Simple Baked Chicken And Orzo

Chicken and rice is a classic simple and comforting dinner around the world, but would it surprise you to know that you can cook something similar using orzo pasta? This rice-shaped pasta is perfect for soaking up tasty broth and cooking juices. Its small size means that you can also easily cook it all in the same pot with broth, meat, and herbs and spices, without having to boil it in water first.

This is the basic idea behind this very simple baked chicken and orzo recipe. I think of it as the pasta version of this popular stovetop chicken and rice recipe. You start it off on the stovetop, then bake it in the oven until the orzo has soaked up all the delicious juices and the chicken is roasted to perfection.

One important thing to note. Since this recipe uses just a few ingredients, I recommend using the highest quality ingredients possible. I’ve suggested ways to ensure that in the ingredients notes below. Also, don’t skip the crushed fennel seeds, dried thyme, and feta cheese. They add extra ‘punch’ to this very simple recipe!

About the ingredients

You’ll find a full list of ingredients with amounts in the recipe card below. But here’s a summary of what you need to know.

• Bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs: I usually prefer to use boneless skinless chicken thighs, but I use bone-in skin-on in this recipe to add lots of flavor and color to an otherwise very simple dish. If the budget allows, try a local butcher, or get free-range or pasture-raised.
• Onion: I prefer white or brown onion for the best flavor, but red onion will work too (it’s just a bit sweeter and milder).
• Garlic: You’ll need 3 to 4 cloves to add along with the onion.
• Fennel seeds: You can usually find these in the spice aisle. They have a slightly sweet, lightly aniseed flavor. I recommend crushing them a bit to release more flavor. Just use the flat side of a knife on a chopping board. If you don’t have fennel seeds, just use more thyme or another herb instead.
• Dried thyme: Just a little of this complements the fennel flavor really well. If you don’t have thyme, use oregano or an Italian herb mix instead.
• White wine: This adds lovely depth of flavor, but you can easily just use more broth (stock) if you prefer.
• Orzo pasta (sometimes called risoni): This is just rice-shaped pasta, and can usually be found in the pasta aisle. If you can’t find it, another small shaped pasta such as ditalini or even pearl couscous (Israeli couscous) will work too.
• Canned chickpeas: These aren’t absolutely essential in the dish, but I feel like they add interesting texture and extra goodness!
• Chicken broth (stock): I think it’s worth getting a good quality chicken broth for this chicken orzo recipe. Since it’s so simple, you really want to use ingredients with the best flavor! Look for short, simple ingredients lists e.g. chicken, vegetables, herbs.
• Lemon: Add the zest to the pan, then squeeze the juice of half of the lemon over the dish at the end.
• Feta cheese: Sprinkle this over the dish at the end, to serve. I recommend an authentic Greek style feta. I wouldn’t skip this – it adds delicious tangy, salty flavor!
• Fresh parsley: Once again, you’ll sprinkle this over the dish at the end for color and fresh flavor. If you don’t have any, that’s OK!

How to make baked chicken and orzo

As always with Scrummy Lane recipes, this chicken and orzo bake is extremely easy. You just brown the chicken, add most of the other ingredients to the pan, then bake.

Here’s what you do in a little more detail:

Brown the chicken, then cook the onions & garlic. It’s best to use a big, high-sided, wide cooking pan for this. A cast-iron pan or similar that you can use both on the stovetop and in the oven is perfect.

Brown the chicken for a few minutes on both sides. Then remove from the pan while you soften the onions and garlic.

Add all of the other ingredients to the pan – except for the lemon juice, feta and parsley. Stir everything together.

Add chicken and bake. Nestle the browned chicken on top, then bake for roughly half an hour.

Sprinkle over feta cheese and fresh parsley. I highly recommend not skipping these two ingredients.

How to serve

You don’t need any fancy side dishes with this!

You can just serve it as it is, but I usually add a little salad on the side, with perhaps some balsamic glaze to drizzle over. You can also add a lemon wedge for squeezing over at the table.

Alternatively, you can spend just a few minutes preparing this simple Greek lettuce salad to serve with it while the orzo chicken bake is in the oven.

This is what each plate usually looks like when we have this for dinner at our house:

More tasty orzo recipes

I have a few more orzo recipes on Scrummy Lane, in case you’d like to try those next!

• This one pot creamy chicken orzo with mushrooms and bacon is a crowd pleaser your whole family will enjoy!
• Go Greek with this simple-but-different one pan chicken giouvetsi.
• This creamy lemon chicken orzo soup is delicious any time of year, and perfect for your freezer.
• If you really love orzo, check out this list of 38 orzo recipes with recipes from both Scrummy Lane and other creators!