Skillet Chicken With Orzo, Dill and Feta

By Sarah Copeland

Updated July 31, 2019

  • A cast-iron skillet holds chicken legs with orzo, dill and feta, with additional olives, feta and a lemon half nearby.
    David Malosh for The New York Times
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
35 minutes, plus marinating
Rating
4(2,925)
Comments
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Chicken and orzo is timeless combination, simple and satisfying. In this recipe, you could use chicken thighs, but drumsticks make this dish super family-friendly. Of course, if you have a crowd that doesn’t love the classic feta-dill pairing, feel free to change the toppings. Mint or parsley work just as well for the herbs, and any salty, crumbly cheese is lovely here. You can dress this up as you like with cucumbers or cherry tomatoes, or green olives, served alongside or pitted, chopped and tossed in instead. Besides the obvious perk of its being a one-pot dinner, this recipe yields great leftovers. For the next day’s lunch, pull any remaining chicken off the bone, chop it, skin and all, and toss with the remaining orzo, vegetables and cheese. Know that the orzo — a very small pasta, not rice — soaks up all the liquid and flavor as it sits and cools, so you may need a drizzle of oil and lemon juice over the top to serve it the second day.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 2 lemons

  • 5 tablespoons olive oil

  • 3 garlic cloves, smashed

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon black pepper

  • 2 pounds chicken drumsticks or bone-in thighs

  • 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped

  • 2 cups orzo

  • 3 cups chicken broth or water

  • 2 small or 1 large thin-skinned (English) cucumbers, chopped

  • 5 ounces feta, crumbled (about 1 ¼ cups)

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill

  • Castelvetrano or other green olives, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

62 grams carbs; 269 milligrams cholesterol; 1098 calories; 32 grams monosaturated fat; 11 grams polyunsaturated fat; 20 grams saturated fat; 69 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 1573 milligrams sodium; 58 grams protein; 9 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut one of the lemons into wedges and set aside. Juice the remaining lemon and combine with 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper, in a large resealable plastic bag or in a bowl, along with the chicken pieces. Seal and shake the bag (or stir in the bowl) to coat. Set aside for 30 minutes, or refrigerate up to overnight.

  2. Step 2

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting the excess drip off, and cook until lightly golden all over, turning when the chicken releases easily from the pan, about 12 minutes total. Transfer chicken to a plate and set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Add the onion to the pan and stir to coat with the remaining fat. Decrease heat to medium and cook until soft, about 4 minutes. Stir in the orzo and the broth or water. Cook until the liquid is partly absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Top with the chicken legs and cover with a lid or foil. Continue cooking until the orzo is tender, most of the liquid is absorbed, and the chicken is cooked through, 15 to 20 minutes more, depending on the size of your drumsticks or thighs. Remove from the heat and scatter the cucumber, feta and dill over the top. Serve from the skillet with lemon wedges and olives.

Tip

  • Some cast-iron skillets come with a matching lid, which is useful for making the skillet operate a bit like a mini stove-top oven, cooking evenly and basting the food with flavor and steam. If you don’t have one, use a lid from another pan, or two layers of thick foil, folded at the center and large enough to cover your pan.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
2,925 user ratings
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Comments

Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor

so good, so easy! i made with boneless chicken thighs b/c i have squeamish children. watch the heat level. if you're not careful, the orzo will stick to the bottom of your pan.

Stacey

After a previous note about the cook time taking longer than the recipe indicated, I browned the chicken very well in the first step and kept it covered with foil until I was ready to add it back to the pan. It was done right on time. I'll make this again!

Charlie Henss

To clean discolored Le Creuset, try one part chlorine bleach (e.g. Clorox) to five parts water; soak until stains disappear (you will see some results almost instantly, but may have to wait a couple of hours for the full effect).

Emily K.

Despite the great ingredients in this dish, it sorely lacked flavor. We added a lot of salt and lemon juice to no avail. It needs to be tweaked or rewritten. Can’t recommend!

ronnie

so simple and delicious! we used boneless chicken thighs and added some roasted broccoli to the mix. pro-tip: if you're doubling the recipe like i did, consider using a cast-iron dutch oven instead of a skillet! i tried to cook a double batch in our skillet and got broth all over the stovetop :')

marina

This took 2 hours total and lacked flavor. The recipe is poorly written and all the techniques are fighting each other. The chicken skin becomes soggy, chicken doesn’t cook through, orzo almost burns, no salt anywhere. No depth to the orzo and chicken is severely under seasoned. Major skip.

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