Lemon Chicken Orzo Bakes
on Sep 19, 2025
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This Lemon Chicken Orzo Bake is light, refreshing, and perfect for meal prep. Packed with lean protein, tender orzo, and fresh veggies, it’s a balanced and flavorful dish that bakes right in the oven. Each serving has over 30 grams of protein, making it an easy option to prep ahead for lunches or dinners.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- High protein & balanced – 30g+ protein per serving.
- One-dish prep – everything bakes together in the oven.
- Bright flavors – lemon, spinach, and asparagus make it taste fresh and light.
- Perfect for meal prep – reheats beautifully throughout the week.
Nutritional Information / Macros
Makes: 5 servings
Serving size: 1 bowl
Calories: 363
Macros: 30.3p / 23.9c / 10.8f / 2.5 fiber
Search the food database in MyFitnessPal and MacrosFirst for Stay Fit Mom Lemon Chicken Orzo Bowls
Ingredients
- orzo
- chicken broth
- boneless skinless chicken breast
- oregano
- dill
- paprika
- salt
- pepper
- olive oil
- butter
- onion
- garlic
- asparagus
- spinach
- lemon
- parmesan cheese
Substitution Ideas
- Protein – Swap chicken breast for shrimp or salmon (reduce baking time).
- Grain – Use white rice instead of orzo at a 1:1 ratio (macros will be very similar).
- Vegetables – Broccoli, zucchini, or green beans can replace asparagus.
- Dairy-Free – Leave out the parmesan or swap for a dairy-free alternative.
What is Orzo?
If you’ve never cooked with orzo before, you might mistake it for rice—it’s actually a tiny, rice-shaped pasta. Orzo cooks up tender and slightly chewy, making it perfect for casseroles, soups, and meal prep recipes like this one.
Because it’s pasta, orzo absorbs flavors beautifully—like the creamy garlic-Parmesan sauce in this recipe. It also reheats well, which makes it a great option for prepping ahead of time.
If you don’t have orzo in your pantry, don’t worry—you can substitute rice at a 1:1 ratio and still get a similar, delicious result with nearly identical macros.
Recipe Tip
Make sure to stir all your bowls after baking, before you cover them with lids and store. This way the orzo does’t all stick together and clump.
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Meal Prep Supplies Used
4 cup glass bowls – My meal prep recipes always use this size of bowl and they are perfect! Make sure you are purchasing bowls that say they are oven safe!
Half Sheet Pan – All 5 bowlls fit perfectly on almost all half sheet pans.
Vegetable Chopper – I use this as often as I can.
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Lemon Chicken Orzo Bakes
Equipment
Ingredients
- 15 tablespoons orzo, uncooked(5.25oz)
- 1.25 cups chicken broth
- 25 ounces boneless skinless chicken breast
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 2 teaspoons dill
- 1 teaspoons paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, 14g
- 1 tablespoon butter, 14g
- 1/2 small onion, diced (75g)
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1.5 cups asparagus, diced (165g)
- 2 handfuls spinach, diced (100g)
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese, 28g
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and arrange 5 oven safe containers on a cookie sheet.
- To each bowl add 3 tablespoons of orzo and 1/4 cup of chicken broth.
- Dice up chicken and season it with the oregano, dill, paprika, salt and pepper. Place 5 ounces of chicken in each bowl right on top of the orzo and in the center. Do not mix it in.
- Heat up the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted add the garlic and let simmer about 30 seconds. Add the onions and asparagus and cook for 3-5 minutes until the onions become translucent.
- Add the spinach and let cook another 1-2 minutes until it softens. Add some lemon zest and a squeeze of half the lemon.
- Divide up the veggies into the 5 bowls, placing right on top of the chicken and orzo. Do not stir. Top all the bowls with some of the parmesan cheese.
- Bake in the oven for 35-40 minutes, or until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165 degrees.
- Stir well and let cool before covering with lids and placing in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes.
Can these be put in the freezer?
Hi! Yes you can freeze these. Just let them thaw a few hours before putting glass bowls in the microwave or oven.
Loved the flavors!
Hi – if I want to substitute with frozen shrimp, do I need to thaw it before?
Hi Farrah, I wouldn’t add the shrimp until the last 5-10 minutes of bake time. I would thaw it out and place it right over the orzo bakes about half way through baking.
When do you add the cheese? It’s not listed on the instructions
Sorry about that! They go right on top before baking.