Meal Prep
Lemon Pepper Chicken Orzo
This Lemon Pepper Chicken Orzo is a citrusy, creamy, and protein-packed masterpiece that proves pasta can pull its weight in the macro world. With 70.5g of protein per serving and around 623 calories, this one-pan meal checks every box for meal prep greatness- flavor, fuel, and efficiency. If you’re on a cut but still crave something indulgent, this recipe is the zesty twist your week needs.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
- Prep Time
- 10 mins
- Cook Time
- 15 mins
- Total Time
- 25 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Chicken:
For the Orzo Base:
For the Creamy Sauce:
Instructions
Cook the Chicken (two methods):
Air Fryer: Preheat to 400°F. Spray chicken breasts with oil & season with lemon pepper seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Air fry for 12-15 minutes, flipping halfway, until golden and cooked through.
2 lb chicken breast tenderloins, ½ tbsp lemon pepper seasoning, ½ tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 tsp olive oil
Stovetop Sear: Heat a skillet over medium-high with spray oil. Season chicken as above, then sear 5- 6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Rest, then dice into bite sized pieces.
Cook the Orzo
8 oz dry orzo, 2 cup chicken broth
Make the Creamy Sauce
4 oz low-fat cream cheese, ½ cup skim milk, ½ cup nonfat shredded cheddar, ½ cup nonfat plain Greek yogurt, ⅜ lemons, ½ tbsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper
Combine + Finish
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 623 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 51.6 g
- Protein
- 70.5 g
- Fat
- 13.1 g
- Saturated Fat
- 4.52 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1.59 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3.67 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.18 g
- Cholesterol
- 188 mg
- Sodium
- 1,387 mg
- Potassium
- 1,127 mg
- Fiber
- 2.4 g
- Sugar
- 5.6 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 117 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 2.61 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.47 mcg
- Calcium
- 299 mg
- Iron
- 3.12 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$3.09 per serving · $12.34 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- chicken breast tenderloins: $7.36
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Raw chicken tenderloins; listed sale price per pound, not estimated package price.
Walmart: Freshness Guaranteed Chicken Breast Tenderloins, 1.0 - 4.2 lb Tray · Price checked 2026-09-21
- lemon pepper seasoning: $0.05
5.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
0.25 tsp = 0.9 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Lemon & Pepper Seasoning · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.05
4.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.03
2.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.06
4.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 4.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- dry orzo: $0.62
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Orzo Pasta, 16 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chicken broth: $0.79
498 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 249 g Liquid carton treated as 32 US fl oz; stock uses the broth reference where applicable.
Walmart: Great Value Gluten-Free Chicken Broth, 32 oz Carton (Shelf-Stable) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- low-fat cream cheese: $1.73
113.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Philadelphia Reduced Fat Cream Cheese, 1 Tub, for Smooth, Spreadable Mornings, Original, No Artificial Preservatives, Flavors or Dyes, 8 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- skim milk: $0.09
123.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 247 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Fat-Free Milk, Gallon, 128 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- nonfat shredded cheddar: $0.84
56 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (shredded) = 112 g; Editorial shredded hard-cheese estimate: 112 g/cup (four 28 g quarter-cup portions); loose packing varies. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Kraft Natural Fat Free Cheddar Shredded Cheese, 7 oz Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- nonfat plain Greek yogurt: $0.41
113.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 227 g; Editorial Greek-yogurt volume proxy using King Arthur's generic yogurt weight, 227 g/cup. Plain nonfat Greek yogurt reference; unspecified-fat Greek yogurt uses this as a price estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Greek Plain Nonfat Yogurt, 32 oz Tub · Price checked 2026-09-21
- lemons: $0.17
40 g purchased · Whole purchased item: 120 g each (estimated); includes shell, peel, or seeds.
Editorial medium/large edible fruit and juice-yield estimates. Juiced fruit uses 45 g each; the whole-fruit nutrition profile remains an approximate proxy. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Lemons, 2 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.05
4.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.03
2.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein70.5g47%
- Carbs51.6g34%
- Fat13.1g19%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
Lemon-pepper chicken gives the creamy orzo a sharp, savory edge, so check your seasoning blend before adding extra salt. Some blends bring plenty on their own. Zest the lemon before squeezing it if you want that optional garnish, and keep the zest for the finish rather than losing it in the prep cleanup.
Cook the chicken while the orzo absorbs its broth, then rest and dice it before folding it through the sauce. Once the yogurt, cheese, and lemon juice go into the pan, keep the heat low and stir until smooth. The orzo should still move easily around the chicken when you portion it; a very stiff pan mixture will only feel denser after chilling. This is a spoonable alternative within the pasta meal-prep collection. Finish the orzo while it still has a little bite; it will keep absorbing the creamy sauce after you pack it.
Add a splash of water or broth to a chilled serving if it needs loosening. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir through the center and separate the chicken pieces at the pause. Finish with lemon zest or parsley if using. Cheddar and Parmesan are both offered in the recipe, but they give different flavors, so choose deliberately and use the nutrition for your actual ingredients. Explore the chicken archive for other ways to use lemon seasoning in a week of meals.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
Can you believe that, before this recipe, I hadn't created anything with "lemon pepper" flavors on my blog?? This one hits that flavor combo right in the sweet spot. Paired with a creamy orzo as its base- I think this one was a killer creation. Tell me if I nailed it on this one!