This creamy lemon risoni with grilled chicken is a simple and delicious dairy-free weeknight dinner. Made with just a few ingredients, you’ll love the contrast of the creamy pasta with the perfectly grilled pieces of chicken breast. Plus, this recipe costs just $2.09 per serving!
Risoni, also known as orzo, is a short cut of pasta shaped similarly to a grain of rice. It can be cooked similarly to a risotto and therefore can absorb all the flavours of the cooking liquid, making it flavourful and delicious. I love cooking with risoni and often use it in soups, such as in my beef minestrone soup.
I’ve been seeing lots of creamy risoni recipes recently on TikTok and Instagram, and while they all looked delicious, they also contained a lot of dairy. Inspired by my creamy salmon tagliatelle recipe, where I cook the pasta in a combination of stock and oat milk to create a creamy dairy-free sauce, I knew I could do the same with risoni.
The creamy risoni is nice and light, not at all heavy, and is bursting with fresh lemon. Paired with a grilled chicken breast spiced with herbs and paprika, this becomes a complete meal that will not only keep you satisfied but also keep your taste buds very happy.
My husband took some leftovers to work, and his message to me that day read: “It’s so basic but so good,” and I couldn’t sum up this dish any better myself!
Key Ingredients
This lemon risoni is not overly complicated, using a few key ingredients to ensure a flavourful and creamy texture.
Note all ingredients and their quantities are laid out in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Chicken breast – sliced horizontally in half to create 4 fillets.
- Spices – a combination of mixed dried herbs, paprika and salt and pepper seasons the chicken to make it super delicious. You can change this up based on what seasonings you have or like.
- Onion – the onion provides the base of the flavour of the risoni and basically completely cooks down so you can’t even tell it’s in there texture-wise (perfect for picky eaters!).
- Risoni – also known as orzo, this rice-shaped pasta is the key to this recipe. I do not recommend any substitutes as the result will not be the same.
- Chicken stock – to cook the risoni and add lots of flavour. You can also use vegetable stock.
- Oat milk – this is what makes the risoni creamy while being dairy-free. The only alternative I’d suggest here is soy milk which will work similarly.
- Lemon – both the zest and juice are used to give the dish flavour.
- Dairy-free butter – completely optional but a little butter at the end really elevates the creaminess and adds richness. I highly recommend!
Step-by-Step Instructions
For this lemon risoni with chicken you can use two frying pans or simply cook the chicken first, then the risoni making it in the one pan.
Once the chicken breasts have been sliced in half horizontally to create 4 fillets, season them with the dried herbs, paprika and salt and pepper. Cook the fillets in a hot frying pan with some olive oil on each side until just cooked through. Set aside to rest while you make the risoni.
Sauté the onion in olive oil until soft and then add in the risoni. Just like with a risotto, you want to lightly toast the risoni before adding the liquid.
Add the liquid bit-by-bit, starting with the stock, allowing it to be absorbed by the risoni before adding in more. This process should take around 10 minutes for the stock and oat milk to be absorbed and the risoni to be tender. If you need, you can add a little more oat milk or even water to get the desired consistency.
Add in the lemon, season with salt and pepper and stir through the dairy free butter. Divide the risoni between bowls and slice the chicken and serve over the top. Serve with extra lemon and some chopped parsley and that’s it!
Budget Saving Tips!
There are a few things to look out for when grocery shopping that are going to help you keep costs down. Here are a few considerations when making this recipe.
- The cost of chicken breast can vary greatly and ultimately will have a significant impact on your total recipe cost. I have based the pricing on chicken breast at $9.50 per kilo. This was the price of a bulk packet on sale at the supermarket so definitely shop around and buy in bulk and store in the freezer.
- When shopping with budget in mind, always use stock cubes instead of liquid stock as the cost is significantly less per litre. The convenience is less as you’ll need to mix the stock cubes with boiling water before using, but the cost savings are worth it!
Recipe FAQs
Yes of course! You can add vegetables like spinach, peas, or asparagus to the risoni for added nutrition and flavour. Add them in during the last few minutes of cooking the risoni.
Yes, this recipe is great for meal prep. Portion out the risoni and chicken into individual containers and refrigerate. Reheat as needed for quick and easy meals throughout the week.
Yes, this lemon risoni would be fantastic with grilled salmon or any fish instead of the chicken breast. You can also use a plant-based protein!
More dairy-free dinner recipes:
Spinach Pesto Pasta with Chicken
Dairy-Free Butter Chicken
20 Minute Hoisin Pork Stir Fry
Air Fryer Salmon Bowls
Honey Soy Chicken
Creamy Lemon Risoni with Grilled Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 chicken breasts sliced horizontally in half
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon dried herbs
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
- 1 small or ½ regular brown onion finely diced
- 1 cup risoni
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 cup oat milk
- 1 lemon zest and juice
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon dairy-free butter optional
Instructions
- Season the chicken breasts with salt, black pepper, paprika, and dried herbs. Heat some olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add the chicken breasts and cook for 4-5 minutes on each side, or until the chicken is cooked through and has a nice golden brown colour. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add more olive oil. Add the finely diced onion and sauté for 3-4 minutes until soft and translucent. Add the risoni and stir well to coat it in the oil and onion mixture.
- Gradually add the chicken stock and oat milk, allowing the risoni to absorb the liquid before adding more. Continue this process, stirring occasionally, until the risoni is tender and has absorbed most of the liquid. If the mixture becomes too dry, you can add a bit more stock or oat milk.
- Once the risoni is cooked, add the lemon zest and juice, and season with salt and pepper to taste. If using, stir in some dairy-free butter to add extra creaminess.
- Slice the cooked chicken breasts and serve them on top of the creamy lemon risoni. Serve with extra lemon wedges.
Video
Nutrition
Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.
ChristineS says
This was delicious – chicken and lemon go so well together. My husband made this, but with long grain rice as we had no risoni. We had some left-over roast chicken so he cubed that and stirred through the lemony rice, along with a handful of baby spinach. This one is a keeper, and I will go and buy some risoni today!
Sally says
Thanks for your comment Christine! Happy to hear this worked well with rice as well!