• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
TikTok

Jo Cooks

Simple - Easy - Comfort

  • All Recipes
    • Course
      • Breakfast
      • Appetizers
      • Lunch
      • Dinner
      • Desserts
      • Side Dishes
      • Soups
      • Salads
      • Sandwiches
      • Drinks/Cocktails
      • Sauces & Dressings
    • Method
      • Crockpot
      • Instant Pot
      • One Pot
      • Air Fryer
      • Casseroles
    • Season
      • Spring
      • Summer
      • Fall
      • Winter
    • Cuisine
      • Asian
      • Italian
      • Mexican
      • European
      • Indian
      • Romanian
      • Mediterranean
      • Middle Eastern
      • American
    • Ingredient
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Beef
      • Seafood
      • Lamb
      • Vegetarian
      • Pasta
      • Spices
    • Holiday
      • Christmas
      • Easter
      • Thanksgiving
      • Game Day
      • Valentine's Day
      • St. Patrick's Day
      • Cinco de Mayo
      • Mother's Day
      • Memorial Day
      • Father's Day
      • 4th Of July
      • Labor Day
      • Halloween
    • Recipe Index
  • Cookbooks
    • The Big Book of Jo’s Quick and Easy Meals
    • 30-Minute One-Pot Meals
  • Shop
  • About Jo
FREE recipe eBook!
Search...
All Recipes
Instant Pot
30 Minute
One Pot Meals
Soups
Dips & Dressings
Baking
Pasta
Sandwiches
Sides
Chicken Dinner One Pot 30 Minutes or Less Mediterranean
4.7 from 71 votes

One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo

Jump to RecipeVideoPrintRate
By: Joanna Cismaru •1/29/23 52 Comments

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.

This One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo is a perfect midweek meal. It’s quick, delicious and loaded with Greek flavors. Less stress, more flavor!

a braiser full of orzo with olives, chicken, and lemon slices.
Table of Contents Open
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
  • Don’t Want To Use Wine?
  • Using Chicken Breast In Place Of Thigh
  • Other Additions
    • Veggies
    • Meat
    • Starches
  • Leftovers
    • Fridge
    • Freezer
  • More Delicious Orzo Recipes To Try:
  • One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • Equipment
    • Video
    • Notes
    • Nutrition Information
  • Did You Make This?

This dish is one of my favorites when I’m in the mood for something a little different that packs tons of flavor and is completely satisfying. We cook down the tender orzo with white wine and chicken broth, crumble lots of salty feta, Kalmata olives, and perfectly crisp chicken. Did I mention it’s a one pot dish?

Orzo is perfect for these types of quick meals because it really does cook pretty fast, we’re talking about 6 minutes or less. Orzo is really quite versatile and it’s great in soups, dishes like this Greek chicken orzo and believe it or not, it’s great in salads. It’s light, it’s chewy and it’s such a great base to soak up all our Mediterranean flavors.

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the recipe card for a list of FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

  • Dredge – We’re going to crispy up some chicken in a dredge made from: all purpose flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
  • Chicken – Thighs, boneless and skinless.
  • Onion – We want something that cooks down well like white or yellow.
  • Garlic – Use as much or little as you like.
  • Spices – Red pepper flakes, dried oregano, and fresh chopped thyme. However, if dried is all you have on hand just keep in mind that 1 tablespoon fresh equals 1 teaspoon dried.
  • Orzo – We want this small shaped pasta for our dish, but you could also substitute it with couscous.
  • Liquids – White wine and low sodium chicken broth make up our liquid base.
  • Olives – Pitted Kalmata olives studding our entire dish.
  • Cheese – Feta cheese all crumbled up will help create a creamy base for our Orzo.
  • Parsley – Fresh all chopped up to be sprinkled on liberally.
  • Lemon – Cut into wedges to be squeezed over top as garnish.
a plate of orzo with chicken, olives, and lemon wedges.

How To Make One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo

  1. Form the dredge: In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken thighs through the flour mixture.
  2. Cook the thighs: In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for about 4 minutes per side or until crispy. Don’t worry if the chicken isn’t cooked through completely. We’ll continue cooking it later. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  3. Form the flavor base: In the same skillet, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and stir. Cook for about 1 minute, just until the garlic gets aromatic and the onion begins to soften a bit. At this point you can season with a bit of salt and pepper.
  4. Cook the orzo: Add the orzo to the skillet, pour in the wine, chicken broth and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium. Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through, stirring occasionally.
  5. Finish the dish: Garnish with kalamata olives, feta cheese, parsley and lemon wedges. Serve while warm.

Don’t Want To Use Wine?

You don’t have to use wine if you’d prefer not to! Chicken broth will substitute 1 for 1 just as easily.

Using Chicken Breast In Place Of Thigh

If you use chicken breasts, cut them in half first so that they cook through, otherwise cook it exactly as you would normally!

Other Additions

Another great thing about this recipe, besides it being, quick, one pot and delicious, is the fact that it’s quite versatile. Although I give you a basic recipe here, feel free to add what you’d like to bulk it up a bit!

Veggies

  • Spinach
  • Broccoli
  • Asparagus
  • Peas
  • Mushrooms

Meat

This dish would taste amazing with a bit of bacon or pancetta.

Starches

You don’t just have just use orzo, you can use some other starches if you’d like! I’m just obsessed with orzo lately, because you know what, it only takes about 6 minutes to cook!

  • Rice, long grain like Basmati to prevent stickiness
  • Couscous
  • Any small small shaped pasta
overhead of a braiser with orzo, chicken, olives, feta, and parsley.

Leftovers

Fridge

Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in for 3 to 5 days.

Freezer

Freeze in an airtight container for 1 to 2 months.

More Delicious Orzo Recipes To Try:

  • One Pot Spicy Pork Ragu with Orzo
  • One Pot Cheesy Taco Orzo
  • Mediterranean Orzo Salad
  • Lemon Orzo with Asparagus
  • One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
  • Creamy Parmesan Orzo with Chicken and Asparagus
  • Chicken Cacciatore

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

side view shot of a serving spoon taking a scoop of greek chicken and orzo in a pot
Print
4.67 from 71 votes

One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo

Prep 10 minutes
Cook 20 minutes
Total 30 minutes
Rate Recipe
This One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo is a perfect midweek meal. It's quick, delicious and loaded with Greek flavors. Less stress, more flavor!
6

Ingredients

  • ½ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon salt (or to taste)
  • ¼ teaspoon pepper (or to taste)
  • 8 chicken thighs (boneless and skinless)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion (chopped)
  • 3 cloves garlic (minced)
  • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • ½ tablespoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon fresh thyme (chopped)
  • 1½ cups orzo (dry)
  • 1 cup white wine
  • 2 cups chicken broth (low sodium)
  • ¾ cup kalamata olives (pitted)
  • ¼ cup feta cheese (crumbled)
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley (chopped)
  • ½ lemon (cut into wedges)

Before You Begin! If you make this, please leave a review and rating letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business thrive & continue providing free recipes.

Instructions 

  • In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper.
  • Dredge the chicken thighs through the flour mixture. 
  • In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken thighs and cook for about 4 minutes per side or until crispy. Don’t worry if the chicken isn’t cooked through completely. We’ll continue cooking it later. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside.
  • In the same skillet, add the remaining tbsp of olive oil. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes, oregano, thyme and stir. Cook for about 1 minute, just until the garlic gets aromatic and the onion begins to soften a bit. At this point you can season with a bit of salt and pepper.
  • Add the orzo to the skillet, pour in the wine, chicken broth and stir. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a medium. Add the chicken back to the skillet, cover with a lid and cook for about 10 minutes or until the orzo is cooked through, stirring occasionally. 
  • Garnish with kalamata olives, feta cheese, parsley and lemon wedges.
  • Serve while warm.

Equipment

  • 12-inch Cast Iron Skillet

Video

Notes

  1. Use an extra cup of chicken broth if you don’t want to use wine.
  2. If you use chicken breasts, cut them in half first so that they cook through.
  3. You can use rice instead of orzo in this recipe.
  4. The skillet I used is a 14 inch paella pan, you can find it here.
  5. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in for 3 to 5 days. 
  6. Freeze in an airtight container for 1 to 2 months.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1servingCalories: 658kcal (33%)Carbohydrates: 45g (15%)Protein: 34g (68%)Fat: 35g (54%)Saturated Fat: 9g (56%)Cholesterol: 153mg (51%)Sodium: 675mg (29%)Potassium: 609mg (17%)Fiber: 4g (17%)Sugar: 3g (3%)Vitamin A: 972IU (19%)Vitamin C: 11mg (13%)Calcium: 93mg (9%)Iron: 3mg (17%)
© Author Joanna Cismaru

Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.

side view shot of a serving spoon taking a scoop of greek chicken and orzo in a pot

Did You Make This?

We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @jocooks or hashtag #jocooks so we can see your creations!

Rate Recipe
Add Your Photo!
  • 560
  • 2
Home Recipes
Joanna Cismaru

Joanna Cismaru

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
iPad showing title of ebook 30 recipes from around the world
Subscribe

Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

Loading

guest
Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.

guest
Did you make this recipe? Rate it:




The comment form collects your name, email and content to allow us keep track of the comments placed on the website. Please read and accept our website Terms and Privacy Policy to post a comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

52 Comments
Newest
Oldest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Bobbi
Bobbi
Posted: 1 month ago

5 stars
Love this recipe, it is now part of my regular rotation!

0
Reply
K Pike
K Pike
Posted: 4 months ago

5 stars
I made this for my one teenager who is vegetarian and substituted tofu for chicken and used vegetable stock. She LOVED it. It was fast and easy and totally different from what we normallY eat. It is rare I get a rave from her, but this recipe did! I simultaneously made the one pot taco orzo for my other teenager who loves meat. He approached it skeptically, but ended up asking for seconds. Thank you! I will be going through your site in detail looking for other great ideas!

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  K Pike
Posted: 4 months ago

Glad you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Anita
Anita
Posted: 9 months ago

5 stars
This is a delicious recipe which I halved to make for 2 of us and converted it to vegan by using Alpha grilled chikn strips. Definitely a keeper!

0
Reply
Susan
Susan
Posted: 1 year ago

Can this be made a day ahead?

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Susan
Posted: 1 year ago

Yes, for sure, it’ll last in the fridge 3 to 5 days, so you should be just fine.

0
Reply
Dennis
Dennis
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
I added some marinated artichokes hearts in it it was delicious.
Will make it again.

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Jo Cooks Team AMJ
Reply to  Dennis
Posted: 1 year ago

So glad it turned out so well and you enjoyed it!

0
Reply
Trish T
Trish T
Posted: 1 year ago

5 stars
I’m always looking for new recipes for chicken and happened upon this one. It is easy & flavorful as is…..I made no substitutions except to cut it in half.

0
Reply
Lisa Meacham
Lisa Meacham
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
I made this recipe using 2 thighs. It was delicious! I cut it in half.

0
Reply
Kelly P
Kelly P
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
This was a fantastic recipe. Quick and easy for all the family to enjoy.

0
Reply
Susan
Susan
Posted: 2 years ago

5 stars
Delicious and easy. Thanks Jo

0
Reply
Dominique
Dominique
Posted: 2 years ago

I love this so much! The first time I made there was no orzo at the store so I used rice and it was soooo good! I’m making it again this weekend with orzo this time ☺️

Quick question: for the calories, is that per serving?

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Dominique
Posted: 2 years ago

Yes that’s per serving! Enjoy 🙂

0
Reply
C. Lindmark
C. Lindmark
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
Our whole family, my 4 kids included, love this recipe! It in our monthly rotation at least twice! Thanks!

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team 2
Jo Cooks Team 2
Reply to  C. Lindmark
Posted: 3 years ago

We are so glad you like it 🙂

0
Reply
Dominique
Dominique
Reply to  Jo Cooks Team 2
Posted: 2 years ago

Thank you 🙂

0
Reply
Missi M
Missi M
Posted: 3 years ago

I just made this and oh. my. gosh. SO easy and simple to make with over the top flavor!! I am so excited to make this for dinner parties!

Love all your recipes, Jo!

0
Reply
Jo Cooks Team
Jo Cooks Team
Reply to  Missi M
Posted: 3 years ago

Thank you, Missi! We’re so happy you’ve been loving our recipes.

0
Reply
Ramona
Ramona
Posted: 3 years ago

Can I use cous cous instead of orzo? If so, when do I add it in? Love all your recipes

0
Reply
Nicole Beaulieu
Nicole Beaulieu
Reply to  Ramona
Posted: 3 years ago

Yes you can. You may need a little less liquid so start with 1 1/2 cups of chicken broth and add more if needed.

0
Reply
Renee spangler
Renee spangler
Posted: 3 years ago

5 stars
I absolutely love your recipes

0
Reply
Joanna Cismaru
Joanna Cismaru
Author
Reply to  Renee spangler
Posted: 3 years ago

Thank you!

0
Reply
Lauren
Lauren
Posted: 3 years ago

I’d love to try this with zucchini – at what point would you add chopped zucchini? I don’t want it to turn to mush!

Thanks 🙂

0
Reply
Nicole Beaulieu
Nicole Beaulieu
Reply to  Lauren
Posted: 3 years ago

I would add it at the very end and let everything cook for an extra couple minutes 🙂

0
Reply

sidebar

Headshot of Joanna Cismaru

Hey there!

I’m Joanna (Jo for short) and this is my blog where I share with you my culinary adventures. Here you will find a variety of recipes using simple everyday ingredients and creating wonderful, delicious and comforting meals, including some decadent desserts.

Read More
Collage of recipe ebooks
Subscribe

Get our FREE recipe eBook + weekly newsletter!

Loading

Pasta Favorites

baked mac and cheese in a black cast iron skillet.
45 mins

Baked Mac And Cheese

freshly made crack chicken penne with a wooden spoon in a skillet.
40 mins

Crack Chicken Penne

chicken pot pie pasta in a white serving bowl with a wooden serving spoon.
50 mins

Chicken Pot Pie Pasta

freshly made one pot pasta in a dutch oven.
20 mins

One Pot Pasta

tomato spinach chicken pasta in a white bowl.
30 mins

Tomato Spinach Chicken Pasta

homemade hamburger helper lasagna from scratch in a skillet.
30 mins

One Pot Hamburger Helper Lasagna

baked feta pasta in a white bowl garnished with fresh basil.
50 mins

Baked Feta Pasta (Tik Tok Pasta)

sideview shot of chicken fajita pasta in a white bowl with a fork inside
45 mins

Chicken Fajita Pasta

side close up shot of swedish meatball pasta in a beige braised garnished with parsley
30 mins

Swedish Meatball Pasta

overhead shot of a bowl of haluski
40 mins

Haluski (Cabbage and Noodles)

A stack of cookbooks
Grab a copy!

My Cookbooks

Order Now: Amazon | Indigo | Barnes & Noble | Indie Bound | Books-A-Million

Dinner Favorites

smothered pork chops in a skillet garnished with parsley.
1 hr 15 mins

Smothered Pork Chops

a wooden spoon lifting a salisbury steak out of the skillet
30 mins

Salisbury Steak

beef lo mein in a black wok.
30 mins

Beef Lo Mein

side shot of beef and broccoli in a skillet
15 mins

Easy Beef and Broccoli Stir Fry

skillet shepherd's pie in a cast iron skillet with a portion taken out.
1 hr 25 mins

Skillet Shepherd’s Pie

a serving spoon inside a skillet with chicken broccoli rice casserole.
30 mins

One Pot Cheesy Chicken Broccoli Rice Casserole

side view shot of two italian stuffed peppers in a bowl
2 hrs 30 mins

Italian Stuffed Peppers

side view shot of a bowl with a scoop of spaghetti bolognese in it
40 mins

Spaghetti Bolognese

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
YouTube
TikTok
Visit our Other Site: Craving Home Cooked

Explore

Recipes
Cookbooks
About Jo
Contact

Legal

Privacy Policy
Accessibility
Disclaimers
© 2023 Jo Cooks
Site Credits
Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
wpDiscuz