour and reduce the liquid ingredients by ¼ to ½ cup. The sauce may not be as thick, but it will be delicious!

Use whole grain barley to add a little extra fiber and protein to your plate without your family noticing.

Use rotisserie chicken instead of chicken breasts or legs. Start by sautéing the onions in olive oil; continue with the recipe as written, adding a few cups of shredded rotisserie chicken at the end.

Swap the cherry tomatoes for dried tomatoes. Coarsely chop a jar of dried tomatoes in oil and add them to the recipe instead of the cherry tomatoes or wait to stir them in with the spinach at the end.