Skillet Chicken with Lemon and Olives is a delicious one-pot meal and an easy, healthy, baked chicken recipe made with tangy preserved lemon, briny green olives, garlic and flavorful orzo pasta cooked in pan drippings, white wine, and chicken broth. It’s what should be for dinner tonight!
This chicken skillet dinner is family-friendly, cooks in less than an hour, and is not only a great weeknight dinner, but it’s also a wonderful company-worthy dinner party entrée.
Donna, a good friend of mine that lives in North Carolina recently sent me a luscious looking recipe for Tunisian Skillet Chicken which uses preserved lemons because she knows how much I love using them in cooking. One look at her recipe and I knew it was something I had to make. I had also made a delicious and similar One Skillet Lemon Butter Chicken and Orzo recipe by Half Baked Harvest a week or so ago and my husband loved the addition of orzo in her recipe.
An idea for a new recipe which is a cross between the two other recipes was hatched. The result is this yummy one-pot meal Skillet Chicken with Lemon and Olives! This dish starts in a skillet on top of the stove, but you finish everything off in the oven which should give you at least a few minutes to put your feet up and relax while the oven does all of the work. And, hey, only one skillet to wash! That would be reason enough to make this for dinner even if it weren’t so good!
If you like this chicken recipe, you might also like these popular recipes: Bacon, Mushroom and Thyme Chicken, Chicken with Mushrooms and Herb Sauce, and Healthy Chicken Cauliflower Skillet. You can find even more delicious chicken recipes here: Chicken Recipe Index.
You also won’t believe how easy it is to make your own preserved lemons and a jar of preserved lemons makes a wonderful hostess gift for the foodies in your life. Check out my easy recipe here: How to make Preserved Lemons.
And, finally, if you like olives as we do, be sure to check out my new recipe for Bruschetta with Citrus Roasted Olives and Burrata.
How to make Skillet Chicken with Lemon and Olives
Gather the ingredients for Skillet Chicken with Lemon and Olives which are: olive oil, chicken, preserved lemons (you can substitute fresh lemons), butter, garlic, orzo pasta, white wine, chicken broth, kosher salt, ground black pepper, pitted green olives and parsley for garnish.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
To the same skillet, add the sliced lemon and green olives. Cook the olives and lemon for about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
Turn the heat down to medium. Add the butter, garlic, and orzo to the skillet and toast the orzo. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Don’t let the garlic burn.
Add the wine to the pan. Add the chicken broth and stir well to combine. Add the chicken, lemon, and olives back to the pan and increase the heat to high. When the liquid starts to boil, transfer the pan to the oven and cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until the chicken and orzo are cooked through.
Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Top the dish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
Tips:
* If you use chicken breasts and they are large, cut them in half so they will cook in the same amount of time as the orzo.
**You can order preserved lemons online, or most specialty food stores also stock them. However, they can be expensive. It’s easy to make your own and they last forever in your refrigerator. Check out this easy recipe: How to Make Preserved Lemons.
Skillet Chicken with Lemon and Olives Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 2 lbs chicken pieces skin on, can use thighs, drumsticks, or breasts*
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1/2 preserved lemon rinsed and sliced into thin strips (can also substitute thinly sliced fresh lemon)**
- 2 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 2 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 cup green olives pitted
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 1/3 cup dry white wine I used chardonnay
- 2-1/2 cups chicken broth
- 1 Tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper.
- Heat the olive oil in a large oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 4 minutes per side. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
- To the same skillet, add the sliced lemon and green olives. Cook the olives and lemon for about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
- Turn the heat down to medium. Add the butter, garlic, and orzo to the skillet and toast the orzo. This should take about 2-3 minutes. Don't let the garlic burn.
- Add the wine to the pan. Add the chicken broth and stir well to combine. Add the chicken, lemon, and olives back to the pan and increase the heat to high. When the liquid starts to boil, transfer the pan to the oven and cook uncovered for 20 minutes or until the chicken and orzo are cooked through.
- Remove the skillet from the oven and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Top the dish with fresh parsley and serve immediately.
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