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.

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.

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.

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

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:

• Lemon chicken kebabs
• Chicken enchiladas
• Tamale pot pies
• Chicken fried rice
• Soy glazed chicken
• Chicken and dumplings
• Crockpot BBQ chicken

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