This hearty chicken meatball skillet is loaded with sautéed zucchini, tender orzo, and fresh cherry tomatoes — don’t skip topping it with burrata and parmesan 🥰. It’s an easy, flavor-packed one-pan dinner that I love serving for my family during the summer months.
As a busy mom of 2, I’m always on the lookout for easy dinner recipes to feed the fam, and this chicken skillet checks all the boxes. It’s easy to make, easy to clean up, and my toddlers are getting some veggies in their bellies! If you love this recipe, you’ve also gotta try my lemon chicken skillet with broccolini and pearl couscous, which also checks allllll the boxes.
It’s hard to find a pasta recipe that you still crave on hot summer evenings, but this is exactly that! A hearty dinner but doesn’t feel too heavy for the summer is such a win in my book 🙌🏻🙌🏻
Takes advantage of yummy seasonal veggies. By the end of the summer, my garden is always overflowing with zucchini, so this is a great recipe to make if you’re in the same boat 😋😋
Made in one skillet, and doesn’t require you to turn on the oven. Need I say more?
Main Ingredients
- Ground chicken: I’ve tested this recipe with ground chicken and ground turkey — both work great.
- Panko breadcrumbs: These help hold the meatballs together nicely while keeping them super moist even when using lean meat like ground chicken.
- Zucchini: The star of the show! You’ll want to grab 2 medium zuccs for this recipe. I like to do one green and one yellow zucchini to add some color variety.
- Chicken broth: The broth will quickly absorb as the orzo cooks, so don’t worry if it looks too watery at first! You can even make your own chicken broth 🥰.
- Orzo: Orzo easily cooks in the skillet and soaks up all the yummy liquid.
- Cheese! I love topping this dish with grated parmesan, and a big ol’ ball of burrata right before serving.
Find the list of full ingredients in the recipe card below.
How to Make Summer Squash Chicken Skillet
Find the full instructions in the recipe card below.
- Prepare the meatballs: Mix all the meatball ingredients, and form into meatballs using a 1.5 tablespoon scoop and your hands. Sear the meatballs in the skillet to partially cook them and brown the exterior. Set them aside once you’ve done this!
- Sauté the veggies: Now it’s time to sauté in the same pan. Add the veggies and a pinch of salt, and sauté for a few minutes.
- Add the orzo, and simmer to cook: Add the orzo to the skillet and toast for a few minutes before adding the meatballs back into the skillet as well as all the chicken broth, heavy cream, lemon juice and zest. Bring it to a boil and reduce to a simmer for 7-10 minutes.
- Top and enjoy! Top with grated parmesan and burrata (optional, but really recommended 😋), and enjoy!
My Favorite Ways to Serve
I love serving this skillet family-style in the middle of the table with a big garden salad on the side. My toddlers love dunking breadsticks into the pan to scoop up the yummy sauce, so I highly recommend that as well 😋😋.
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. If your skillet has a top, you can absolutely store it right in the skillet itself for easy reheating of leftovers.
More Skillet Dinner Recipes
Other Ingredients
-
Mix all of the ingredients for the chicken meatballs in a large bowl until combined. Scoop about 1.5 tablespoons of the mixture into your hands and form a meatball. Repeat until all of the meatballs have been formed. Set aside.
-
Heat olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium/high heat. Add the meatballs to the skillet and partially cook the meatballs by browning two sides. Remove them from the skillet, they will be fully cooked later.
-
In the same pan, cook the onion with ¼ teaspoon of salt for 2-3 minutes over medium heat. Add the zucchini and tomatoes and cook for an additional minute.
-
Add the orzo and toast for 1-2 minutes, and then add the lemon zest, broth, lemon juice, heavy cream, and remaining salt. Stir and bring the mixture to a boil, and then reduce the heat to low. Add the meatballs to the dish and cover. Simmer for 7-10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked and the liquid is mostly absorbed.*
-
Once the orzo is cooked through and the meatballs are fully cooked, remove from the heat. Top with parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
- In step 4, if the liquid is absorbed but the orzo is still crunchy, add ¼ cup more of broth, stir, and allow the mixture to simmer until the orzo is cooked through.
- I used zucchini and cherry tomatoes, but feel free to use your favorite garden vegetables.
Calories: 602 kcal, Carbohydrates: 42 g, Protein: 36 g, Fat: 34 g, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 6 g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Photography: photos taken in this post are by Erin from The Wooden Skillet.
