Baked Lemon Chicken with Swiss Chard, White Beans and Orzo
I eat chicken more than any other protein, so I’m always looking for new ways to cook with it. To me, the most flavorful pieces are the legs and thighs because of the fattier dark meat. Combined with Swiss chard and white beans, and flavored with fresh lemon juice, this dish is a delicious combination. Adding the par-cooked orzo at the end prevents the pasta from getting a gummy sticky texture. It’s a dish the family will love and request again and again. I love it because it’s a nice twist on the classic roasted chicken.
Baked Lemon Chicken with Swiss Chard, White Beans and Orzo
Baked Lemon Chicken with Swiss Chard, White Beans and Orzo is a delicious dinner packed with flavor. A twist on the classic roast chicken!
Servings: 4
Equipment
- Shallow dutch oven
Ingredients
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken legs
- 6 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large brown onion diced
- 4 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 2 large bunches Swiss Chard stemmed and roughly chopped
- 15.5- ounce canned cannellini beans drained and rinsed
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 10 ounces dry orzo pasta
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 medium lemon cut in half
- 1 tablespoon fresh parsley leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F.
- Liberally season the chicken on both sides with salt and pepper. Set a very large, oven-safe, skillet over medium-high heat with the oil. Once hot, add half of the chicken in a single layer. Cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the rest of the chicken. The chicken will be undercooked, but will continue to cook in the oven.
- Add the onion, garlic and crushed red pepper flakes to the same skillet and cook until softened, about 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the Swiss chard and cook until just beginning to wilt. Add the beams and white wine, stirring and cooking until the wine has almost completely reduced, about 5 minutes. Nestle the chicken back into the pan in a single layer and bake until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of chicken registers 165°, 25 to 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, bring a pot of cold water to a boil. Generously salt the water and add in the orzo. Cook until very al dente, it’ll continue to cook in the oven, and drain.
- Carefully remove the skillet from the oven and transfer the chicken pieces onto a plate or baking sheet, and cover loosely with foil to keep warm. Add the orzo to the skillet, along with the Parmesan and give it a stir. Return to the oven and cook for 5 minutes. Remove once again, nestle the chicken back in and squeeze the lemon juice on top. Garnish with parsley and serve. Enjoy!
