Happy Thursday foodie friends! I hope everyone is doing well. This month I will be sharing some lemon inspired recipes. If you know me, you know my love for all things lemon 🍋 For those of you who have a surplus of zucchini, I have the perfect recipe for you! This week I am sharing my Lemon Orzo Chicken with Zucchini I created. This dish is absolutely perfect for summer. It is simple and quick to put together during those busy weeknights. So many different flavors in this dish from the lemons, fresh basil, garlic, and shallots. This lemony dish makes great leftovers 😉

Lemon Orzo Chicken with Zucchini

Serves: 4

Ingredients

1 lb chicken breasts

1 cup dry orzo

3 small zucchini, cut in half moons

1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 lemon, zested

1 shallot, chopped

2-3 garlic cloves, chopped

Salt

Pepper

1 tablespoon Italian seasoning (I used Tuscany Spice Blend from Spice & Tea Exchange Company)

Oil

2 tablespoons butter

Grated Parmesan cheese (optional)

Crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Directions

Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season chicken breasts with Italian seasoning. Heat a sauté pan over medium-high heat with oil. Sauté chicken until cooked thoroughly and internal temperature reaches 165 degrees. Once chicken is done cooking, transfer to a plate and cut up into cubes. Set aside and cover. In a small pot cook orzo in salted water according to the package instructions. When orzo is done cooking set aside. In a sauté pan, over medium-high heat add butter. Add in garlic and shallots and stir until fragrant for about 1 minute. Add in zucchini and season with salt and pepper. Cook zucchini until it gets tender for about 5 minutes. After zucchini is cooked remove from pan and set aside. In the same pan add oil and orzo. To the orzo add in lemon juice and zest. Stir orzo and add in chicken and zucchini. Continue stirring orzo mixture. Lastly, add basil and stir mixture. Garnish with any extra lemon or basil. Enjoy!