Greek-Style Lemon Chicken & Orzo Bake

A friend posted this on Facebook and I knew I had to make it right away- I love lemon, greek flavors, orzo, and simple combo meals like this (pasta + chicken bakes together).  The chicken is coated in a spice mixture of ground coriander and black pepper (hence the coloring of it).  The whole family loved this, and I made it a few times.  We had this with Turkish Garden Salad and it was perfect.

Greek-Style Lemon Chicken & Orzo Bake
adapted from Food Network

3 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons melted butter
1 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon dried oregano (or fresh)
2 lemons, zested and juiced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 cups orzo

Chicken:
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 teaspoons kosher salt
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
4-6 small to medium boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 lemon, sliced into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  For the orzo: Whisk together the stock, butter, salt, cornstarch, oregano, lemon zest and juice and garlic in a bowl. Mix in the orzo.

3.  For the chicken: In a separate bowl, mix together the coriander, salt and pepper. Coat the chicken all over with the seasoning. (If using 6 chicken breasts, you won't have enough spice to coat both sides, so just do one.)

4.  Pour the stock/orzo mixture into a lightly greased glass 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add the chicken breasts, laying them at an angle so all but the tops of the breasts are submerged. Shingle the lemon slices in between the chicken breasts.

5.  Bake, uncovered, until the chicken registers an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, 35 to 40 minutes (check to make sure it's not drying out). Let rest for 5 minutes. Top with the chopped parsley before serving.

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