Chicken thighs are flavored with fresh sage and cooked with a delicious sage butter orzo to create this One Pan Sage Butter Chicken and Orzo recipe. This dish is elegant enough to serve at your next dinner party yet simple enough to prepare as a weeknight meal.
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You just can't beat the convenience of a good one-pan meal and this dish will be on heavy rotation in our home from here on out. In this dish, chicken thighs are brined then pan-seared until crispy to lock in the juices and flavors then simmered with a flavorful sage butter orzo until cooked through and orzo is al dente.
The fresh sage leaves really elevate this dish and provide such a rich flavor and aroma. This recipe is comforting without being heavy, making it the perfect dish to enjoy year-round. If you're looking for a hearty, flavorful, yet easy to prepare dinner recipe, this is just the one!
What You Need To Make This Recipe
- One pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs. About 1.25 pounds should be great for this recipe.
- Fresh sage leaves. 10-12 leaves, removed from the stems, should do.
- 1 large lemon. The lemon will be sliced and added to the chicken brine to help tenderize the chicken.
- Spices to season chicken. I used salt & black pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and smoked paprika for this recipe.
- Extra virgin olive oil and butter. For browning the chicken and orzo.
- One shallot. We will use half of the shallot for this recipe to help flavor the orzo.
- Fresh garlic. We will use 3 cloves for this recipe.
- Orzo pasta. We will use one cup of pasta for this recipe.
- Reduced sodium chicken broth. To cook orzo in until al dente.
How To Make This Recipe
Place chicken thighs in a large bowl and add enough water to cover the chicken by about one inch. Add salt, lemon slices, and sage leaves to the water and gently stir everything with a large spoon. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.
Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and remove each piece of chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brining liquid but be sure to reserve the sage leaves.
Season chicken thighs on each side with salt & pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and smoked paprika. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet (I used this cast iron skillet) and place chicken thighs in skillet, smooth side down.
Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes, until golden and crispy, then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes on the other side. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate.
Add butter to the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in. Once the butter has melted, add shallot, sage leaves, and garlic and cook for about a minute.
Add orzo to the skillet and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly, to lightly toast orzo. Be careful not to scorch the sage leaves. Add chicken stock to the skillet and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
Bring orzo to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Add chicken thighs back to the skillet with the orzo, smooth side facing up. Simmer orzo and chicken, uncovered for 10-12 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and orzo is al dente.
Remove pan from heat and allow the dish to cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh sage leaves and herbs. Enjoy!
A Few Notes for Making this Recipe
Do not skip brining the chicken. This step is important to ensure your chicken remains moist throughout the cooking process.
You can use dried sage leaves if you cannot find fresh sage. However, you will need significantly less as the flavor is much more concentrated in dried herbs.
If you prefer, you can use bone-in chicken thighs. Just keep in mind that they will take slightly longer to cook through so be sure and check your chicken for doneness.
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📖 Recipe
One-Pan Sage Butter Chicken and Orzo
Ingredients
- 1 1.25 lb pack of boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 10-12 fresh sage leaves
- 1 large lemon - sliced
- Salt & cracked black pepper - to taste
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon olive oil - extra virgin
- 2 tablespoons butter - unsalted
- ½ large shallot - chopped
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 cup orzo pasta
- 2 cups reduced sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Place chicken thighs in a large bowl and add enough water to cover the chicken by about one inch. Add 2 tablespoons of salt, lemon slices, and sage leaves to the water and gently stir everything with a large spoon. Cover the bowl and place it in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, up to an hour.
- Remove the bowl from the refrigerator and remove each piece of chicken and pat dry with paper towels. Discard the brining liquid but be sure to reserve the sage leaves.
- Season chicken thighs on each side with salt & pepper, garlic powder, poultry seasoning, and smoked paprika. Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large, heavy-bottomed skillet and place chicken thighs in skillet, smooth side down.
- Cook chicken for 3-4 minutes, until a golden crust forms, then flip and cook an additional 3-4 minutes on the other side. Use tongs to transfer chicken to a paper-towel-lined plate.
- Add butter to the same skillet that you cooked the chicken in. Once the butter has melted, add shallot, sage leaves, and garlic and cook for about a minute.
- Add orzo to the skillet and cook for another minute or two, stirring constantly, to lightly toast orzo. Be careful not to scorch the sage leaves. Add chicken stock to the skillet and give everything a good stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Bring orzo to a boil, then reduce heat to medium. Season with more salt and pepper to taste. Add chicken thighs back to the skillet with the orzo, smooth side facing up. Simmer orzo and chicken, uncovered for 10-12 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed and orzo is al dente.
- Remove pan from heat and allow the dish to cool for 5-10 minutes. Garnish with fresh sage leaves and herbs. Enjoy!
Brynn
Made this for a dinner party and it was a huge hit! The chicken came out incredibly tender, and the flavors were spot on. Would absolutely make again!
Ashley Boyd
I'm thrilled to hear you and your guests enjoyed the sage chicken and orzo, Brynn! Thank you for trying our recipe!