This easy lemon chicken orzo bake is a bright, lemony, garlicky comfort food. Tender chicken marinated with Mediterranean herbs, lemon, olive oil, and garlic. Baked until tender, then cooked with orzo pasta, absorbing all the delicious flavors from the pan!
If you love the comforting, slow-baked goodness of traditional Greek Giouvetsi, then you much enjoy this lemony version. This dish features the silky, soft texture of orzo pasta, along with the flavors of a classic Greek Baked Chicken.
It's fragrant, lemony, and herby. The flavors are light and not too heavy, except for the garlic, which is plentiful in this recipe.
Ingredients
- Chicken: I use a whole chicken cut into 8 pieces. However, you can use chicken quarters, chicken thighs, or drumsticks. Using skin-on, bone-in chicken is best for this recipe. As it yields more flavor. If you want to use chicken breasts, please read below.
- Orzo Pasta: Orzo pasta is available in different sizes, including thin, medium, and large. For this recipe, I used medium-sized. If the package doesn't specify the size, it's likely medium-sized.
- Lemon: Use a sweet variety, such as Meyer lemons, if you don't want a strong, acidic lemon flavor.
- Garlic: I use both garlic powder to marinate the chicken and garlic cloves when cooking the chicken. I'm using plenty of garlic in this recipe. So adjust to your liking!
- Herbs: Dried oregano, dried thyme, and bay leaf. Other herbs you can use are marjoram and rosemary, which go well here.
- Olive Oil
- Optional: You can use chicken or vegetable stock instead of water to cook the orzo for extra flavor.
How To Make
To make baked chicken with orzo, first marinate the chicken. You can marinate for as little as 30 minutes at room temperature or for up to 24 hours.
Always let the meat come to room temperature before cooking to avoid becoming tough.
Add the chicken to a baking dish (if you have one with a lid, it's even better) or a baking pan. I used one that's 27 x 35 cm (10 x 14 inches). Cover with a lid or with parchment paper and aluminum foil. Bake for about an hour and then add the orzo along with water or stock. Cook for 30 more minutes, or until the orzo is cooked.
Additional Ingredients
You can add mushrooms or spinach to this lemon chicken orzo bake. To do this, mix in spinach leaves at the same time you add the orzo. As for mushrooms, add them towards the last 15 minutes of baking.
You can season the mushrooms with garlic powder, thyme, salt, and pepper, and spread them on top so they roast a little bit before you stir and mix them into the orzo.
Or add feta cheese. Following exactly the same process with the mushrooms. If you let the feta roast a bit before mixing it into the orzo, its flavor will be much stronger.
Using Boneless Chicken
If you want to make a lemony chicken orzo bake with boneless chicken, there's no need to prebake the chicken. Marinate it the same way, then add it to the pan along with the orzo.
You can use skinless chicken breasts, skin-on chicken breasts, or boneless chicken thighs.
Serve With
Serve this comforting lemon chicken orzo with a sharp, salty cheese such as feta cheese or a hard, grated cheese such as Greek Kefalotyri, or Kefalograviera cheese. If you can't find these cheeses where you live, you can use Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese instead.
Or serve with a Fried Feta Cheese Saganaki on the side, for a heavenly combination!
Recipe
Lemon Chicken Orzo Bake
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 kg (3.3-4 pounds) chicken cut into 8 pieces
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 300 grams (1⅔ cups) orzo pasta
- 1 liter (4 cups) hot water or stock (chicken or vegetable stock)
- 6 garlic cloves
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large lemon
- 2 teaspoons thyme
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 125 ml (½ cup) olive oil
- grated Kefalotyri, Kefalograviera, Pecorino, or Parmesan cheese to serve with
- freshly ground pepper to serve with
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170°C / 340°F.
- Add the chicken to a large mixing bowl.
- Season with salt, pepper, garlic powder, dried thyme, and oregano.
- Cut the lemon in half and squeeze it into the bowl with the chicken. Don't discard the squeezed lemon halves.
- Drizzle chicken with ½ cup of olive oil.
- Marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes. Or in the fridge for up to 24 hours. Let it come to room temperature for 30 minutes before cooking. Place the chicken and all the juices/oil from the bowl in a baking pan or baking dish. I used one that's 27 x 35 cm (10 x 14 inches).
- Chop the garlic into chunks and toss it in the pan.
- Cut the squeezed lemon halves in half and toss them in the pan as well. Pour also 60 ml (¼ cup) of water.
- Cover with parchment paper and aluminum foil on top.
- Bake for about an hour.
- Add the orzo all around the chicken. Make sure it doesn't sit on top of the chicken, or it won't cook.
- Pour the hot water or stock, making sure the orzo is submerged. Tilt and shake the pan a little to help it sink.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Orzo should be cooked, but the food should still look slightly soupy. Because as the orzo sits and cools, it's going to absorb it and thicken.
- Let the food rest in the oven for 20 minutes with the oven door open.
- Serve with plenty of freshly ground pepper and grated cheese on top.
I made this recipe mostly as instructed, except for the amount of liquid listed. The ratio should be 2:1 water to orzo. I used bone in-skin on chicken thighs. I cooked the mushrooms separately in butter and garlic, and added them at the same time as the orzo. Baked at 375F uncovered for 30 minutes, added the pasta and mushrooms and baked for another 15 minutes. Turned out good - I think sliced olives would be a nice addition.
Really delicious, but seemed to be too much liquid? We ate it like soup, but had to cut up the chicken on a plate. I think I'll make it again, but with a hotter over - definitely 350. I would probably start with sauteeing the chicken on the stovetop to brown it a little (I used boneless, skinless breast, so it was not tender or browned) and then cook the orzo with less water and add the chicken back on top during the resting period at the end. Wonderful flavors, though!
This sounds delicious, will have to give it a try. Thank you