If you like chicken and rice, you will love this Easy One-Pot Chicken and Orzo Weeknight Dinner Recipe For Two with it's Mediterranean flair and vibrant flavors. The best part is, you can have this wine-braised One-Pot Chicken and Orzo Dinner on the table in under 25 minutes – easy, quick, two perfect portions and SO delicious!
Dana, a member of the Our Table 4 2 community and sister to my dentist sent me this absolutely delicious recipe earlier in the summer. Since then, I have played around with the ingredients trying to make what is already a good dish even more memorable. Plus figure out how to make this when cooking for two people!
I wanted the Orzo to be the star of the show so I started by toasting it until golden brown, adding a deep, complex flavor, then baked it alongside the chicken with just the right amount of wine and chicken broth until perfectly tender.
Next I wanted to give the dish a Mediterranean flair and vibrant flavor by adding garlic, oregano, olives, artichokes and red pepper flakes, then stirring in briny feta and a squeeze of bright lemon juice and zest just before serving. Mission accomplished! This perfectly tender chicken and orzo dish is so simple, with a complex flavor it makes a quick and elegant dinner for two!
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WHAT’S IN THIS EASY ONE-POT CHICKEN AND ORZO WEEKNIGHT DINNER FOR TWO?
- Chicken Thighs – Fat is flavor, and that is yet another reason why thighs are superior to breasts. Chicken thighs are a fattier cut of meat, which means they're going to have more intense, rich flavor than their white meat counterparts. Feel free to substitute Chicken Breasts if you are partial to white meat.
ORZO SIDE DISH INGREDIENTS...
- Orzo – This is a small pasta that cooks quickly. You can substitute rice for the orzo if you want to keep the dish gluten-free. If so, I would skip the step of toasting the grain/rice.
- Olive oil and Butter – If you are trying to avoid butter, you can substitute olive oil. I like to use California Olive Ranch Global Blend Medium Extra Virgin Olive Oil (affiliate link) as it has a bright and medium-fruity, with a lightly peppery. Recently, the company had to swap its source due to shortages, but it still is my favorite.
- Garlic Cloves – Please use fresh garlic here, as it will help achieve the Mediterranean flair and vibrant flavor. If looking for an easy to use and clean garlic press, check out this one.
- Oregano – I use fresh since I have it growing in my herb pots. But dried works just as well.
- Red Pepper Flakes
- White Wine - pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc are good choices
- Chicken Broth – I use Better Than Bouillon, mixing 1 teaspoon with 1 cup of water. Although, any packaged chicken stock can work.
- Jarred marinated artichokes drained and slightly chopped – I recommend giving them a quick water bath to temper the sharp flavors they pick up from the brine.
- Pitted green olives
THE FINISHING TOUCHES...
- Lemon juice and zest – Need a zester? I use this little gem to make the zesting job easy (affiliate link)
- Feta cheese – Don’t like feta? Ricotta is the best mild substitute for feta cheese. The crumbly texture is very similar to feta, though the taste is much less salty. Another good option is goat cheese or chèvre.
- Chopped fresh dill, for serving.
Easy One-Pot Chicken and Orzo Weeknight Dinner Recipe
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Equipment
- 1 3 Quart Dutch oven (affiliate link)
- zester (affiliate link)
- garlic press (affiliate link)
- citrus juicer (affiliate link)
- Instant Read Thermometer (affiliate link)
Ingredients
- ¾ cup orzo
- 4 boneless skinless chicken thighs or 2 (6 – 8 ounce breasts, trimmed and pounded if necessary Fat is flavor, and that is yet another reason why thighs are superior to breasts.
- Kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
- 1 Tablespoon butter you can substitute olive oil
- 1 Tablespoon olive oil I use California Olive Ranch Every Day Medium EVOO
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano or ½ teaspoon dried
- Pinch of red pepper flakes
- 1 cup white wine pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc are good choices
- ¼ cup chicken broth plus extra as needed, I use Better Than Bullion
- 8 ounces jarred marinated artichokes drained and slightly chopped
- ½ - ⅓ cup pitted green olives sliced
- 1 juice of lemon and zest
- 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled (½ cup)
- 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh dill for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400° F. Toast orzo in the Dutch oven over medium-high heat until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes; transfer to a bowl.
- Pat chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Heat butter and 1 teaspoon oil in the now-empty Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just beginning to smoke. Brown chicken lightly, 3 to 4 minutes per side; transfer to plate.
- Add remaining 2 teaspoons oil, garlic, oregano, and pepper flakes to now-empty skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add wine to the pan to deglaze, scrapping up all the browned bits. Stir in broth and toasted orzo.
- Nestle browned chicken, artichokes, olives and lemon zest into orzo, add any accumulated juices from the chicken, and bring to a gentle boil. Cover the Dutch oven and put in the oven for 13 minutes. After 10 minutes, stir in additional broth, 1 tablespoon at a time, as needed to loosen consistency.
- Stir in feta and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve Chicken with orzo and garnish with dill.
Video
Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
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Katie S says
This looks so yummy!! Can't wait to try it!
Pam Werley says
I can’t wait to hear about your experience!
Kim says
You had me at green olives! I have not made this yet as it just came out...but will tonight. I'll report later. And I would love to recommend my fabulous find...GRILLED artichoke hearts! They add a wonderful flavor, and I find Reese brand (7.5 oz jar) in my grocery store. They are worth a hunt.
Pam Werley says
What a great tip. I will definitely look for the grilled artichokes and give them a try!
Kim P. says
I made this last night, and it's a KEEPER! Yum! Since I am cooking for one, I used 3 chicken thighs, enough for two dinners. I used Reese's Grilled Marinated artichokes. I was a little confused about the chicken broth, so I made 1/2 cup of Better Than Bouillon chicken broth, but just used the called-for 1/4th cup. That way I had that extra spoonful of broth to "loosen consistency". Lastly, because my lemons were so huge and juicy, I only added the juice of half a lemon as I think the whole would have been too much. I did use zest from the whole however.
Pam Werley says
Fantastic Kim, so glad to hear you liked this one. Great tip on adding juice of half a lemon.