Creamy orzo, burst tomatoes, salty olives and feta, and fork-tender chicken thighs come together in this delicious and easy Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo. This dish can be ready in under an hour and is the simple weeknight dinner everyone will love!
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When it comes to busy weeknights, this one-pot Mediterranean chicken and orzo is the way to go!
I’m using chicken thighs here which are pretty much foolproof and my go-to ingredient for so many easy recipes like lemon chicken orzo soup, chicken and peppers, grilled chicken thighs, and Greek lemon chicken and potatoes.
And since everything is made in one pan there is minimal cleanup required!
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Recipe Ingredients
All ingredients for this recipe are shown in the pic below and special notes are made in this bulleted list to assist you.
- Chicken. I’m using boneless skinless chicken thighs for this recipe but you can certainly use bone-in thighs or chicken breasts.
- Orzo. Orzo is a pasta that’s shaped like rice and is often used in Mediterranean dishes, like orzo with shrimp and feta, baked orzo, and rice pilaf. If you can’t find orzo, you can use other small pasta or couscous.
- Olives. Kalamata or gaeta olives bring great Mediterranean flavor to this dish. To save time, look for olives that are already pitted, otherwise you’ll need to pit them yourself.
- Feta. This salty cheese contributes greatly to the Mediterranean flavors in this dish and adds a nice salty bite. Block feta is better, but you can buy the pre-crumbled feta to save time.
- Tomatoes. Use either cherry or grape tomatoes. You can either leave them whole or slice in half. I halved about half of mine and kept the other half whole.
- Stock. If you have it on hand, use homemade chicken stock. Otherwise, you can use a stock made from chicken base or a boxed stock.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
How to make it
Each number corresponds to the numbered written steps below.
- Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat along with the olive oil and once shimmering, add the chicken thighs and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Work in batches if need be, then transfer the chicken to a plate covered with tented foil.
- Add the diced onion to the pan along with a pinch of salt and once soft, add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the hot red pepper flakes and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Add the cherry tomatoes to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until they begin to burst. Add the orzo and mix well to make sure it’s coated with olive oil. Toast the orzo for 3 minutes.
- Add the chicken stock, honey, and oregano, and bring to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat to low and nestle the chicken thighs into the orzo.
- Cover the pot and cook until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed, about 12-15 minutes.
- Remove the cover and add the olives and lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley and feta. If the orzo is at all dry, add a touch more chicken stock and olive oil. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Enjoy!
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One Pot Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo
Ingredients
- 2 pounds (908g) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 tablespoons 60ml) extra virgin olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 6 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon crushed hot red pepper flakes
- 1 1/2 pounds (680g) cherry tomatoes halved
- 1 pound (454g) orzo
- 3 1/2 cups (840ml) low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon (22g) honey
- 1 tablespoon dried greek oregano
- 2 tablespoons (30ml) lemon juice
- 1/2 cup (70g) kalamata or gaeta olives pitted, rinsed, and chopped
- 1/2 cup (57g) crumbled feta
- 1/2 cup minced flat-leaf Italian parsley
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Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs very dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large pan to medium heat and add the olive oil. Once shimmering, add the chicken thighs and cook for 4-5 minutes per side or until golden brown. Place the chicken onto a plate and tent with foil.
- Add the onion to the pan along with a pinch of salt. Once the onions are soft and translucent (about 5-7 minutes) add the garlic and cook for another 1-2 minutes or until fragrant. Add the hot red pepper flakes and tomatoes to the pan and cook for 2 minutes or until the tomatoes begin to burst.
- Add the orzo and mix well to coat with the olive oil. Toast the orzo for 3 minutes then add the chicken stock, honey, and oregano. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and nestle the chicken pieces into the orzo. Cover the pot and cook until the orzo is tender and most of the liquid has absorbed (about 12-15 minutes).
- Uncover the pot and mix in the olives and lemon juice. Remove the pan from the heat and add the parsley and feta. If the orzo is too dry add a touch more chicken stock and olive oil if needed. Taste test and adjust salt and pepper if required. Enjoy!
Notes
- Makes 4 large or 6 moderate sized servings.
- Chicken breasts can be subbed for chicken thighs. If using, sear the chicken until cooked through, slice into bite size pieces, and then mix in after the orzo has finished cooking.
- Any variety of olives can be used but kalamata or gaeta are recommended.
- Leftovers can be saved for up to 3 days and reheated in the microwave.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Looks great. Would love to try this but I don’t know the quantity of ingredients to use. Please update post or send me ingredient list.
Hi David, please see the recipe card for the ingredient quantities (you can click “jump to recipe” to go directly there).
I just made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was a hit. We love that is easy to make, very tasty and so fresh; perfect for an almost summer night meal.
So happy you enjoyed it, Isabel!
I really like all your recipes and videos. Will look forward to getting your cookbook! I will be making this over the weekend
We hope you enjoy it, Claire!
I love your recipes and your style of cooking.
My 90 year old mom lives with me and she has celiac disease. I find it very easy to make your food gluten-free and it’s still delicious
We’re so happy you’re enjoying the recipes, Frances!
I will try this weekend….Do you like the idea of maybe cutting up some spinach and putting in a few minutes before it is done? I am looking forward to your book!
Hi Nancy, yes, this would be great with spinach (we do something similar for our salmon and orzo recipe). Glad to hear you’re looking forward to the book – it should be out end of summer/early fall!
Usually, my wife will eat some of whatever I make to be polite. My wife ate three plates of this tonight. My daughter loved it as well. Will definitely be making more of this soon!
So glad to hear that, Austin!
I’m heading to the store for the ingredients now. Was convinced to make this by your lovely wife and seeing her enjoyment eating this 🙂 Can’t fake that
We hope you love it, Cathleen!
This is fantastic! I used 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, which was a perfect level for our taste. I didn’t have feta cheese, so I grated some good Parmesan over each serving. Chicken thighs is a perfect choice for this recipe. We will definitely make it again! Thanks Jim & Tara!
We’re so happy you enjoyed, Chrissy!
Excellent
So happy you enjoyed!
This was excellent. I made it in my 4 quart Tramontina braiser.
My choices of Rzo were limited to one brand at our 3 major chains. I guess it’s because I live in a rural area of the country known as Chicago.
We’re happy you enjoyed, Alan!
This is the third recipe I prepared from your channel, the first two were the Greek Lemon Chicken and potatoes and the Spanish Garlic shrimp. All these dishes have been amazing! Really enjoying your channel, thank you for sharing your love of cooking.
We’re so happy you are enjoying the recipes, Christopher!