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Mediterranean Chicken With Orzo Recipe

This Mediterranean chicken with orzo is one of my family’s favorite dinners. It’s so easy and so delicious. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them.

Mediterranean chicken bowl

In just a couple days, I take my daughter to Spain for two weeks. It’s her “reward” for working so hard since kindergarten in her Spanish immersion school, and I can’t wait to see how she loves it.

I could say I made this Mediterranean chicken with orzo in homage to our trip, but that wouldn’t be the whole truth. Honestly, it’s about emptying out the pantry before the trip. Kinda.

Really? I had friends over for a fondue pot luck lunch a week ago. I forgot to chill the white wine, so I stuck it in the freezer.

Oddly, we drank no wine. And I forgot about it…for two days. If someone tells you wine won’t freeze because it’s alcohol, they’re wrong.

I actually knew that because it’s not a high enough alcohol content, but I forgot. About the freezing and the bottle of wine.

Needless to say, it froze and popped the cork. Rather than drink a bottle of wine with my husband in the middle of the week, I decided to cook with it, and Mediterranean chicken with orzo is my favorite dish that uses white wine.

Easy chicken dinner recipe

Of course, I thought I’d written up this recipe years ago. Somehow, although I used to make it all the time, I never shared it here. Obviously, I need to rectify the situation.

I love that this recipe comes together in well under a half hour, so it’s a perfect weeknight dinner. When I made it last night, my family ate it all. In fact, I made a second batch so they could take some for lunch today. That’s the best verdict I can get when I make something.

Bite of Mediterranean chicken

Need some more ideas for chicken dishes? Check out my favorites at the end of this article.

What Wine Should I Use When Cooking?

When you cook or bake with alcohol, you want to use wine you would drink. The flavor will come through in the final dish, so “cooking wine” isn’t what you’re looking for. That said, don’t spend $30 on a bottle of wine either. You want a wine that you’d enjoy drinking – that’s the key part.

For the Mediterranean chicken with orzo, you want a dry white wine. Lucky me, that tends to be the style wine I buy and drink anyway.

That means I good sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc, or pinot grigio. After all, I’ve never seen a recipe that uses an entire bottle, and I want to enjoy drinking whatever remains.

I never buy something specific to cook with, except of course the kirsch I use for fondue, but I could use a gorgeous chardonnay for that in its place.

How to Make Mediterranean Chicken with Orzo

Mediterranean chicken with orzo

This dish comes together pretty quickly, and you can make the different parts at the same time – winning! Start by bringing a pot of salted water to boil.

Once it boils, add the orzo and cook at a simmer for six minutes. Drain the orzo in a colander and set it aside, but do not rinse it.

While the water boils and orzo cooks, prep the rest of the dish. Heat a large heavy pan just below medium heat.

Chop your onion and garlic. Once your pan is hot, add the oil. This creates a perfect nonstick surface.

Add the onion, and cut your chicken into bite size pieces and add it to the pan as you chop. Once all the chicken is in, add the garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano. Stir with a wooden spoon.

Cook the chicken until no side is pink, which generally takes under five minutes. Add the wine and the diced tomatoes, including their juice.

Turn the heat up to medium high, and let the mixture cook another five minutes. Remove from the heat once the chicken is cooked through.

Add the orzo and stir to distribute. Serve immediately.

Top each bowl with fresh chopped parsley and feta cheese. Alternatively, add the parsley and feta to your pot and serve family style.

If you have leftovers, this is great the second day, too. If you know you’ll have leftovers, remove any parsley and feta before you put them in a tightly sealed container and refrigerate them. You don’t want to reheat those!

Have you ever tried Mediterranean chicken with orzo?

More favorite chicken recipes:

Easy chicken dinner recipe

Mediterranean Chicken With Orzo

This Mediterranean chicken dish is a perfect weeknight dinner. It comes together quickly, and it has a ton of flavor yet is a great kid-friendly meal.
5 from 3 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: main dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Diet: Diabetic
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 467kcal
Author: Michelle

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces orzo
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 onion chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic minced
  • 1 1/2 pounds chicken
  • 1 tablespoon dried parsley
  • 1 teaspoon dried basil
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 cup wine
  • 14.5 ounces can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup fresh parsley chopped
  • 1/2 cup feta crumbled

Instructions

  • Bring pot of salted water to boil and add orzo. Turn heat to simmer and cook 6 minutes, then drain and set aside.
    8 ounces orzo
  • While water boils and orzo cooks, heat a large heavy pan just below medium heat.
  • Chop onion and garlic, then add oil.
    2 tablespoons oil
  • Add onion, and cut chicken into bite size pieces. Add to pan as you go, then add garlic, basil, parsley, and oregano. Stir.
    1 onion, 4 cloves garlic, 1 1/2 pounds chicken, 1 tablespoon dried parsley, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Cook until chicken is no longer pink. Add wine and the diced tomatoes.
    1 cup wine, 14.5 ounces can diced tomatoes
  • Turn heat to medium high, and let the mixture cook 5 minutes. Remove from heat once the chicken is cooked through.
  • Add orzo and stir. Serve immediately, topped with fresh parsley and feta.
    1/2 cup fresh parsley, 1/2 cup feta

Notes

  • This dish tastes great on the second day, as well. Refrigerate leftovers in a tightly sealed container, without the parsley and feta. Reheat and top with fresh parsley and feta - you don't want to reheat those!
  • For more tips and tricks, be sure to read the full article above.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 467kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 118mg | Sodium: 286mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 4g

This site uses an online source to provide nutrition estimates as a courtesy. If you need exact values, please calculate yourself.

Easy Mediterranean chicken with orzo recipe: This is a perfect weeknight dinner that comes together in under 30 minutes. It has fantastic flavors, but it's still a kid friendly meal. This is easy and delicious for a pot luck or to enjoy at home. The orzo works perfectly with the chicken breast. #Mediterranean #easyrecipes #chicken #pasta

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5 from 3 votes (3 ratings without comment)

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