Skillet Chicken Thighs With Broccoli and Orzo

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.