One Pot Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo (Easy Dinner)
One Pot Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo (Easy Dinner)
Why You Should Give This Recipe a Try
Springtime and warmer temperatures mean my taste buds almost automatically begin craving lighter, healthier meals. This One Pot Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo (Easy Dinner) is the perfect simple dinner and features Mediterranean flavors like Kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, fresh lemon juice, artichoke hearts, and Feta cheese cooked together with boneless chicken thighs and orzo pasta. It is one of those easy recipes that you will want on repeat all spring and summer long with its fresh ingredients and simple prep.
Some of the best features of this recipe:
Mediterranean flavors: This is a bold Mediterranean style meal, light and but bursting with Greek-inspired flavor. Serve with warm pita bread or your favorite flatbread and a green side salad for a healthy dish the whole family can enjoy. Looking for a nice dipping sauce for your bread? Try some creamy hummus or my homemade tzatziki sauce.
Easy: There is very little prep required and even less cooking. Chop up some ingredients, brown the chicken, and let everything cook together in one large skillet or Dutch oven.
Quick: Ten minutes prep and about 30 minutes total cooking time.
One Pot: One pot meals are my specialty! I tend to wash my pans by hand, so the fewer the better.
As always, this One Pot Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo (Easy Dinner) is a simple recipe with no complex cooking techniques, no special equipment, and with basic ingredients that are found in any grocery store.
Recipe Ingredients
8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 medium yellow onion
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
2 cups grape tomatoes
6 oz jar artichoke hearts
1/2 cup halved Kalamata olives
Zest of one large lemon
2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
Salt and black pepper
3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Helpful Tools
- Sharp knife
- Cutting board
- Microplane zester
- Citrus squeezer
- Large, deep skillet or Dutch oven
- Large plate
- Tongs
- Aluminum foil
- Paper towels
- Measuring spoons
- Liquid measuring cup
- Dry measuring cups
- Heat resistant spatula or wooden spoon
- Vegetable masher
- Instant read thermometer
Ingredient Notes
Chicken: I like to use boneless, skinless chicken thighs in this recipe because they are flavorful and good quickly. You can use chicken breasts if you prefer, but I do find they have a bit less flavor and are prone to drying out. If you do choose chicken breast, consider slicing it into bite-size pieces before serving. Either way, make sure your meat is cooked to 165 degrees Fahrenheit before serving.
Olives: Kalamata olives are really next level and provide a kick of authentic Greek flavor. I would recommend saving yourself the trouble and getting them pitted. You can substitute halved black olives (also pitted) if you prefer.
Artichoke hearts: I chop up jarred artichoke hearts marinated in sunflower oil and they are delicious!
Tomatoes: You can substitute cherry tomatoes for the grape tomatoes.
Herbs: Dried herbs are fine but if you want to use fresh, double the amount.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Prep your ingredients. Begin by chopping 1/2 medium yellow onion. Set aside.
2. Halve the olives. Set aside.
3. Zest the lemon and squeeze out 2 tbsp of juice. Set aside.
4. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and lightly salt and pepper each side.
5. Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
6. Add the chicken, skin side down. Cook each side until golden, about 5-7 minutes per side.
7. Remove the browned chicken to a large plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
8. Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook, stirring with a spatula, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. You can add a little olive oil if the pan is too dry. Lower the heat to medium if the onion is browning.
9. Sprinkle in the oregano and basil and stir, cooking until fragrant, about one minute.
10. Stir in the orzo and toast it for about 2 minutes.
11. Add the chicken broth and stir.
12. Stir in the tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, lemon zest and juice.
13. Return the chicken to the pot and cover. Cook at a vigorous simmer until the orzo is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes. Check on the dish frequently to ensure the liquid isn’t evaporating too quickly (i.e., before the orzo is cooked). Lower the heat if necessary.
14. When the orzo is ready and the chicken cooked through, lightly crush the tomatoes. NOTE: Be careful because the tomatoes are full of hot liquid and you can easily get burned.
15. Sprinkle the completed dish evenly with the crumbled Feta cheese.
Check out the printable recipe card below for step-by-step directions for this One Pot Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo (Easy Dinner).
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2-3 days.
Tips & Tricks
Pitted olives aren’t much more expensive than whole, so definitely save yourself a ton of tedious work and buy the pitted.
You can halve the grape tomatoes if you prefer, but as they are getting crushed down in the end, it isn’t completely necessary. Again, be super careful when mashing the hot tomatoes. That juice is no joke – spoken as someone who was not always careful.
A microplane zester is a great tool to have on hand. It takes just the right amount of lemon zest while leaving the bitter white layer behind. If you don’t own one, however, you can use a vegetable peeler or sharp knife to remove the outer layer. Cut the peel into very small pieces. Be careful to avoid that white layer behind!
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One Pot Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo (Easy Dinner)
Ingredients
- 8 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 tsp dried basil
- 2 cups grape tomatoes
- 6 oz jar artichoke hearts
- 1/2 cup Kalamata olives halved
- Zest of one large lemon
- 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
- Salt and black pepper
- 3/4 cup crumbled Feta cheese
Instructions
- Prep your ingredients. Begin by chopping 1/2 medium yellow onion. Set aside.
- Halve the olives. Set aside.
- Zest the lemon and squeeze out 2 tbsp of juice. Set aside.
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and lightly salt and pepper each side.
- Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add the chicken, skin side down. Cook each side until golden, about 5-7 minutes per side.
- Remove the browned chicken to a large plate and loosely cover with aluminum foil.
- Add the chopped onion to the skillet and cook, stirring with a spatula, until soft and translucent, about 3 minutes. You can add a little olive oil if the pan is too dry. Lower the heat to medium if the onion is browning.
- Sprinkle in the oregano and basil and stir, cooking until fragrant, about one minute.
- Stir in the orzo and toast it for about 2 minutes.
- Add the chicken broth and stir.
- Stir in the tomatoes, olives, artichoke hearts, lemon zest and juice.
- Return the chicken to the pot and cover. Cook at a vigorous simmer until the orzo is cooked through, about 12-15 minutes. Check on the dish frequently to ensure the liquid isn't evaporating too quickly (i.e., before the orzo is cooked). Lower the heat if necessary.
- When the orzo is ready and the chicken cooked through, lightly crush the tomatoes. NOTE: Be careful because the tomatoes are full of hot liquid and you can easily get burned.
- Sprinkle the completed dish evenly with the crumbled Feta cheese.
