chicken orzo

You&#039;ll love this comforting one-pan chicken orzo recipe, prepared Greek-style! Boldly seasoned chicken, nestled in a mixture of tiny orzo pasta with onions, bell peppers, and tomato and baked to tender, creamy perfection. Easy and satisfying.

Greek-Style Chicken Orzo Recipe

oregano

tsp sweet paprika

coriander

tsp each kosher salt and black pepper

1.5 lb boneless skinless chicken thighs

lemon, (juice of)

Extra virgin olive oil

Bell peppers

onion

garlic cloves, (minced)

plum tomatoes

chicken broth

Kosher salt and black pepper

orzo pasta,

Feta cheese for garnish, (optional)

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a small bowl, combine spices (oregano, paprika, coriander, salt and pepper.)

Pat the chicken dry, and season well with the spices on both sides. Place the seasoned chicken in a large tray or bowl and add lemon juice. Set aside for a few minutes.

In a 5-quart Dutch oven like this one or a large oven-safe pot, heat 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high until shimmering.

Add the chicken and brown on both sides (about 8 to 10 minutes). Transfer the chicken to a plate for now.

In the same pot, add the bell pepper slices and sear on either side. Remove and place with the chicken for now.

If needed, add another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Add the chopped onions and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly, until soft. Add the garlic, and cook another 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes, broth, spices, and a dash of kosher salt and pepper. Bring to a boil then add the orzo pasta.

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.)

Before serving, drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil, and garnish with fresh parsley and feta, if you like.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/Snu59nUV.mp4

Greek-Style Chicken and Orzo

We all love one pot dinner recipe and this easy spring vegetable chicken orzo is the perfect simple family meal.

Easy Spring Vegetable Chicken Orzo

500 g (1lb) chicken breasts

olive oil

orzo pasta

shallot

garlic

peas

200 g (7 oz) fresh asparagus (stalks chopped)

heavy cream

chicken stock/chicken broth

lemon (zest and juice

Parmesan cheese

tsp salt

tsp pepper

basil (to serve)

Heat a large, deep pan or skillet over medium-high heat.

Slice the chicken breasts in half horizontally, resulting in two thin cutlets.

Drizzle over a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Sear the chicken in the hot pan until golden brown on both sides then remove from the pan and set aside.

In the same pan, add another tablespoon of olive oil or a knob of butter and allow to melt.

Add the shallots and garlic and cook for 30 seconds then add all the vegetables. I like to add the asparagus tops later on to prevent over-cooking.

Add the orzo, lemon juice, stock and cream and season with salt and pepper.

Cover and allow to simmer for 7-8 minutes until the orzo has absorbed most of the liquid.

Stir in the Parmesan cheese.

Add the seared chicken and asparagus tops then cover and cook for another 5 minutes until the orzo is tender and the chicken is fully cooked.

Remove from the heat, garnish with fresh basil and serve.

One Skillet Creamy Orzo Chicken with Artichoke Hearts- a deliciously cozy dinner, made with simple pantry ingredients, perfect for busy weeknights.

One Skillet Creamy Orzo Chicken 

chicken thighs (bone-in, skin-on,

salt and pepper

onion, diced

garlic cloves, rough chopped

thyme

dijon mustard

chicken broth, more as needed

salt

sour cream;

artichoke hearts,

fresh spinach, chopped

Lemon zest

Pat chicken dry and season both sides with salt and pepper.

Sear the chicken

 In a large (10-11 inch) oven-proof skillet, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Sear the skin side first 4-5 minutes, until beautifully golden and crispy, turn over, and sear the other side 3-4 minutes. Set chicken aside on a plate.

Saute

Lower heat to medium-low, and to the same skillet, add a tablespoon of olive oil,  onions, garlic and thyme. Saute 4-5 minutes until lightly golden and fragrant. Add the orzo, stirring 1-2 minutes. Add 2 cups of broth, scrape up any brown bits, stir in 1/4 teaspoon salt and mustard and bring to simmer, and cover for 4-5 minutes, or until orzo is al dente and has soaked up most of the liquid.

Stir in the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and adjust the salt to taste (I added another 1/4 teaspoon.) 

Stir in sour cream, spinach, and artichoke hearts. Give the pan a shake, it should level out nicely. If it&#8217;s too dry to level out, then add more chicken stock or water to loosen it up.

Nestle in the chicken, arrange some the artichokes, so they are showing, and place in the oven and bake uncovered until the chicken registers 170F and the very edges of the pan are bubbling, and the orzo is tender &#8211; about 20 -25 minutes. Add the sprigs of thyme. Broil the chicken for a few minutes for extra crispy skin.

Made this for the 1st time 5/2/23, but it certainly won't be the last!  Thank you for continuing to post EXCELLENT recipes!

This recipe is Excellent! Just a little prep ahead of time and it all comes together. 
My question is, when do you add in the 4-6 sprigs of thyme?
This will definitely be in the family rotation.

A new household go to and favorite recipe for sure! At my husband’s request, I sliced up chicken breasts and browned them instead of using the thighs. Served with a squeeze of lemon, lemon zest, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese! #delicious

I love this recipe. It is absolutely delicious. I used the heavy cream and lemon rather than sour cream— it is a total comfort food. Another winner Sylvia!

This is one of my family's favorite quick weeknight meals.  I love adding mushrooms to it.

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/ClC1Ni34.mp4

One skillet Creamy Orzo Chicken with Artichoke Hearts- a deliciously cozy dinner, made with simple pantry ingredients, perfect for busy weeknights. Video.

Creamy Orzo Chicken Video

This saucy one-pan chicken orzo recipe features orzo pasta, grape or cherry tomatoes, fresh spinach and boneless, skinless chicken breasts topped with melty mozzarella. The ultimate stovetop casserole dinner in less than an hour!

Cheesy Chicken Orzo Skillet with Spinach

chicken breasts (2-4 pieces *see recipe note below)

salt and black pepper

Italian seasoning

extra virgin olive oil

onion (chopped (1 cup))

garlic (finely chopped)

tomatoes (halved)

baby spinach

mozzarella cheese

If your chicken breasts weigh more than 6 ounces each, slice them in half crosswise to ensure quicker cooking. Season the chicken evenly on both sides with salt, pepper and Italian seasoning.

Heat the oil a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the chicken. Cook about 3 minutes on each side until golden brown. Remove the chicken to a plate with a pair of tongs.

Add the onion to the pan, stirring up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Cook until translucent, 1-2 minutes.  Stir in the garlic and orzo, cooking until the garlic smells fragrant and the orzo is lightly toasted.

Pour in the broth. Stir in the Parmesan cheese and ½ teaspoon salt. Return the chicken to the pan. Scatter the tomatoes over the top. Bring the broth to a simmer, then cover the pan and lower the heat to medium.

Cook 15-20 minutes, until the orzo is tender. There should still be some liquid in the pan for the sauce.

Distribute the spinach over the chicken, tucking it in here and there. Top with the mozzarella. Remove the pan from the heat and cover with a lid. Let the pan sit for 5 minutes to wilt the spinach and melt the cheese. Serve and enjoy!

https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/sYesjTOu.mp4

Saucy one-pan chicken orzo is the ultimate stovetop casserole dinner!

Cheesy Chicken Orzo Skillet

A tasty, healthy pasta recipe with chicken, orzo, and plenty of vegetables. This Mediterranean Chicken Orzo recipe is a wonderful weeknight dinner everybody will love.

Mediterranean Chicken Orzo

orzo

lbs boneless skinless chicken thighs (4-5 large)

red onion

English cucumber

grape tomatoes

parsley

freshly grated parmesan

green olives

chicken seasoning / poultry seasoning

butter

lemon

sea salt

pepper

Bring water to a boil in a large pot, then salt the water and add orzo pasta for 9-11 minutes or until cooked al dente.

Preheat a large pan over medium heat. Once hot add butter and a drizzle of olive oil and once the butter is melted add chicken and season generously with chicken seasoning. Fry the chicken for 6-8 minutes or until golden brown, then flip and season the other side with chicken seasoning and brown the other side for 6-8 minutes or until the chicken reaches 165F internal temperature.

In the meantime, cut the cucumber and tomatoes into small dice, chop the parsley finely, chop the red onion, and grate the Parmesan. Add these ingredients to a big bowl and once the orzo is finished cooking, strain it and add it to the vegetables into the big bowl.

Season the pasta and vegetables with a drizzle of olive oil, the juice of one lemon and sea salt and pepper to taste and toss until well combined.

Serve the orzo veggies mix with a piece of chicken and a few olives.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9KMiTgEr0O4

A tasty, healthy pasta recipe with chicken, orzo, and plenty of vegetables. This Mediterranean Chicken Orzo recipe is a wonderful weeknight dinner everybody will love. 
Printable recipe: https://greenhealthycooking.com/easy-mediterranean-chicken-orzo

Mediterranean Chicken Orzo | Easy Healthy Weeknight Dinner

Creamy chicken orzo is a quick and easy weeknight meal that takes just 30 minutes and you only need one pan. This comforting recipe features lots of veggies (cherry tomatoes and spinach) in a super-flavorful creamy sauce made with basil pesto. Make this simple restaurant-quality chicken dinner at home - and it might become a new family favorite for busy weekdays!

Chicken Orzo (30-Minutes, One-Pan)

chicken breasts (skinless, boneless)

smoked paprika

orzo (uncooked)

garlic (minced)

oz cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)

chicken stock

spinach

basil pesto

Slice chicken breasts into thinner strips. Generously season the chicken with smoked paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.

Heat a large, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken. Cook the chicken on medium heat for about 3 minutes per side. Remove chicken to a plate.

Sear chicken

To the same, now empty, skillet, add 1 cup of uncooked orzo, 5 cloves of minced garlic, and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Cook the orzo on medium heat, stirring, for about 2 minutes until browned.

Add 2 cups of chicken stock, half of the cherry tomatoes, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan, until the orzo is cooked through.

Add spinach and the remaining cherry tomatoes. Stir everything on low-medium heat until the spinach wilts.

Add heavy cream and basil pesto to the skillet with orzo and veggies and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Return the chicken to the skillet. Allow the chicken to simmer in the sauce to heat through and until the chicken is completely cooked through.

Cook orzo

Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach is a 30-minute one-pan well-balanced weeknight meal that has everything: protein, veggies, and pasta! Skinless boneless chicken thighs are pan-seared with paprika and Italian seasoning. It&#39;s the perfect comfort food that will surely become one of your family&#39;s favorite dinners! My other favorite quick and easy orzo pasta recipes are pesto chicken orzo with tomatoes and reader-favorite Tuscan shrimp orzo.

Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms and Spinach (30-Minutes, ONE-PAN)

1.3 lb skinless boneless chicken thighs

paprika

salt (or

oz baby bella mushrooms (or crimini)

chicken broth (or stock)

Italian seasoning (or Herbs from Provence)

paprika (or more)

red pepper flakes (or more to taste)

Season the chicken thighs with Italian seasoning, paprika, and salt.

Heat an empty, high-sided, heavy-bottomed skillet (such as a cast-iron or stainless steel pan) over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the skillet to heat through.

Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes on one side, undisturbed. This allows the chicken to sear.

Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer on the other side, without moving it, until it's cooked through.

The meat thermometer should register 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the chicken. Remove the chicken from the skillet.

Cook chicken

Add sliced mushrooms, generously seasoned with salt and pepper, to the same, now empty, skillet. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes (flipping once) until lightly browned and softened. Remove half of the cooked mushrooms from the skillet to a plate.

Cook mushrooms

Add uncooked orzo, chicken broth, minced garlic, Italian seasoning, paprika, and ¼ teaspoon salt to the same skillet with half of the cooked mushrooms.

Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer (medium-low) and cook for about 5 or 10 minutes, occasionally stirring to prevent the orzo from sticking to the bottom of the pan until the orzo is cooked through.

Add fresh spinach during the last 5 minutes of cooking the orzo.

Add ½ cup of cream. Stir everything on low-medium - do not bring the sauce to a boil.

Season with salt and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Make creamy orzo

Stir in the remaining half of cooked mushrooms.

Return cooked chicken to the skillet. Reheat gently on low heat.

Assembly

Oh my!  This recipe is a keeper!  The flavors melded together perfectly and it was so good that I will be putting this on my list as a great recipe for when I have company.  
I made it exactly as directed using baby bella mushrooms instead of crimini mushrooms and half and half cream rather than the heavy cream (since those were options offered in your directions).  I also put in the optional red pepper flakes.  I would not change anything!  
My final dish turned out a little wetter than the picture shown, but I guess I could have cooked it down a little more if I thought that was going to matter.  
I think it tasted so delicious due to the seasoning on the chicken thighs - I usually only use S&amp;P when I cook chicken - adding the paprika and Italian seasoning before searing really made a flavor difference.  
I took a great picture of it before I served it and now I'm going to go be one of those people that post it online.....    :) 
Thank you for ALL of your fabulous recipes - especially this one!

Made this tonight and my whole family loved it! And I have picky eaters!

Only thing I changed was I didn't have fresh mushrooms so I used canned (will use fresh next time but canned worked in a pinch).  I also added a little gouda cheese and broiled it in the end.  

Will definitely make again!

This is our new favorite thing to eat! It's made us fall in love with orzo! I always make sure that I have chicken thighs on hand now so I can make it whenever we get a craving for it. Yum!

I made this last night exactly as written.  My boneless, skinless chicken thighs looked just like Julia's.  This was a nice, easy one pot weeknight recipe.

I just made this dish and it was wonderful! I'm just wondering about a step, though. After taking out the cooked chicken, do you clean out the pan or put the mushrooms directly in to the chicken grease? I wasn't sure and wondered if mine had a bit of extra chicken fat in the finished meal. Either way, my husband and I really enjoyed it!

Making it tonight for the 2nd time. Great recipe! Thanks so much!

Made this tonight with chicken breast instead of thighs.  So delicious

Excellent recipe. Love one.pot dinners ans this one works well!

Served over silky, lemony orzo, this easy, one-pan-dinner of oregano-scented chicken with peas and spinach has an undeniably springy essence. It’s a complete meal with protein, sauce, carb, and vegetable all in one pan. The trick to nailing it is the sequence of the cooking steps. Searing the chicken first establishes a fond of flavor in the pan which infuses the orzo and everything else.

One-Pan Lemon Chicken Orzo with Peas and Spinach

3-4 (about 1 1/2 pounds) boneless skinless chicken breasts

Kosher salt

Black Pepper

extra virgin olive oil ((divided))

yellow onion, (diced)

lemon, (zested and juiced)

peas ((fresh

whole milk, (plus more if needed)

Season the chicken. Dry the chicken breasts well using paper towels, then season on both sides with salt, pepper and dried oregano.

Sear the chicken: In a large saute pan with high sides and a lid, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil on medium-high. When the oil shimmers, add the chicken and sear, flipping until well-browned, about 3 minutes per side (the chicken doesn’t need to be cooked through at this point). Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a rimmed plate.

Saute the onion: Drop the heat on the pan to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, along with onion. Saute until the onion is beginning to brown, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic.

Cook the orzo: Add the orzo and stir until it’s lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Stir in the chicken broth and lemon juice, scraping to release the brown bits stuck to the pan. Raise the heat to bring the liquid to a boil. Once boiling, stir and reduce heat to medium-low.

Braise the chicken: Return the chicken to the pan, along with any accumulated juices. Cover and simmer until the liquid is absorbed, the orzo is al dente, and the internal temperature of the chicken reaches 165°F, about 5 minutes.

Rest the chicken and cook peas: Use tongs to remove the chicken from the pan and allow to rest on a cutting board. Stir the peas and milk into orzo, season with salt and pepper and cover again, cooking just until peas are tender, about 3 minutes (or 4 minutes if you’re using frozen peas). Remove the lid, stir in baby spinach and cover just until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir to combine. If the orzo is looking dry or sticky, stir in another tablespoon or two of milk.

Slice the chicken and serve. Cut the chicken breasts crosswise into strips. Spoon the orzo mixture onto your serving plates and top with the chicken. Sprinkle the lemon zest over top and serve immediately.

Top 9 chicken orzo recipes from across the web

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Top 9 chicken orzo recipes from across the web

The most viewed chicken orzo recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Greek-Style Chicken Orzo Recipe

Easy Spring Vegetable Chicken Orzo

One Skillet Creamy Orzo Chicken

Cheesy Chicken Orzo Skillet with Sp...

Mediterranean Chicken Orzo

Chicken Orzo (30-Minutes, One-Pan)

Creamy Chicken Orzo with Mushrooms ...

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The most viewed chicken orzo recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine