When you need an easy and delicious meal idea, try this creamy chicken and orzo bake. This easy casserole dish brings together creamy orzo pasta, tender chicken tights, bright tomatoes, and tangy feta cheese.
This chicken and orzo bake has quickly become my all-time favorite baked pasta dish.
You can easily customize it with your favorite vegetables, herbs, and cheese.
Similar to our baked rigatoni, this chicken and orzo bake has a balanced amount of protein, carbs, and fat making it a great standalone dish for the whole family.
While it is great on its own, I love pairing it with this arugula beet salad or simple steamed vegetables.
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Ingredients
This is the ingredients overview and possible substitutions. Please, see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the ingredients quantities.
- Orzo pasta: it is a small type of pasta shaped like small grains of rice. It is great for this recipe as it easily absorbs all delicious flavors.
- Chicken thighs: I use boneless skinless chicken thighs. You can also use bone-in chicken thighs, but they cook a little longer.
- Fresh tomatoes: you will need fresh cherry tomatoes for this recipe. You can also use sun-dried tomatoes instead.
- Tomato paste: it intensifies the tomato flavor, adding it more complexity.
- Broth: low-sodium store-bought chicken broth or homemade chicken stock.
- Feta cheese: cow's, sheep's, or goat's feta cheese. My favorite is goat cheese when it is available.
- Olive oil: for cooking the chicken and tomatoes.
- Butter: adds a buttery taste to orzo and is used for toasting it.
- Seasonings: I used salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper.
- Fresh thyme: you can use any other fresh or dried herbs, such as basil, oregano, or Italian herbs.
- Fresh dill and parsley (optional): I love garnishing the finished dish with fresh herbs.
How to make chicken and orzo bake
1. Cut chicken thighs into bite-size pieces. Season them with salt, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper. Cut the cherry tomatoes in halves.
Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add chicken pieces and cook them over medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, mixing them from time to time. Once the chicken is fully cooked, transfer it to a clean plate.
2. Add another splash of olive oil to the same pan. Add there halved cherry tomatoes and tomato paste.
Cook it over medium heat for about 2 minutes or until it becomes fragrant, stirring continuously with the wooden spatula and scraping the tomato paste from the bottom of the pan.
3. Now, add butter and orzo. Toast it over low to medium heat stirring it frequently to ensure even toasting and to prevent it from burning. It should take about 2 minutes and the orzo will turn slightly golden-brown.
4. Pour some of the broth into the skillet and let it all simmer for about 3-5 minutes, partially cooking the orzo.
Note: to make it truly a one-pot meal, you can make it in a large oven-safe skillet.
5. If your skillet is not oven-safe, add orzo, cooked chicken pieces, feta cheese, remaining broth, and fresh thyme to the oven-safe dish. Mix it to distribute all the ingredients evenly.
6. Cover it tightly with foil, it will help to cook pasta evenly and prevent it from burning.
7. Slide the dish into the preheated to 375°F oven and bake it for about 25-30 minutes or until the orzo is cooked.
8. I love sprinkling the finished dish with fresh chopped herbs such as parsley, dill, or cilantro.
Nataliia's tips
- Chicken tights are recommended for this recipe, as they add more flavor and they are more tender.
- You can cook chicken thighs whole, but I prefer cutting them into bite-sized pieces so it is easier to serve and enjoy the dish.
- Toasting orzo brings up its delicious nutty flavor and gives it a chewy texture on the inside while making it creamy on the outside, similar to risotto.
- You can add shallots, onions, carrots, bell peppers, and spinach to the dish as well.
- If you do not have fresh tomatoes, use only tomato paste by adding a little bit extra of it.
How to store and reheat
I make it in a glass dish with a lid. So once it cools down, I simply cover it and place it in the fridge.
Otherwise, transfer the cooled-down chicken and orzo bake into an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 3 days.
It is better to reheat it in a saucepan over a small heat, with a little bit of water or broth. You can also reheat it in the microwave.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, you can use different pasta to make this recipe. If you cannot find orzo, you can use ditalini, or small shells pasta instead.
Yes, you can use small or medium chicken breasts instead of chicken tights to make this dish. I prefer chicken thighs as they come out tender and add a lot of flavor to the pasta.
Yes, you can easily make this dish vegetarian by using vegetable broth and optionally adding some extra veggies, such as carrots, zucchini, and fennel.
I do not recommend freezing this chicken orzo bake because the texture of the pasta will not be the same after thawing it.
More easy pasta recipes to try
- Spaghetti with beef ragù sauce
- Pasta with fresh peas
- Pasta with lentils (one pot dish)
- Easy no-boil lasagna with ricotta and ground beef
- Spaghetti with pink beetroot sauce
- Penne pasta with cottage cheese
- Chicken lasagna
📖 Recipe
Creamy Chicken And Orzo Bake
Equipment
- 1 large skillet
- 1 deep 7x11 inch baking dish
- aluminum foil
Ingredients
- 1.2 pounds (about 5 ea) boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 2 cups orzo pasta
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 10-12 cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- ½ cup feta cheese, crumbled
- ½ teaspoon (optional) fresh thyme leaves
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoon butter
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375°F and have deep 7x11 inch baking dish ready.
- Dice chicken tights in bite size pieces. Season them with salt, paprika, garlic powder and black pepper.
- In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Add seasoned chicken pieces and cook them over medium heat for about 10 minutes, stirring often until the chicken is fully cooked. Remove the chicken from the skillet and transfer it and any juices into a clean plate .
- Add the remaining olive oil into the same skillet. Add halved cherry tomatoes and tomato paste. Cook them over medium heat, stirring very often for about 1-2 minutes or until they become aromatic.
- Add 2 tablespoon butter and 2 cups orzo to the skillet. Toast orzo over medium heat for about 1-2 minutes, stirring it often. Do not toast it too long, as it can burn quickly.
- Add 2 cups chicken broth to the skillet. Bring it to a boil and simmer for 3-5 minutes so the pasta partially cooks.
- In a deep baking dish, pour the partially cooked orzo along with the remaining contents from the skillet. Add there cooked chicken, crumbled feta cheese, thyme leaves, and the remaining 1 cup of broth. Mix everything to distribute the ingredients evenly.
- Cover the baking dish tightly with foil. Bake it at 375°F for about 25-30 minutes or until orzo is cooked. Sprinkle the dish with fresh chopped parsley before serving. Enjoy!
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