Lemon Chicken Orzo Bake

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