Make this Greek chicken with orzo pasta for a quick and easy weeknight meal. Chicken is marinated in a zesty Greek dressing and pan fried. Served with a flavorful orzo, veggies, olives, and feta cheese, this recipe is packed full of flavor and nutritious ingredients.
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I’m always trying to find new and delicious dishes, that are packed full of nutrients, to serve to my family. It’s so easy to get stuck on a cycle of cooking the same thing over and over.
Sometimes you just need that go-to recipe that kicks flavor into high gear and is a little different from the sourdough discard pizza or tacos we serve so frequently. This Greek chicken with orzo pasta does just that.
This also makes a great 30-minute easy recipe for those busy weeknights. Prep your marinade, veggies, and chicken in advance, then all you have to do is cook up the chicken and the orzo that evening.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
A quick and simple recipe – You can have this on the table in 30 minutes. Plus, it is all done in one pot. It’s a flavorful dish the whole family will love.
Perfect recipe for meal prep – Make this on Sunday to enjoy for lunches during the week.
Great way to utilize fresh tomatoes and zucchini – This is a go-to summer meal for us because it includes many of the garden veggies we are harvesting all summer long.
Ingredients
Chicken breasts – You could also use chicken thighs. If you can, use local farm fresh chicken.
Diced Tomatoes – We like to use fresh tomatoes or cherry tomatoes in this recipe, but you can also use canned diced tomatoes.
Orzo – Orzo is a pasta that is shaped like rice. You can find it in most grocery stores. For a gluten free version, get. cassava flour orzo from Thrive Market.
Chicken broth – Make your own bone broth in the Instant pot. If you buy the bone broth, be sure to check the ingredient list first.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
How To Make Greek Chicken With Orzo Pasta
Step 1: Combine the ingredients for your chicken marinade in a small mason jar. Shake together and set aside.
Step 2: Cut up the chicken breast into 2-inch pieces and place them in a small bowl. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and stir so it’s evenly coated. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or the morning you plan to make the dish.
Step 3: In a large pot or large dutch oven, warm the olive oil and cook the marinated chicken until cooked through (165 degrees F). Remove from heat and set aside. You can also cook the chicken in a separate skillet if preferred.
Step 4: While the chicken is cooking, chop and prepare all your veggies. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and chop the zucchini and tomato into a rough dice.
Step 5: Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the Dutch oven and set aside. Add more olive oil if needed and scrape up any chicken that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped onions to the Dutch oven and cook until softened on medium heat.
Step 6: Add garlic, zucchini, and tomato and cook for 3-5 minutes.
Step 7: Pour the orzo into the pot with the vegetables with one cup of broth, oregano, and some salt and pepper. Stir regularly with the stove on medium low heat until the orzo has soaked up most of the broth, then add another cup of broth. Continue stirring and adding broth (or additional water, if needed) until the orzo is cooked through al dente. The orzo takes about 15-20 minutes to cook.
Step 8: When ready to serve, top the pasta with chicken, extra olives, a drizzle of the reserved marinade, and a generous crumble of feta cheese. Enjoy!
Tips
- The honey in the chicken marinade helps the chicken to get a really nice browning on it, but it does mean it’s more susceptible to burning, so watch it closely.
- Marinate your chicken the morning of or 30 minutes before you start cooking.
- The orzo will need a lot of salt and pepper, but also keep in mind as you’re seasoning this dish that feta and olives really lend a lot of salt, as well.
- You can just stir the cooked chicken into the pasta dish or add it to the top for a more decorative presentation.
Recipe FAQ’s
For this recipe, since you are pan frying the chicken rather than, say, grilling it, you do not need to wipe it off. You can cook it right in the marinade.
Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Yes! This is a great freezer meal. Once cooled, add to a freezer safe bag or airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.
Find More Flavorful Dinner Recipes
- Pork Steaks With Creamy Onion Gravy
- Maple Roasted Chicken With Sweet Potatoes And Apples
- Sausage and Apple Stuffed Acorn Squash
- 20 Summer Dinner Recipes
- Zucchini Lasagna
If you try this recipe and love it, I would love it if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone.
Greek Chicken With Orzo Pasta
Video
Ingredients
Marinade for the Chicken:
- 1/3 cup + 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon raw honey
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Greek Orzo Pasta Dish
- 4 chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 medium red onion
- 6 cloves garlic
- 2 medium zucchini
- 1 large tomato
- 16 ounces dried orzo pasta
- 4 cups chicken broth, plus water if necessary
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1/3 cup sliced olives
- Lots of salt and pepper
Topping:
- a crumble of feta cheese and another handful of olives
Instructions
- Combine the ingredients for your chicken marinade in a small mason jar. Shake together and set aside.
- Cut up the chicken breast into 2-inch pieces and place them in a small bowl. Pour half of the marinade over the chicken and stir so it’s evenly coated. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight.
- In a large pot or large dutch oven, warm the olive oil and cook the marinated chicken until cooked through (165 degrees F). Remove from heat and set aside.
- While the chicken is cooking, chop and prepare all your veggies. Dice the onion, mince the garlic, and chop the zucchini and tomato into a rough dice.
- Once the chicken is cooked through, remove from the Dutch oven and set aside. Add more olive oil if needed and scrape up any chicken that stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the chopped onions to the Dutch oven and cook until softened on medium heat.
- Add garlic, zucchini, and tomato and cook for 3-5 minutes.
- Pour the orzo into the pot with the vegetables with one cup of broth, oregano, and some salt and pepper. Stir regularly with the stove on medium low heat until the orzo has soaked up most of the broth, then add another cup of broth. Continue stirring and adding broth (or additional water, if needed) until the orzo is cooked through al dente. The orzo takes about 15-20 minutes to cook.
- When ready to serve, top the pasta with chicken, extra olives, a drizzle of the reserved marinade, and a generous crumble of feta cheese. Enjoy!
Notes
- The honey in the chicken marinade helps the chicken to get a really nice browning on it, but it does mean it’s more susceptible to burning, so watch it closely.
- Marinate your chicken the morning of or 30 minutes before you start cooking.
- The orzo will need a lot of salt and pepper, but also keep in mind as you’re seasoning this dish that feta and olives really lend a lot of salt, as well.
- You can just stir the cooked chicken into the pasta dish or add it to the top for a more decorative presentation.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this tonight and it was devine! Thank you so much for the recipe!
You’re welcome!
Are you using dried or fresh oregano?
You can use either! Whatever you have on hand.
Every time I’ve made this it’s turned into a mushy, gloopy mess. I thought maybe it was because I used grain free orzo the first time but the same thing happened when I made it with regular orzo. It tastes good but the texture isn’t great… next time I’ll cook the orzo separately in water and drain, and then add the veggies to it.
What could I use instead of orzo? My store didn’t have any. I have pearl couscous any thoughts if that would work?
I think that would work just fine.
This was AMAZING. I had to use regular vinegar instead of ACV and it still was super tasty. I don’t make dishes like this often, but I’ll for sure be adding this to the menu!
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it.
Just made this for dinner! Delicious. I love using my summer veggies in the orzo and it was so creamy!! Only extra thing I did was add a little “better than bouillon” chicken flavor to orzo broth/water. Yum. Thanks for recipe.
This was delicious! My husband, mother, and at least one of my kids loved it. My oldest wasn’t hungry so he didn’t eat but I’m guessing he will love it too. This is definitely a recipe I’ll be making in the future, possibly for potluck too. Thank you!
My family loved this! I made the mistake of questioning the 2 medium onions & 6 cloves of garlic( that just seemed like too much) and it wasn’t tasting too flavorful, so I added garlic powder to the orzo and some Italian seasoning. It was still good but I will probably follow the directions next time. I didn’t have any zucchini so after it was cooked I put some diced cucumbers on top. It was really delicious. Thank you. I use so many of your recipes now. I really appreciate them.
Wow this looks absolutely amazing. We love the greek and Mediterranean flavors in this household! Still have not ever made orzo so this should be fun!
I am so happy to have found you! I have been looking for someone who actually has recipes that are worth the effort, family friendly, and soooooo tasty! Made this today and it was a hit! Thank you so much for all that you do!