Baked Chicken and Orzo

This hearty and comforting dish combines tender baked chicken with flavorful orzo, all cooked in a rich tomato and herb sauce. It’s a perfect meal for a cozy dinner that the whole family will enjoy.

Baked orzo and chicken is an absolutely delicious one-pot meal that works for weeknight dinners like magic without a long cooking time or messy kitchen. A great recipe for a Greek or Italian-inspired meal.

My family loved this comfort food recipe and I’m sure you will enjoy it too, because how can we not? Pasta, perfectly cooked moist chicken, light sauce – it is easy, it is quick, it is tasty and you can have leftovers the next day as the recipe makes 6 to 8 filling portions.

Main Ingredients For This Recipe

This complete dinner is based on chicken as protein, orzo for carbs, all the rest is for more flavors and it is completely customizable.

• Chicken meat. I use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but you can use chicken breast too, although I find it easier to overcook them to dry. A great way to use any leftover rotisserie chicken too!
• Dry orzo pasta (risoni). As the dish is called chicken and orzo, there are not many substitutions for pasta. I use 1 cup for this recipe. Orzo is an Italian pastina pasta or small pasta made of whole grain, white flour, or semolina and it is not gluten-free. And orzo is not rice although it looks like it.
• Chicken broth or chicken stock to cook the orzo pasta in it and finish cooking the chicken. It adds a ton of flavor and doesn’t let the chicken dry out while baking. Cooking pasta in broth is much better than in water.
• Olive oil, divided. I use half to season the chicken, and the remaining oil to sear it.
• Finely chopped onion and minced garlic to cook the chicken. Garlic butter is a great life hack for cooking the chicken to make it flavorful. If you have neither, use garlic powder and onion powder but the fresh ones bring so much flavor.
• Canned diced tomatoes. It is optional but I like tomatoes. You can also use sun-dried tomatoes. I don’t use any other vegetables in this recipe, but you can add fresh spinach, mushrooms, and bell peppers.
• Aromatics and seasoning: dried oregano, dried basil, crushed red pepper flakes (optional), kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Optional are lemon juice and lemon zest
• Grated Parmesan cheese will make a delicious cheesy crust when we bake the dish.
• Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Kitchen Equipment

• Oven-safe dish to bake chicken and orzo (casserole dish, ceramic skillet, or Dutch oven will work too!). It is a one-pan meal so make sure the pan is big enough to hold all the ingredients.

How To Make Baked Chicken Orzo Pasta

First, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C).

The prep time takes 15 minutes max, and most of the ovens take the same time to heat up to 375F. But if you know that your oven takes longer, turn it on a bit earlier.

You don’t have to pre-cook the pasta!

1 – Pre-Cook Chicken Thighs

1. Dry the chicken with a paper towel. Drizzle one tablespoon of the oil on the chicken thighs and then season them with salt, and pepper. 
2. Heat the remaining olive oil in a large oven-safe skillet, over medium-high heat or medium heat. Sear the chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes on each side OR until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the skillet and set aside.
    At this stage we are not cooking the chicken though, it is only browning but raw inside! It will finish cooking in all the liquid together with the orzo in the oven.
3. In the same skillet, add the chopped onion and cook for 3-4 minutes OR until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook for another 1 minute until fragrant.

2 – Add Orzo Pasta

1. Stir in the orzo, chicken broth, diced tomatoes (with their juice), oregano, basil, and red pepper flakes (if using).
2. Bring to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3 – Bake The Entire Dish

1. Nestle the seared chicken thighs into the orzo mixture. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.
2. Bake uncovered for 25-30 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the orzo is tender. The chicken is fully cooked when there is no pink and the internal temperature sits at 165 degrees F.
3. Remove from the oven, and let it rest for 5 minutes before fluffing the orzo with a fork to let it soak all the liquid from the chicken, seasonings, and tomatoes.
4. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley, and a bit of olive oil, and serve immediately.

Storage

Store any leftover baked chicken and orzo in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat cooked orzo and chicken in the microwave with a splash of water to keep the bake moist.

I don’t recommend freezing it since it has pasta. You can make the chicken ahead and freeze it for up to 6 months, and later cook fresh orzo pasta to bake them together.

Orzo cooks quickly, in about 8 minutes in salted water.

Tips & Tricks To Make The Best Chicken Orzo Bake

• Swap the chicken. It can be vegetarian, or with sausage, meatballs, or other meat. Whatever you prefer.
• To take this chicken orzo bake to the next level, you can add creamy cheese (Boursine cheese or brie) in the center of the dish for baking. It will make the best creamy and cheesy gooey sauce.
• Adding heavy cream makes the sauce creamier but I find it to be a bit heavy and overwhelming. I keep things simple and it is such a delicious recipe without any add-ons in my opinion.
• Mozzarella, chicken breasts, Italian seasoning, and sun-dried tomatoes add more of an Italian twist. You can also use white wine for the sauce base to make the dish more elevated. Grated parmesan cheese on top is a classic move too.
• Feta, bell peppers, lemon, and coriander add more Mediterranean, Greek flavors. Don’t bake feta but sprinkle the crumbs over the baked dish. It is fantastic if you serve it with classic Greek salad.
• If you love Spanish cuisine, add some cayenne peppers, paprika, and olives, and replace chicken with chorizo!
• Even though this is a classic orzo recipe, you can of course use different pasta of small size: Farfalle, penne, or bow-tie pasta pair very nicely with chicken.
• I don’t use lemon juice or lemons in my recipe but it certainly highlights the flavors. You can even slightly grill them and serve the dish with it.
• You can lightly toast the orzo before adding it to the baking dish to really infuse the seasoning.
• Making it a one-pot meal we take advantage of deglazing – cooking sauce in the same pan where we cooked meat. So every single ingredient of this dish is packed with flavors.
• To deepen the flavors of the chicken you can also marinate it with oil and seasoning for 20 minutes before cooking.

Popular Questions

Can I Make Chicken Orzo Dinner In A Slow Cooker?

Chicken Orzo bake is an easy dump-and-go dinner you can make in a Dutch oven or slow cooker. You will only need to sear chicken in advance, and then place all the ingredients, including dry orzo in the pot. It will take 1 hour on high in slow cooker to be done.

Is It Better To Cover Chicken Thighs When Baking?

Bake chicken things and orzo uncovered. If you keep the skin on chicken, also do not cover it when baking to let the skin get crispy and brown.

Do Chicken Thighs And Breasts Take The Same Time To Cook?

Chicken breasts and thighs have relatively the same cooking time, but breasts often dry out faster. Check the internal temperature (it should be around 165F)

If you love this chicken dinner recipe, you’re going to love these other easy meal ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Baked Chicken Dinners

Baked Chicken Street Tacos

Oven-Baked Chicken

Sheet Pan Chicken Thighs

Chicken and Brown Rice Casserole

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