Creamy Greek Chicken With Orzo

This Greek chicken recipe with orzo features tender asparagus, orzo, and chicken in a bright and creamy lemon avgolemono sauce.

Recently I shared a recipe for one of my favorite Greek dishes–avgolemono–a creamy Greek lemon chicken soup that’s naturally thickened with egg whisked into the broth to create a silky smooth and tangy soup. I’ve been obsessed with the way the eggs emulsify with the warm lemon juice to make the most luscious sauce that you’d swear had cream or butter (if you didn’t know any better). I decided I had to incorporate this awesome technique into another dish, and so this creamy Greek chicken with orzo was created. It features tender orzo and asparagus alongside tender chicken breast, all tossed in the most sublime, silky-smooth lemon sauce with fresh dill. Much like my lemony chicken stew with orzo and my creamy lemon chicken, this dish is warm and hearty, singing with bright lemon flavor.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• This Greek chicken with orzo is easy to make and is a complete meal
• It features the lightest, yet creamiest lemon sauce ever that is made without dairy!
• There are so many fun ingredient swaps you could make with this versatile recipe

What’s in This Greek Chicken With Orzo

• Extra-Virgin olive oil—for pan-searing the chicken
• Butter—I like doing a combo of olive oil and butter for flavor but also because when working together, they have the best smoke point
• Boneless, skinless chicken breasts—(we’ll slice them in half lengthwise to create two cutlets per breast)
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper—always, for flavor
• Chicken broth—for cooking the orzo and serving as the base of our sauce (you could also use storebought)
• Dried dill or fresh dill—for a fresh Greek flavor
• Orzo—you could also use rice if you prefer
• Asparagus—cooks with the orzo
• Eggs—for silky, saucy goodness (similar to the technique for making avgolemono)
• Lemon juice and lemon zest—for bright lemony flavor in the luscious sauce

Find the complete recipe with measurements below.

How to Make This Greek Chicken with Orzo

• Brown the chicken. Heat some butter and olive oil in a large skillet, season both sides of the chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.
• Start the sauce. Flip the chicken and add the broth, dill, some salt. Bring to a simmer and cook partially covered for 4-5 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate and cover to keep warm. Set the skillet aside with the broth.

• Cook the orzo and asparagus. Cook the orzo in a large pot of boiling salted water. Add the asparagus and continue cooking until the orzo is tender and the asparagus is bright green, about 4 minutes longer.
• Drain and season the orzo. After draining, return the orzo to the pot, season with salt and pepper, and stir in the butter until melted. Cover to keep warm and set aside.

• Emulsify the avgolemono sauce. In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs with the lemon juice and some pepper until frothy. Bring the reserved chicken broth mixture back to a simmer, then set the heat to the lowest possible setting and whisk in the eggs in a thin stream. Continue to cook over super low heat, whisking continuously for about 3 minutes and the sauce thickens. Don’t let the sauce come to a simmer or it could curdle. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

• Plate it up. Slice the chicken breasts and stir any chicken drippings into the sauce. Divide the orzo and asparagus between plates, top with the chicken, and ladle with the sauce. Sprinkle with lemon zest and fresh dill if desired.

Recipe Tips

• Slice the chicken breasts in half lengthwise for faster cooking. I like to butterfly my chicken breasts by slicing them in half lengthwise. Doing this helps them cook faster and more evenly.
• Cook the chicken in both butter and oil for a golden crust. I like using a combo of olive oil and butter for searing my chicken. That’s because butter brings such a great flavor and olive oil has a higher smoke point, which helps brown the meat without causing the butter to burn.
• The size of your asparagus will determine its cooking time. I like to cut my asparagus into 2-inch-sized pieces to make them easier to eat and also cook faster.
• Whisk the eggs into the sauce over very low heat so the sauce doesn’t curdle. If your sauce is too hot or you don’t gradually whisk your eggs into the sauce, they could scramble.

Ingredient Substitutions

• Use either dried dill or fresh dill. Dried dill has more intensity in a smaller amount than fresh.
• Swap the orzo for fusilli or orecchiette
• Try white beans, shrimp, or grilled salmon instead of chicken
• Add some crumbled feta
• Olives, capers, marinated artichokes, roasted tomatoes, and/or sun-dried tomatoes would be yummy additions
• Add toasted Marcona almonds or pine nuts for crunch.

Storage Tips

This Greek chicken with orzo will keep stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. I don’t recommend freezing this as the orzo and asparagus textures will not hold up well in the freezer.

What to Serve With this Greek Chicken

If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.