Skillet Chicken Thighs With Broccoli and Orzo Recipe (2024)

The lemon ended up adding a discomfiting bitterness. What did I do wrong—in this recipe and in my life?

Just made this tonight! Delicious! I followed previous advice and added 1/2 of a red onion (added for a few minutes before garlic, thyme, orzo) and used only half of a lemon. I also added broccoli about 7-8 minutes after covering so that it wouldn't be overcooked. Turned out beautifully topped with parmesan cheese. Nice and light!

To keep the chicken skin crispy, I suggest finishing it uncovered in a 425 degree oven instead of covered on the stove.

Great one-dish meal. Echo what others posted about halving the amount of lemon and finishing uncovered in the oven for 15-20 mins at 425 to get nice crispy skin instead of finishing covered on the the stove. And leftovers are going to be amazing.

I’ve tried to make this recipe work several times...it just doesn’t happen. Don’t add the lemon slices. The way the recipe calls for just makes them bitter no matter the type or thickness of lemon. Only the smallest thighs cook all the way through. The idea of this recipe is great, but this simply doesn’t work. As one person who added a comment asked how they went wrong in life, you didn’t, the author of this recipe did.

Omit the chicken?

I added half a yellow onion (chopped) to the pan halfway through braising the chicken and I went with paella rice instead of orzo which upped the cooking time but both worked out great. Next time, I'm going to add some mushrooms and I won't add the lemon slices back in for the second half of cooking. It overwhelmed the dish.

I made it last night. I like my broccoli on the tender side so it wasn't an issue for me, but I could see holding the broccoli out for the first 5-10 minutes of covered cooking if you like crisper broccoli. I would add that while good, I think it could have used some more kick to offset the lemon, so I'd go heavy on the pepper next time I make it, or even add some red pepper flakes.

I liked this a lot, but I agree with the other reviews about the lemon. When I remake this I will only squeeze the juice in from one lemon, not add in the slices itself. Similarly, I also agree about adding in the broccoli later, about 7-8 minutes or so before the dish is done when the chicken and orzo are finishing. Otherwise, very easy and quick and a good meal to make during the week.

I made this with boneless, skinless thighs because that's what I had on hand, and it was still mighty tasty and lower fat to boot. This one's going into the keeper file!

I added some extra broth (maybe 1/2 cup) and cooked everything covered for about 12 minutes, turned off the heat, and let it sit for about another 5. I used a large cast iron skillet. The chicken was juicy, I didn’t care about crisp, and the flavors from the lemon and broccoli soaked into the orzo. The sauce was supreme. Just add pepper. The broccoli didn’t feel over cooked, just saucy. Lemon slices were cooked so well you could eat them, rind and all.

I made this in my deep cast-iron skillet. It came out soupy, with undercooked chicken (finished in the microwave) and overcooked orzo stuck to the bottom. Next time, I'll use my big stainless-steel skillet and finish it in the oven.

I have made this twice now. First time I followed the recipe closely. I ended up over cooking the orzo because the chicken had to cook so much longer at the end. Also, broccoli was just a weird flavor with everything else. Second time, tonight, I cooked the chicken in step1 until it was almost completely cooked and nice and brown all over. This took at least 10 minutes each side. I replaced the broccoli with spanish olives,left out butter completely. Followed rest of recipe. Really good.

I didn't have any chicken thighs on hand, so I used boneless chicken breasts instead, which worked well. I also substituted Arborio for the orzo, also fine!

I found this rather bland. I did use only half the lemon as I was worried about it being overwhelming and I don't think more lemon would have helped. I think adding onion would have made a big difference. Saute it with the garlic then add the orzo. I used vermouth instead of white wine and did not add the broccoli until I put the chicken back in and steamed it. It was still over done. I did top it all with some fresh parm which I found helpful.

I was looking for a side with orzo to go with a rotisserie chicken. I cut up the breast and thighs and just added whole at end to warm through Remove pith from all lemons to avoid bitterness, discard the end pieces, they are perfectDidn’t have white wine, deglazed with half mirin half white wine vinegar, about 1/4 cup in totalReplaced broccoli with Swiss chard I had on hand. Highly recommend. Lots more garlic than recipe suggests. Serve with crusty breadTotal cooking time 15 minutes?

Parm is essential

This is a lousy recipe on so many levels. First the amount of liquid prescribed to cook the orzo is inaccurate. 2 cups is insufficient. There is no need to add additional fat (butter) when cooking the lemon. Finally the broccoli is added too soon in the cooking process.If the recipe is followed, the broccoli will be grossly overcooked. Has this recipe been tested before being published?

This was probably the worst flop of a meal I’ve ever made. I prepared it exactly as written and it was nearly inedible. I learned my lesson about not reading the notes on a recipe before trying! As others noted- incredibly bitter, broccoli was way overdone, and my chicken thighs were nowhere near cooked in that time (of course this could be that they were too big, but I thought they were a normal size. I had to finish them in the oven).

I used string beans and dried thyme because that's what I had. Turned out great.

I have made this a couple of times and we love it! We like the lemons as directed. I made it once with basmati rice since that is what I had on hand and it worked great. I also add onion because it just seems that is a natural fit. I put it in at the same time as the garlic. This recipe is in our regular rotation of meals.

Definitely doing again. The lemon makes it tart, but not lemon tasting like so often happens. Use an extra 1/4 cup of broth, some of the orzo was a little crunchy, or could have used a different lid. I think some more veggies are in order: mushrooms, and shallots.

This was very tasty! I had to make some changes (not because I wanted to, but because I did not have the ingredients). I used regular rice instead of orzo and boneless thighs and I did not have thyme, but it still came out so good! It’s a lovely and easy recipe to make on a weeknight! I had to cook the rice longer than the instructions say and it was still a wee bit chewy but it was very tasty!!

Adding my voice to the chorus—way too bitter and the broccoli was overcooked. Great concept but will definitely modify if I make again.

Very tasty. I added mushrooms which was a nice flavor add. I think half a lemon would be better so as not to overdue. Chicken skin didn't crisp as much as I'd hoped, but an easy and delicious weeknight staple.

Was very good. Didn't have wine so used more chicken broth (bouillon, actually). Used boneless skinless thighs and 1/4 t dried thyme. Used clementines because no lemon. Clementines were great! I think the lemon would have been too bitter.

This recipe is fun to make with lots room for tinkering/building on to suit your taste. I read through remarks before adding my own, and I'll say I love all the lemon, while I may want to swap out the broccoli for broccoli rabe, and I'll certainly try moving the dish to the oven once the chicken's added.

I used skinless chicken breast, cooked first in oil, dry thyme, garlic, salt/pepper. I also subbed pre-cooked brown rice (1 cup) and thawed frozen broccoli. When chicken was 3/4 cooked, deglazed pan with wine, cooked down wine (~3 min) - squeezed juice of 1/2 lemon. Add rice, broccoli, 1 cup chicken broth. Medium heat 8 minutes - perfect! Served with lemon wedge & parmesan cheese.

Hold the broccoli out of the pan until the last 5 minutes. This allows you to better brown the orso without it in the way in the pan. Following the recipe,add the liquid and chicken & lemon.Then cover to cook and let it all absorb the flavor of the liquid. Add the broccoli for 3 minutes once the orso is almost done and tender. Now turn on the broiler. Before serving, put the dish under the broiler for 2 minutes. Keeps the chicken skin crisp and slightly browns the broccoli tips. Delicious!

I doubled this, but glad I finished the chicken in the oven at 425, there was still a fair amount of liquid in the pan at the end. Left the lid cracked for an extra 5 min to let the moisture out and it came out OK. This can benefit from some parm and red pepper flakes for sure.