Quick chicken and lemon orzo with spinach and parmesan

Quick chicken and lemon orzo with spinach and parmesan: creamy, fresh and easy for every day. With tender chicken breast, lemon, spinach and savoury parmesan.

At a glance

• Serves 2
• Prep time: 5 min
• Cooking time: 20 min
• Total time: 25 min
• Calories: 520 kcal per serving
• Protein: 40 g
• Fat: 16 g
• Carbs: 52 g

Ingredients

• 300 g chicken breast
• 500 ml chicken stock
• 200 g spinach
• 1 unwaxed lemon (juice and zest)
• 50 g grated parmesan
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 pinch of salt
• 1 pinch of pepper

Method

You’ll need: saucepan · chopping board · knife · grater · wooden spoon

1. Cut the chicken breast into strips, season with salt and pepper and fry in the olive oil until golden brown all over. Then take it out of the pan and set aside briefly.
2. Melt the butter in the same pan and soften the onion and garlic until translucent. Add the orzo and toast briefly until everything smells lightly fragrant.
3. Pour in the chicken stock, bring to the boil and cook over a medium heat. Stir now and then until the orzo is soft and has almost absorbed the liquid.
4. Return the chicken to the pan and fold in the spinach. Leave for a moment until the spinach wilts.
5. Stir in the parmesan, lemon juice and lemon zest and season to taste with salt and pepper.
6. Serve straight away, ideally with a little extra parmesan and freshly ground pepper on top.

Good to know

A meal like this is on the table fast and still tastes like something special. Fresh, savoury and exactly the kind of after-work cooking that doesn't wear you out.

Swaps

Chicken breast → turkey breast (similar protein content and often a little milder in flavour); orzo → wholewheat orzo (also provides fibre); butter → ghee (buttery flavour, contains only traces of lactose); parmesan → pecorino made from sheep's milk (stronger flavour).

Allergens

Contains gluten and milk, and possibly celery depending on the stock. Good for children if the lemon and pepper are kept mild, and fine in pregnancy as long as the chicken is cooked right through and the parmesan is either made from pasteurised milk or long-matured.