One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
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This One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo is a perfect midweek meal. It’s quick, delicious and loaded with Greek flavors. Less stress, more flavor!
One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
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 6Â 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.
What Is Orzo?
Orzo is a small cut pasta that tastes heavenly in big entrees just like the one I’m writing out for you all today. It packs some good protein and pairs well with a good variety of veggies, I’ll be sure to give you some good recommendations below. This dish is absolutely divine and I can’t wait to show it to you all today!
Ingredients In One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
Keep scrolling for the full recipe and ingredient amounts.
- Dredge –Â We’re going to crispy up some chicken in a dredge made from: all purpose flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Chicken –Â Thighs, boneless and skinless.
- Onion –Â We want something that cooks down well like white or yellow.
- Garlic –Â Fresh is always best but if jarred is all you have on hand keep in mind that 1 1/2 teaspoons equals 1 whole clove.
- Spices –Â 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 –Â White wine and low sodium chicken broth make up our liquid base.
- Olives –Â Pitted Kalmata olives studding our entire dish.
- Cheese –Â Feta cheese all crumbled up will help create a creamy base for our Orzo.
- Parsley –Â Fresh all chopped up to be sprinkled on liberally.
- Lemon –Â Cut into wedges to be squeezed over top as garnish.
How To Make One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
Detailed measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
- Form the dredge:Â In a medium sized bowl whisk together the flour, smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Dredge the chicken thighs through the flour mixture.
- Cook the thighs:Â 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.
- 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.
- Cook the orzo:Â 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.
- 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!
What Else Can I Add To My Greek Chicken Orzo
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
Storing Leftover Greek Chicken Orzo
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:
Orzo is such an under-appreciated pasta so add it to your weekly dinner rotation, trust me.
- 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
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One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 20 mins
Total: 30 mins
Serves: 6
This One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo is a perfect midweek meal. It's quick, delicious and loaded with Greek flavors. Less stress, more flavor!
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp salt or to taste
- 1/4 tsp pepper or to taste
- 8 chicken thighs boneless and skinless
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 large onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
- 1 tbsp fresh thyme chopped
- 1 1/2 cups orzo dry
- 1 cup white wine
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
- 3/4 cup kalamata olives pitted
- 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbled
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped
- 1/2 lemon cut into wedges
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.
Video
Recipe Notes
- Use an extra cup of chicken broth if you don't want to use wine.
- If you use chicken breasts, cut them in half first so that they cook through.
- You can use rice instead of orzo in this recipe.
- The skillet I used is a 14 inch paella pan, you can find it here.
- Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container in for 3 to 5 days.Â
- Freeze in an airtight container for 1 to 2 months.
- Please note that nutritional information can vary greatly based on products used.
Nutrition Information:
Calories: 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%)
Missi M says
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!
Jo Cooks Team says
Thank you, Missi! We’re so happy you’ve been loving our recipes.
Ramona says
Can I use cous cous instead of orzo? If so, when do I add it in? Love all your recipes
Nicole Beaulieu says
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.
Renee spangler says
I absolutely love your recipes
jo says
Thank you!
Lauren says
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 🙂
Nicole Beaulieu says
I would add it at the very end and let everything cook for an extra couple minutes 🙂
Inez says
Wonderfully adaptive to different herbs and veg! Fabulous xx
T says
Would you make this with shrimp
Nicole Beaulieu says
Definitely, that would be amazing. I would wait until the last 10 minutes to add the shrimp so they don’t get over cooked.
heidi says
sorry about the typos!
heidi says
this was spectacular! i took some libertywith a few things, but the foundation of the recipe stayed the same. i did used 6 thighs & 3 breasts…i dumped an entire bag of orzo in–not sure how much it was, but i think i used 4 cups of chicken broth…i also added lemon juice, zest, and lemon slices, as well as artichoke hearts (quartered), and a mix of pitted kalamata & fancy green olives. i swear i died & went to heaven! can’t wait to make this again!!!
Angela says
My husband was seriously impressed with this one. I’m not a fan of thighs so next time I have to use breast as well as thighs. I did make one mistake. Because I don’t use wine I just substituted more broth forgetting it wouldn’t burn off the same and so there really was too much liquid. It was totally edible though. Very very tasty!
stephanie says
this didn’t work out for me. The orzo stuck to the bottom of the pan and the liquid was gone… Not sure what happened, it seemed so promising
Joanna Cismaru says
Perhaps your heat was too high, and to be safe and depending on the skillet you were using, you might have to stir occasionally.
Debra says
HI Jo, I was thinking of adding fresh spinach. I love it with orzo & lemon. Thoughts?
Joanna Cismaru says
That’s a great idea, spinach would be great here!
Lynda K says
Hi Jo! We are not a fan of chicken thighs so can we use chicken breasts instead and how many pounds since this only calls for 8 thighs and does not state pounds. Thanks.
Joanna Cismaru says
It’s about 1 1/2 lbs, so I’d go with about same for breasts, you might want to cut them in half to cook them faster.
Jasmine says
Hey Joanna , what do u think of using rice instead of orzo ? Also is white cooking wine okay?
Joanna Cismaru says
Rice should be just fine. White cooking wine is ok, but I always recommend cooking with the wine you drink, it will just taste better.
Allison says
I started making this several months ago, and its in our regular dinner rotation. This is the recipe that has made me a true believer in cooking with chicken thighs. And smoked paprika has become a very important part of my life. Delicious and EXCELLENT for leftovers (you can’t say that about everything.) Love!
Fenne Kieken says
That’s great Allison, thanks for posting your comments. We like the smoked paprika too as it adds such a nice flavor to the dishes. So great to have you as part of our Jo Cooks community.
Char says
Is there a substitute for wine in this recipe? It looks delicious, but i don’t cook with alcoholic beverages.
Fenne Kieken says
You could skip the wine and don’t really need to substitute anything. You could use chicken stock if you would like which would also work.
Leann says
This was a hit! My husband asked me to put this in frequent rotation. 🙂
Connie Downing says
Made this today, and we love it! Definitely a keeper.
Joanna Cismaru says
So glad to hear it, Connie!
linda says
Made this last night,it was so good! I had all ingredients on hand except fresh thyme,so used dry.we both agreed it was best recipe ever,so simple and flavorful!!Having rest tonight with salad,so thanks for another great recipe.
Joanna Cismaru says
That’s great Linda, so glad you liked it! Dry thyme is fine too, I would have used fresh oregano but I didn’t have any, so that’s why I used dry. 🙂
Donna says
Recipe looks wonderful but….What kind of wine? I see white wine but that doesn’t help those of us who don’t like to drink wine but do like to cook with it. I know next to nothing about wine. I drink cocktails but have never found a wine I like to drink, except dessert wines and I’m thinking they would not be what you used here.
Thanks
Donna
Joanna Cismaru says
We used a white blend, a mix between a chardonnay and a pinot grigio, but it doesn’t really matter, whatever white wine you can find should work.
Donna says
Thanks for the response. I will pass this on to my husband. He does all the cooking but he travels so before he leaves he makes something with leftovers for me and this looks like just the ticket
Thanks
Donna
Sara @ Last Night's Feast says
Yum! This is just beautiful and looks delish