This One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo features lemon, mint and oregano to for a comforting and hearty weeknight dinner.

Chicken Orzo for the win! We’ve all got a lot going on in our lives and weeknights can be tough. That’s why an easy, comforting and one-pot dinner is always a winner in my book, and this Greek Chicken Orzo ticks all the boxes.
What makes this One Pot Orzo so easy?
There’s very little chopping required because we don’t chop the chicken or tomatoes, you can make it in one pot, and it’s pretty much set and forget. You’ll be able to get in on the table in no more than half an hour, and you’ll have a warming, nourishing and delicious dinner that everyone will enjoy.
What's so good about this One Pot Orzo?
The thing that’s a little bit special about this chicken orzo recipe, compared to others, is that while it has a tomato base, the tomato flavour doesn’t overpower the dish. There’s lovely garlic, capsicum, cinnamon, lemon and mint that all play together to lift it, so the chicken orzo has a lighter taste, and isn’t dominated by tomatoes.
Tips when you're cooking this One Pot Orzo
When we are cooking the chicken, we want to sear it on high first, so don’t be afraid of going full heat, because chicken thigh fillets need to be cooked at a higher temperature to become soft. And don’t worry that it's not cooked all the way through after the first few minutes. Once we add the orzo and tomatoes and simmer, this will cook it through. So we're crisping up the outside first, then cooking it through with the tomatoes.
Another thing you can try at the end is to drizzle some balsamic vinegar over the top of the chicken orzo. I did this the next day with leftovers and thoroughly enjoyed it.
What's in this One Pot Orzo?
- Chicken - Garlic, olive oil, chicken thigh fillets, dried oregano leaves
- Vegetables - Red capsicum, green beans, lemon, cherry tomatoes, mint
- Sauce - Chicken stock, canned crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, ground cinnamon
- Pasta - Orzo (risoni)
- Topping - Lemon juice, mint and feta
See recipe card for quantities.
Looking for some more orzo recipes?
You should try our Stuffed Chicken Breast with Orzo or our One Pot Greek Chicken Risoni (this one has a lemon base), or our Sage and Chicken Orzo.
How to make One Pot Orzo
1. Peel and mince garlic into a large bowl. Add olive oil, chicken fillets, dried oregano, salt and pepper (opt.) and toss to coat.
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 500g chicken thigh fillets
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- Salt and pepper
2. Slice capsicum into small pieces. Top and tail green beans and then slice into thirds. Zest lemon, then juice into a glass or jar.
- 1 red capsicum
- 200g green beans
- 1 lemon
3. Heat a deep, lidded frypan over high heat. Add thigh fillets and marinade and cook, in a single layer, lid on, for 2-3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Move chicken to the side of the pan, then add capsicum and saute for 1 minute.
- 1 red capsicum
5. Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, risoni, and whole cherry tomatoes. Stir, bring to the boil, then simmer, stirring every so often. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.
TIP: Don’t worry if at this point it looks like there is too much liquid, it’s meant to have quite a bit.
Meanwhile continue to the next step >
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 400g crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup orzo (risoni)
- 200g cherry tomatoes
6. Rinse and pick mint leaves.
- 1 bunch mint
7. Once risoni is cooked, take off the heat and add green beans and half the mint and stir through.
- 200g green beans
- ½ bunch mint
8. To serve little ones, dish up from the pan and chop chicken into fingers.
For adults, scatter the rest of the mint leaves over the pan and crumble feta over the top. Add a decent crack of salt and pepper.
- ½ bunch mint
- 150g feta cheese
- Salt and pepper
Substitutions
- Alternative proteins - Swap pork sausage instead of chicken thigh.
- Vegetarian - Omit the chicken or swap for chickpeas, and swap chicken stock for vegetable stock.
- Gluten Free - Swap risoni for small gluten free pasta or arborio rice (increase cooking time if using rice).
- Dairy Free - Skip the feta or swap for pitted olives.
Kid-Friendly Variations of One Pot Orzo
- Dish up kids before you’ve added the feta (and the mint and beans if you wish).
- Slice chicken into fingers.
Equipment
You will need a deep, lidded frying pan, a stovetop.
Top tip
Don’t be alarmed when you’re making this if you think it's looking a little bit too soupy. It’s meant to have a fair bit of liquid, and then once the pasta is cooked and the beans are in it’ll be just the right consistency. Also, make sure you give the orzo a stir every few minutes while it’s bubbling away. This will help make sure it cooks evenly (as different parts of your pan have different areas of heat), and that it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan.
Recipe
One Pot Greek Chicken Orzo with Lemon and Mint
Equipment
- Deep lidded frying pan
- Stovetop
Ingredients
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1.5 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g chicken thigh fillets
- 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
- 1 red capsicum
- 200 g green beans
- 1 lemon
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 400 g crushed tomatoes
- 2 tablespoon tomato paste
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 cup orzo risoni
- 200 g cherry tomatoes
- Mint 1 bunch
- 150 g feta
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Peel and mince garlic into a large bowl. Add olive oil, chicken fillets, dried oregano, salt and pepper (opt.) and toss to coat.3 cloves garlic, 1.5 tablespoon olive oil, 500 g chicken thigh fillets, 1 tablespoon dried oregano leaves, Salt and pepper
- Slice capsicum into small pieces. Top and tail green beans and then slice into thirds. Zest lemon, then juice into a glass or jar.1 red capsicum, 200 g green beans, 1 lemon
- Heat a deep, lidded frypan over high heat. Add thigh fillets and marinade and cook, in a single layer, lid on, for 2-3 minutes, then turn and cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Move chicken to the side of the pan, then add capsicum and saute for 1 minute.1 red capsicum
- Add chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, tomato paste, paprika, cinnamon, lemon juice and zest, risoni, and whole cherry tomatoes. Stir, bring to the boil, then simmer, stirring every so often. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until pasta is al dente.TIP: Don’t worry if at this point it looks like there is too much liquid, it’s meant to have quite a bit.Meanwhile continue to the next step >1 lemon, 2 cups chicken stock, 400 g crushed tomatoes, 2 tablespoon tomato paste, 2 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cinnamon, 1 cup orzo, 200 g cherry tomatoes
- Rinse and pick 1 bunch of mint leaves.Mint
- Once risoni is cooked, take off the heat and add green beans and half the mint and stir through.200 g green beans, Mint
- To serve little ones, dish up from the pan and chop chicken into fingers.For adults, scatter the rest of the mint leaves over the pan and crumble feta over the top. Add a decent crack of salt and pepper.Mint, 150 g feta, Salt and pepper
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