I love orzo, chicken and feta. I tried an ATK recipe recently but I was very underwhelmed. I'll try this one Chloebud!

I have breasts and tenders in the freezer.

I see that my comment isn't showing up on the main page, as is my comment on the recipe thread. Definitely some glitches here, even though the Kitchen Table is working perfectly.

One of my favorites! This is the version I make:

https://www.homechef.com/meals/lemon-thyme-chicken-orzo

Chloebud, I'm glad you persevered That sounds great! And easy. I love Greekly lemony and heat, though I think I'd need to substitute spinach or arugula for the kale. Thanks!

rob, that sounds like another good one…thanks!

plllog, hard to know why the gremlins wouldn’t let me post the recipe. Spinach is also my preference which is why I used it, and I usually have it on hand. I think mixing the chicken and marinade and making the feta sauce in advance really ups flavors. “Greekly lemony”…YES!

That looks like a good recipe, but I will not be throwing any skillets.

I have lots of lemons right now, and this looks like a good way to use at least one of them. I will use thyme instead of rosemary, as that is what I prefer.

Also, I often substitute queso fresco for feta, but since I have neither at the moment, I will buy feta when I buy the chicken. I always have orzo on hand. Oh, and I like the idea of spinach instead of kale, although I do like kale, and so that is a bit of a toss-up.

Thanks for taking the effort to get your message posted!❤️

Lars, I can relate to the bounty of lemons. Queso fresco would be a good option. I was thinking I might add some artichoke hearts next time.

“Throwing the skillet?” I have to go reread the recipe!

I had leftover roast chicken around so I made avgolemono soup yesterday. Very similar in some respects to the above recipe - chicken, orzo (or rice) and lemon in a rich chicken broth enriched with egg yolks. It was quite spectacular if I do say so!!

That flavor profile is very appealing to me so I will be trying it as written and using the spinach in place of kale.

I think I may have been Greek in another life :-)

Lars I looked up queso fresco and it said that it can refer to many white cheeses. I'm guessing yours is similar to feta. What is the exact queso fresco that you are using? Thank you!

“I think I may have been Greek in another life”

Same here!

The amount of lemon juice might be correct if you're using Meyers, rather than the usual Eureka/Lisbon-type commercial lemons. Meyers are much milder and sweeter.

When I make Lemon Sponge Pudding Cake with Meyers I use 3-4x the amount of lemon juice called for vs Eurekas!

@jakkom, right...Meyers are sweeter than Eurekas or Lisbons. Our Meyer lemon tree is gone, but our Eureka is prolific just about year round. I was sorry to lose the Meyer tree, but I Iactually prefer the tartness of the Eurekas.

I finally made this tonight (sort of). I was thinking I needed to make dinner and there were some chicken breasts which I could cook off. Then I thought of this recipe, and looked at the ingredients, and saw that if I'd just go outside and picked some rosemary, and pulled a container of stock out of the freezer, I'd be good to go. I'd already started when I realized I'd tossed the spinach, because it (and the kale) had frozen in the fridge (something was too hot when it was put away, and the fridge went on the offensive with the cold). The baby arugula was all right, though, so I used it. Also, I had some spring shallots that needed using, so I substituted them for the shallots, and added the greens to bulk up the arugula. I didn't stir in the latter because I knew from experience that it was too tender and would do better kind of patted in from the top just before going into the oven.

I that those were all the deviations except for the sauce. I think the author of the recipe had a very different kind of cheese. I ended up using all of the single serving yoghurt cup, and all of the juice from a very big and juicy lemon (I'd started with half based on the comments) off the tree to counter the funk of the feta. I mean, I love feta, but as a sauce as written, it was overpowering. In the end, however, it was fantastic. That's a keeper of a recipe. The only thing is, it also overtook the whole dish. Luckily, I served it as a blob on the side, like ketchup, to spread as one ate. Even so, while the chicken tasted like chicken, and the orzo and all the cooked down shallots, garlic and greens, were identifiable, it ate as almost bland (and it was seasoned as directed, and I thought I might have been too generous with the salt), but I think the sauce blew out my palate. When I was moving the extra into a covered dish for the fridge, some time after dinner, I snagged a bite of the (tepid) orzo and it was super delicious--and tepid is the most flavorless temperature, usually. I think maybe feta wasn't the right cheese for this, or maybe just a corner, rather than 4 oz. Anyway, I'm looking forward to the leftovers. :)

I did read the recipe through a few times before making it, and knew that the "one pot" must refer to protein, starch and veg in one (though I also served salad), not less mess in the kitchen. :) It was fun to make, however, and did, indeed, make a good dinner.

Thank-you, again, Chloebud, for posting it.

So weird! my post is here, but the thread is still on the second page. ETA, I searched for this thread to add to it. My above post is still not in the index. This post is, and bump the thread to the top. I think this may be an attempt by Houzz to cut down on the appearance of obnoxious spam. I, myself, only flag spam which comes from someone who sounds like they've never read a post in CF and has an external link to a commercial site or blog. Whatever. i forced myself to eat a breakfasty breakfast rather than going for the leftovers, but there's always lunch....

Finally got around to trying this last night. To be honest, I was a little disappointed. With lemon and Dijon mustard I was expecting big bold flavours but it was just "nice". I'll try it again but with double the lemon and Diijon.

A couple of weeks ago I wanted to make this but had some pork fillet I needed to use up. So I did a riff on this and used pork fillet and pesto instead of Chicken, lemon and Dijon mustard. I also didn't use kale; can't recall if I subbed anything, but it would have been something like baby spinach and rocket leaves if I did. That was really good.

I finally figured out that the feta as written probably meant one of those factory cheeses that are more like queso fresco, rather than briny, salty, funky real feta. ;)

Colleen, did you have leftovers? Mine were really good.

I do have leftovers, I’ll probably have them tomorrow night or Tuesday night for dinner.

plllog, so sorry I missed seeing your detailed review and great photo! I’m glad it worked out okay. You have a good point regarding “factory cheeses.” I’m pretty addicted to French feta in brine I get at a small market here.

Colleen, sorry it wasn’t up to par for you. Easy to make some tweaks that work better. Hope the leftovers win some points! I made this again a couple weeks ago adding some canned artichoke hearts from TJ’s. Will definitely repeat that step next time.

I had the leftovers last night and the lemon flavour came through better. I’ll still amp up the lemon and mustard next time I make it.

Thanks for posting! Looks delicious. I think I will use thighs and spinach at the last minute.

What’s interesting is, as I mentioned in the original post, it was a little too lemon-y for me…and I’m a certified lemon lover. I did not add lemon to the orzo when I made it again recently.

For me, the lemon, especially in the orzo, was the best part, and the lemon flesh in the slices was wonderful. Especially, given the extra I had to cut the feta funk in the sauce with. I wonder if it could be what your tree is producing? Mine are very lemony, but not too different from good store bought. I'm assuming the orzo was chosen for the one potness of it all, and maybe that was an issue as well? I had fancy Itallian die cut which kept absorbing more and more liquid, and ended up tasting pretty much like Greek lemon chicken rice, but softer being waterlogged orzo. I actually think I might try it again with real rice.

So glad you liked it, Jasdip, and thanks for the pics!

plllog, it's hard to say but I don't think it's our lemon tree based on how often I use the lemons. I think your suggestion for rice sounds good. DH really enjoys this dish but he'd be happier with rice.

What i like about this type of recipe is the 'no-recipe-recipe' that has been increasingly common the past 1/2 dozen years. I like to call it 'rennasiance' cooking. Before so many relied on exact recipes. (1940's-60's, 70's) when my parents/grands used local ingredients and what we had available in season and 'put up' good ingredients for the winter. Canned or frozen.

Google image Mediterranean Greek Chicken feta bake... a few hundred variations pop up.

I like a recipe with loose variations that we don't get bogged down with shopping lists.

The only 'rule' i use is wide oval or rectangle baking dish---at least a two inch sides, and most ingredients in a single layer. The chicken, and the feta, exposed to the oven heat.

I like cherry tomatoes, frozen artichokes with the stems, (TJ's often has them). Olives, a few dried dates, halved. Sometimes small cubed potatoes --i give a head start in my oven while it pre-heats. I rarely stock orzo, but have many other grains. (orzo is a pasta that cooks fast). I prefer my grain cooked on the side and usually have one in the fridge.

I prefer 2-3 inch cubes of feta tucked in and exposed too the heat to toast and cherry tomatoes to blister--some under just add to the 'sauce'.

I've been making a Greek feta bake for years for an appetizer. Pop loves it. Served with toasted baquette slices. ...Mediterranean Feta Bake

Excelent next day lunch salad wraps, tacos...

Uh, yum

Definitely YUM! The words ”Mediterranean” and ”Feta” always grab me.

Hm... What S calls ”no recipe recipe” I call ”cooking”. For me, the difference is that a recipe is specific, desiring a specific result.

I made a half recipe tonight. I had one pound of chicken breasts, which I cut into ten chunks, since the whole pieces last time seemed too big. I also had dry leftover white basmati from a social order in dinner, and a big box of ”power greens”. The store was out of bunched greens, and they sent double the size I'd asked for. This seemed a great way to use it up! I'd also gotten a carton of dry crumbled cow's milk feta in advance of trying again. That was an over correction. The only flavor is salt. It also made the sauce grainy because the feta was dry, and there wasn't nearly enough to put in the Vita-mix, whereas the real feta version had a lovely creamy texture. I had Bulgarian style yoghurt rather than Greek, but it's still tangy and thinner, where I had to thin the sauce last time. I did end up adding a bunch of extra yoghurt and lemon juice again, just to taste. But then, as I was trying to get the shaker top off the smoked paprika, it slipped out of my hands, did a couple of summersaults, and ended up in a dishpan of soapy water. Enough fell on the cleaned-this-afternoon counter for the sauce, and it was going in the oven, so I lifted some from the top of the mound. Oy. The first one I made was incredible. I didn't like today's much off the spoon, but the dish needed something, so I tried it, and it fit perfectly, and this time went better with the rice. There is a point in following recipes, even if it's sort-of.

Otherwise, I did follow the recipe, except I omitted the dill garnish again, though it would have made it prettier (which may be the point, since it looked like b*** but tasted really good—the Italian orzo, last time, was a much more appealing tan color), and I used unsalted butter. This time the marinade stuck better to the chicken and made a better glaze in the pan for toasting the rice in. I never would have thought rosemary on my own, but it's really good.

I also did the sauce ahead, because I needed a break, which freed up the oven time for doing the dishes. This is such a mess to make! And I could make a lasagna in the amount to time (assuming the pasta is ready to cook with). I really like the end result, but it's not fun to make, and takes too long for regular dinner. But it's a good recipe.

BTW, my lemons, off the same tree, weren't as lemony this time, though very fragrant when picked. They weren't dry or sunburnt even with the watering cutbacks, but I have to think there's some seasonal difference. Both times they were from the ”easy” side of the tree, IDK.

plllog, looks like that post bumped things up. 👍🏻

I picked these off the ground this morning. Time for more lemonade!

Wow! I don't get a lot on the ground. Was it windy?

Love lemonade, if there's not much sugar in it. Just occurred to me...if I have extra lemons (in the house), I should try lemon in my veggie water. ;)

We always have some on the ground but this was more than usual. No wind but it’s been awhile since I’ve gone out to pick any up. Quite a few were hidden in some ivy.

Aha! A good excuse for ivy...jumping lemon cushions!

So, I happen to love cold leftovers, though generally cold rice is foul, even in fried rice or Persian rice. It just is. But as I was putting some leftovers in a ramekin to zap for lunch, I realized that it was super, as is, from licking the spoon. in fact, while it probably would have been nice heated, being cold, with the juices solidified, and the rice having taken on even more liquid as it cooled last night, it turned into the most delicious thing which I can only describe as savory rice pudding. Soooo good!

I like cold leftovers too 😁

Now I want some again! 😋

I've been thinking about the "rice pudding". I think that was the batch of stock that had lots of spines and was extra reduced, so there was a lot of collagen, etc., in the volume. I don't know if it would work as well with commercial stock. The puddingishness, I mean. I'm sure the recipe would be fine. :)

Chloebud, if you haven't turned the whole bucket into lemonade, you have a good excuse to make it!

Something else I've noticed is that the sauce is better on day two--more flavor--and on day three it's starting to mellow and lose its punch again. (Can you tell what I had for breakfast? It was a half recipe, but seemed to make a lot of food (and filling), even so!)

plllog, I’m sure you’re right about the stock. I haven’t eaten any leftovers of it yet, but more flavor on day two makes sense.

I did use all the lemons but there are plenty more! 🍋🍋🍋🍋🍋

How timely Chloe! I found some random/orphan chicken breasts in the freezer yesterday and was just musing about what I could make with them. Trying to clear out some bits and bobs from the freezer and fridge . . . This sounds fab and I have all the ingredients easily on hand.

Great! Hope you find it as tasty as we do!

Keep us posted Pink. I loved it!