In this Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake, chicken thighs are roasted with wedges of lemon, before adding garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, orzo pasta and chicken stock to the roasting dish. To finish it off we’re adding in fresh spinach, basil and lemon juice for a fresh and fragrant one-pan dinner that you definitely need to add to your weeknight dinner rotation!
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- Step by Step: How To Make Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Bake
- FAQ: Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake
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- Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake Recipe
Hello friends! We’re back at it once more with another delicious and easy weeknight dinner recipe, this time in the form of this Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake!
This little beauty ticks A LOT of boxes.
It’s delicious for a start. We’re roasting chicken thighs with wedges of lemon. This caramelises the lemon and adds a citrusy flavour to the chicken juices. Then we add a little lot of garlic to the tray along with the sundried tomatoes, orzo and chicken stock. The orzo soaks up all of those yummy flavours until it’s soft and plump. We finish it off by throwing in a big handful of fragrant basil and lots of spinach. And there you have it, savoury umami flavours from the chicken, fresh and fragrant flavours from the lemon and basil, sweetness from the sun-dried tomatoes, and then lots of garlicky goodness to bring it all together *chef’s kiss*.
As well as it being lip-smackingly good, it also couldn’t be easier! That’s because we’re cooking absolutely everything in one roasting tray.
Yup. That’s right. Just one roasting tray. Chicken, orzo, THE LOT. Cooking it all together like this means all of those Mediterranean flavours are absorbed into the orzo. Not to mention you only have to wash up one tray AND there’s only a little bit of prep in the form of a bit of chopping. It’s so simple!
This recipe is perfect for throwing into your midweek dinner rotation. And, to top it off, any leftovers are perfect served up the next day for lunches! It’s the dinner that keeps on giving 😘
Step by Step: How To Make Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Bake
Time needed: 40 minutes.
- Cook the chicken thighs
Add the chicken thighs and lemon wedges to a roasting dish, drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper. Cook in the oven for 10 minutes.
- Baste the chicken thighs
After 10 minutes remove the chicken thighs from the oven. Use a spoon or baster to drizzle the chicken juices over the skin. Return to the oven for a further 10 minutes.
- Cook the orzo
Remove the chicken thighs to a plate briefly. Then add in the orzo pasta, chicken stock, sun-dried tomatoes and garlic to the roasting tray, giving everything a good stir. Place the chicken back into the tray and return everything to the oven for 10 more minutes.
- Remove from the oven
Remove the tray from the oven and place the chicken thighs on a plate. If you want to, you can pull the chicken meat from the bones at this point.
- Add the spinach and basil
Stir the spinach and basil into the orzo. The residual heat will wilt the leaves.
- Add the chicken and season.
Have a taste and add the lemon juice as well as any further salt and pepper. Add the chicken back to the pan, serve and enjoy!
FAQ: Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake
Allow the bake to cool to room temperature, then store in Tupperware containers, in the fridge for 2-3 days.
Store the bake as instructed above, then transfer the container into the freezer for up to 3 months.
To thaw, remove the container from the freezer and transfer to the fridge to thaw over 24 hours. Alternatively, you could use the defrost setting on your microwave.
Transfer the Chicken Orzo Bake into a saucepan with a splash of water. Heat the food on a medium heat for 7-10 minutes, until it is piping hot all the way through. Add more water if it begins to dry up.
Alternatively, you can reheat the Bake in the microwave. Transfer the Chicken Orzo Bake to a microwave-safe container and cook on a high heat for approximately 3 minutes until the bake is piping hot all the way through. Cooking time will vary depending on the strength of your microwave.
To ensure this Chicken and Orzo Bake is gluten-free make sure to use gluten-free orzo pasta.
This Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake can be served just as it is, however you could also serve it with a side salad for additional greens!
Smaller pasta shapes will work best in this recipe, think something like macaroni or ditalini. You could use larger shapes like penne or farfalle, however, you would get a slightly different texture and you may need to add a little more stock and extend the cooking time slightly.
Orzo does not need to be rinsed and can be added straight into any recipe.
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Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake Recipe
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Mediterranean Chicken & Orzo Bake
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 2–3 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Roasting
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
Description
One-pan Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo Bake! Crispy roasted chicken thighs are cooked with lemon, garlic, orzo, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and basil for a super easy and tasty dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil
- 4 chicken thighs, skin on and bone-in
- Salt & pepper
- 1/2 lemon, cut into 4 wedges
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 250 grams orzo pasta
- 10 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
- 500 millilitres chicken stock
- 100 grams spinach
- 10 grams basil, chopped
- Juice of half a lemon
Instructions
- Into the roasting tray add the chicken thighs and lemon wedges. Drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper and place in the oven for 20 minutes, basting halfway through.
- Once the chicken skin has begun to brown and crisp up, remove the chicken thighs to a plate briefly while you add the garlic, orzo, sundried tomatoes and chicken stock to the roasting dish along. Give everything a good stir. Then place the chicken thighs back into the roasting dish. Cook for 10 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed and the orzo is cooked through.
- Once both the chicken and orzo are cooked through, remove the chicken thighs from the roasting dish to a plate and stir the spinach and basil into the orzo. Leave for a few moments while the residual heat wilts the spinach.
- Optional: Pull the chicken meat from the bones while you wait for the spinach to wilt.
- Squeeze in the lemon juice then taste and add any additional salt and pepper.
- Add the chicken thighs back to the pan, serve and enjoy!
Keywords: Chicken Orzo, Chicken and orzo, Mediterranean chicken orzo, Chicken orzo lemon, Chicken orzo recipe,
Last Updated:
Tried this recipe on saturday night. Big hit!!! Similar in texture to a risotto but without the faff and very tasty too. Will definately add to our favourites👍
★★★★★
Thank you so much! I am so glad you enjoyed it!