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Baked Lemon Chicken with Swiss Chard White Beans and Orzo
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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!
Prep Time20 minutes
Cook Time40 minutes
Total Time1 hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Chicken, Dinner
Servings: 4
Author: Jonathan Melendez

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!