This Lemon Chicken Orzo recipe shows you when to stop cooking the pasta, how much broth should remain, and how to keep the chicken juicy and zucchini firm.

This Lemon Chicken Orzo Is The Kind Of One Pan Dinner I Want

I use spinach in pasta all the time, including my Creamy Salmon Pasta, so for this lemon chicken orzo I wanted to change things up with zucchini. Browning it first gives it more flavor and keeps it from disappearing into the pasta, which I like because I want the vegetables in a skillet dinner to still feel like actual vegetables.

I also almost always choose chicken thighs over breasts when I have the option. They have more flavor, they stay juicier, and they are a little more forgiving in a recipe like this where the chicken cooks first and then goes back into the skillet at the end.

The final detail that really makes this recipe work is stopping while the orzo still looks a little brothy. It keeps absorbing liquid as it sits, so that slightly loose texture in the pan becomes the right texture by the time you serve it, instead of thick and gloppy.

Skip the bland bagged tortilla strips. These homemade tortilla strips are fried at 350 degrees F for a deeply crisp texture, with simple oil-temperature and frying tips that help you get them golden instead of greasy.

Homemade Tortilla Strips Are Worth The 10 Minutes

I originally started making these tortilla strips to go on my Southwest Chicken Salad. I could have bought a bag, but the store-bought ones always taste so bland to me. Plus, I only need a handful for a salad, not an entire bag destined to sit half-open in my cabinet until the rest go stale.

Making my own solves both problems. I can slice up one or two corn tortillas if that’s all I need, fry them until they’re deeply crisp, and salt them while they’re still hot. They’re fresh, crunchy and properly seasoned, which is really all I’m asking from a salad topping.

And yes, you can bake tortilla strips. I didn’t. If we’re going to the trouble of making crispy tortilla strips, let’s fry them. Culinary school taught me that temperature control is one of the biggest factors in successful frying, so we’re heating the oil to 350 degrees F and working in batches. That gives the tortillas a quick, crisp fry instead of letting them hang around soaking up lukewarm oil.

This Southwest salad recipe layers flavor instead of relying on dressing alone, with lime-seasoned corn and beans, crunchy iceberg and a pesto ranch that brings everything together.

The Southwest Salad Recipe I Make All Year Long

I make this Southwest chicken salad all year round whenever I want a salad that eats like a meal but still has tons of fresh flavor. Chicken, black beans, avocado and cheese give it enough staying power for dinner, while crunchy lettuce, lime, tomatoes and pickled onion keep the whole thing bright.

But the pesto ranch salad dressing is the hill I’m willing to die on here. I first had pesto ranch on this type of salad at the Grizzly Peak restaurant in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and it forever convinced me that it belongs on a Southwest salad. Basil pesto in the dressing might sound odd when cilantro is the more expected choice for a salad like this, but it works surprisingly well with these flavors! And don’t worry – there’s also chopped cilantro in the salad for another layer of flavor.

There’s one other little thing I do differently. Instead of dumping the beans and corn straight into the salad, I toss them with lime and cilantro first. It gives them a black bean-corn salsa vibe and seasons them before they get tossed with the rest of the ingredients. Add crunchy tortilla strips and you’ve got my ideal kind of dinner salad: lots going on, but nothing difficult.

This Peach Chicken recipe is one you’ll look forward to making every summer. Juicy chicken thighs, ripe peaches and a bright basil gremolata come together in one skillet for a dinner that’s simple enough for a weeknight but special enough for guests.

A Peach Chicken Recipe That Makes The Most Of Fresh Summer Peaches

We’re always looking for new ways to use fresh peaches in savory recipes, and this one started with two things we had in abundance last summer: beautiful peaches and more basil from our garden than we knew what to do with.

After a little testing, we landed on a combination we’ll make every peach season. Juicy chicken thighs are seared until deeply browned, then roasted with peaches and shallots until everything is caramelized around the edges. Just before serving, a bright basil gremolata adds freshness, acidity and lots of herby flavor.

The result is a peach chicken recipe that’s decidedly savory, not overly sweet. It’s weeknight-friendly but impressive enough for guests, and one of our favorite ways to celebrate peach season.

This Hearts Of Palm Salad recipe is made to let the delicate flavor of hearts of palm shine instead of covering it up. Learn exactly how to prep canned hearts of palm, when to add the avocado, and how to keep the salad fresh and vibrant every time.

“I absolutely LOVE making and eating this salad. It has just enough of the special stuff to make it an elegant salad for entertaining and the taste is beyond amazing.”

—Sarit

This Hearts Of Palm Salad Is Bright, Creamy And Ready In 15 Minutes

If you’ve ever spotted a can of hearts of palm at the grocery store and wondered what to do with it, this Hearts of Palm Salad recipe is a great place to start. Tender hearts of palm are tossed with creamy avocado, juicy tomatoes, fresh herbs and a bright lime vinaigrette for a simple side dish that’s ready in just 15 minutes.

The biggest mistake many hearts of palm salads make is adding too many ingredients that compete with the star of the show. After several rounds of testing, we found that keeping the dressing light and using avocado, onion and herbs lets the mild, delicate flavor of the hearts of palm really shine. It’s a fresh side dish that pairs really well with grilled meats, seafood or Tex Mex favorites.

This Zucchini And Corn Recipe takes everything people love about summer produce and gives it a big flavor upgrade. Sweet corn, zucchini, white miso, fresh basil, lime and a drizzle of chili crisp honey come together in a side dish that feels very special without creating extra work.

“OMGosh, this is the BEST!!! I have made it twice in the last 2 weeks and we love it. Once again, thank you for another great recipe.”

—Diana

A Summer Zucchini And Corn Recipe That Doesn’t Taste Like Every Other One

If you’ve got garden zucchini piling up on the counter and mountains of fresh corn at every grocery store near you, this side dish is for you.

Most zucchini and corn recipes stick to butter, garlic and maybe a sprinkle of Parmesan. That’s perfectly fine. But this version introduces some bigger flavors while still letting the vegetables stay the star.

A little white miso melts into cream to create a luscious sauce for the vegetables. Fresh basil adds a pop of color and flavor, lime keeps everything bright, and a drizzle of chili crisp honey is the finishing touch you didn’t know you needed until now.

It’s the perfect side dish for chicken, steak, burgers or seafood. And all of this comes together in about 20 minutes.

Fresh lemon and lime juice make this Agave Lemonade brighter than Panera’s version, with no refined sugar. Smooth sweetness, balanced citrus flavor, and no gritty sugar at the bottom.

Panera Agave Lemonade, At Home, And Better

If you like Panera agave lemonade, this homemade version gives you that same citrusy refreshment, but with two important upgrades.

First, even though Panera calls theirs agave lemonade, it also contains regular sugar, which is worth knowing if you’re ordering it, because the word “agave” makes it sound like agave is doing all the work.

This homemade agave lemonade skips the refined sugar completely. After testing it both ways, we preferred the all-agave version. It tastes smoother and cleaner, and you don’t have to bother with making simple syrup.

Second, Panera uses lemon juice only. We add fresh lime juice, too. It doesn’t make the drink taste like limeade. It just makes the citrus brighter and more interesting. The result is a 5-minute homemade lemonade with fresh citrus flavor, balanced sweetness and no simple syrup required.

The secret to better Potato Salad With Bacon? Dress it twice. This easy recipe has crispy bacon, perfectly seasoned potatoes and a creamy texture that stays delicious even after chilling.

“I made it and it turned out amazing!!”

—Jami

Potato Salad With Bacon That Stays Creamy, Not Dry

If there’s one thing worse than bland potato salad, it’s potato salad that starts out creamy, then mysteriously turns dry after a few hours in the fridge. Luckily, we can tell you exactly what’s happening here: warm potatoes are soaking up all that dressing.

That’s why this potato salad with bacon recipe uses a technique we’ve been relying on for years – a simple two-step dressing technique. Half of the dressing gets tossed with the warm potatoes, allowing them to absorb tons of flavor as they chill. Then, just before serving, the rest of the dressing gets folded in along with crispy bacon and green onions. The result is a potato salad that’s seasoned all the way through, but still creamy when it hits the table.

Made with red potatoes, bacon, mayonnaise, sour cream, Dijon mustard and red wine vinegar, this bacon potato salad recipe is a great side dish for burgers, Buttermilk Grilled Chicken, Root Beer Ribs, or anything else coming off the grill.