You’ll love this comforting one-pan chicken orzo recipe, prepared Greek-style! Chicken thighs and orzo bake together in a flavorful mixture with garlic, bell peppers, and tomato. Easy and satisfying!
Chicken dinners are always a winner at my house. This chicken orzo recipe is one of my girls’ favorites! As a busy home cook, I’m always up for healthy one-pot dinners. Cooking chicken with a grain or pasta in the same pot is a recipe for success. You keep in all the flavor and have fewer dishes to wash. What’s not to like?
Chicken and rice and chicken and couscous, for example, are often on my rotation. Orzo, with its satisfyingly springy texture and rice-like shape, is the best of both worlds! And this recipe, generously seasoned with garlic, lemon, and Greek seasonings like oregano and sweet paprika, guarantees juicy, flavorful chicken every time.
Table of Contents
Ingredients for this Chicken and Orzo Recipe
Though this chicken and orzo recipe will make your kitchen smell like you’re wandering the streets of Athens, it’s made with simple ingredients and seasonings. You likely have most of them on hand! You’ll need:
- Seasoning: Dried oregano, sweet paprika, and coriander give the chicken and orzo a decidedly Greek flavor. You can stock up on these vibrant Mediterranean spices and more at our spice shop. Salt and pepper make everything more vibrant.
- Chicken: I love the ease of boneless, skinless chicken thighs but you can use any cut of chicken you’d like here. If you’re using skin-on, bone-in thighs, give them a little more time in your pan to brown. The skin will crisp up nicely. For chicken breasts, check on them about 5 minutes sooner. Make sure the thickest part of the chicken registers at 165°F.
- Fresh lemon juice balances the savory chicken thighs.
- Extra virgin olive oil: I love the richness of a full-bodied Greek olive oil with this recipe.
- Bell peppers: I like to use a mix of colors for more variety.
- Onion: I like the sweetness of yellow onions with savory chicken and orzo, but any onion you have is fine.
- Garlic: Six whole garlic cloves make this simple recipe crave-worthy.
- Tomatoes: Plum tomatoes and their juice bring a sweet-tart flavor to the braising liquid.
- Chicken broth: Use a high-quality, low-sodium chicken broth or stock, or make your own. Vegetable broth also works here.
- Orzo: This small pasta soaks up the flavor-makers like a sponge! You can use standard orzo, or whole grain if you prefer.
- Parsley–both the leaves and tender stems–adds freshness and color. Cilantro is a worthy substitute in this recipe.
- Feta adds tang and creaminess, becoming deliciously melty from the heat of the chicken and orzo. It’s totally optional, though! Leave it off to keep this recipe dairy-free.
How to Make this Chicken and Orzo Recipe
You don’t need fancy equipment or techniques to make this easy chicken orzo recipe; just make sure you have a Dutch oven or an oven-safe pot with a lid. It needs to be large enough to fit the chicken, orzo, and vegetables. Here is how it goes:
Season and Sear the Chicken
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Season the chicken. In a large mixing bowl, combine 2 teaspoons dried oregano with 1 teaspoon each sweet paprika, coriander, salt, and pepper. Pat 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs dry, then add to the bowl and turn to coat. Add the juice from half a lemon and set aside for a few minutes.
- Get your flavor-makers ready. Core 2 bell peppers and slice them into thin rounds. Chop 1 yellow onion. Mince 6 garlic cloves (see my tips in this garlic guide).
- Sear the chicken. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or a large oven-safe pot set over medium-high heat, add 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil and heat until shimmering. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in total (it does not need to be cooked through at this point). Transfer the chicken to a plate for now.
- Sear the peppers. In the same pot, add the bell pepper and sear on each side. Remove and place with the chicken for now.
Braise the Chicken and Orzo Together in the Oven
- Cook the orzo. If the pot looks dry, add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft. Add the garlic and cook another 30 seconds, then add 2 cups canned peeled plum tomatoes (and their juice), 2 cups chicken broth, 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 teaspoon paprika, and a dash of kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in 2 cups (uncooked) orzo.
- Braise the chicken. Nestle the chicken pieces into the orzo mixture and top with the bell pepper slices. Transfer the pot to the heated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the orzo is fully cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove from oven, cover, and let sit 5 minutes undisturbed (the orzo will absorb any juices.)
- Finish and serve: Drizzle everything with a little extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with fresh parsley and feta, if you like.
What to Serve with this Chicken Orzo Recipe
I typically make chicken and orzo for a simple weeknight dinner, sometimes with an easy Greek salad to carry on the theme. But if you like, you can add a starter or two like Greek baked feta or melitzanosalata with your favorite crusty bread.
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One Pan Chicken Orzo
Ingredients
For the Chicken
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1/2 lemon, juiced
- Extra virgin olive oil
For the Orzo
- 2 bell peppers (any color), cored and sliced into rounds
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups canned peeled plum tomatoes
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 2 cups orzo (uncooked)
- Chopped parsley, for garnish
- Feta cheese, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Get ready. Preheat your oven to 350°F.
- Season the chicken. In a large mixing bowl, combine the oregano, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper. Pat the chicken dry, then add to the bowl and turn to coat. Toss in the lemon juice and set aside for a few minutes.
- Brown the chicken. In a 5-quart Dutch oven or a large oven-safe pot over medium-high, heat 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil until shimmering. Add the chicken and brown on both sides, about 8 to 10 minutes in total (it does not need to be cooked through at this point). Transfer the chicken to a plate for now.
- Sear the peppers. In the same pot, add the bell pepper and sear on each side. Remove and place with the chicken for now.
- Cook the orzo. If the pot looks dry, add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft. Add the garlic, and cook another 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes (and their juice), broth, oregano, paprika, and a dash of kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then stir in the orzo.
- Braise the chicken. Nestle the chicken pieces into the orzo mixture and top with the bell pepper slices. Transfer the pot to the heated oven oven. Bake, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the orzo is fully cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid. Remove from oven, cover and let sit 5 minutes undisturbed (the orzo will absorb any juices.)
- Finish and serve. Drizzle everything with a little extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with fresh parsley and feta, if you like.
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Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil and spices used in this recipe.
- Leftovers & storage: allow any leftovers to cool completely and store in the fridge in tight-lid containers. If stored properly, leftovers orzo and chicken will keep for 3 days or so.
Nutrition
Try Our Greek Oregano!
This dried herb straight from Greece is lemony, fragrant, and perfect for everyday use.
*This post first appeared on The Mediterranean Dish in 2018 and has been updated with new media and information for readers’ benefit.
This is incredibly delicious! My husband and I enjoyed every bite.
My only change is that we would prefer less orzo, but still excellent.
Thanks, Pamela!
made this dish twice so far high on the list of requested reciepes.
Can I use couscous instead of orzo
Hi, Mike! That should work with a few adjustments. You can use our Moroccan Chicken Couscous recipe as a cooking guide.
This was great. I accidentally bought crushed tomatoes, but I think that it worked beautifully… Especially for those commenting there was too much orzo. Plenty of liquid/sauce for the chicken and orzo. 👍 🙂
A one pot meal that’s truly one pot! It works great with chicken breasts or thighs. I pounded out 2 breasts tonight, cut them in half width-wise and mixed the chicken seasoning blend (minus the lemon juice) with a couple tablespoons of olive oil to make a marinade. I marinated the chicken for about 2 hours before cooking it about 5 minutes per side. I then sprinkled the lemon juice over them after sauteing. I didn’t have a can of plum tomatoes handy, but subbing diced tomatoes still produced delicious results. The orzo’s texture always turns out perfect. 🙂
Thanks so much for taking the time to share your process, Nicole! And for the lovely review!
Made this dish for company last night. Our guests are extremely picky eaters and finding a dish that would satisfy their dietary issues is not easy.
This was a home run! They requested the recipe and raved about how delicious it was. Believe or not, they had never tried chicken thighs and had no idea what orzo is! I guess one could argue they are not food literate, but coming into my kitchen, thanks to Mediterranean Dish recipes from Suzy, I think I expanded their eating choices and gave them a new recipe to try!
That’s wonderful, Lynda! Thank you!
Another amazing recipe! Everyone loved it. I added chicken broth to the leftovers and made a great tasting soup the next day!
Hi! I love the flavors of this dish. My orzo came out a little gummy. Any suggestions for preparing in a way the keeps the flavor but removes the sticky texture of the orzo? Prepare separately, drain, then add to pot? Thank you!
Made it and Loved it!! I used a baking pan instead of a 5-quart Dutch oven (coz I don’t own one) and still came out awesome! An absolute “keeper”! I’ve never heard or had orzo before. Love it! An easy to follow recipe.
Thanks so much, Nancy!
Absolutely delicious. Paired with a salad this was big enough to feed our family of 4 two meals.
Very tasty, & easy to follow.
This was a winner. One pot. Delicious. Added white beans. Could have cut back in the orzo. Teenage daughter asked if this could go into the regular rotation. Thanks!
Yay! Love hearing that! Thanks, Melissa!
Hii, can I replace the orzo with rice as that’s what I have on hand? Any suggestions on the ratio or method of cooking? Thanks a lot, great recipe and can’t wait to try it!
Hi, Farah! Rice will probably work here here, but I have never tried personally. We have a couple of other chicken and rice recipes that might be helpful to look at for guidance: Chicken & Rice, Spanish Chicken & Rice.
This was very tasty Suzy, so soft and creamy without the cream! soooo yummy 😋
Will be making on repeat as really simple to make
Kirstin
Super tasty!
Made this for my husband who gave this recipe a raving review! I am gluten free (and didn’t have gluten free orzo pasta) so I couldn’t have it myself but tonight I am going to try this with rice 🙂 Thanks Suzy!
Hope you enjoy it, Kyla!