These greek chicken orzo bowls are filled with orzo pasta, seasoned chicken breast, english cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, homemade tzatziki and feta cheese. A healthy but easy to make dinner the whole family will enjoy. The perfect summer evening dinner.
This recipe was first published on 07/05/2021.
This is exactly the type of summer dinner I love to serve my family. There's more to this dinner than a salad but it's lighter than a saucy pasta dish. It's a nice middle of the road meal that will fill you up but won't leave you feeling overfed or heavy.
Making homemade tzatziki really does make a difference. If you don't have time for that then store bought is also fine to use, but if you can spare 5 minutes you'll never look back. I like to kick my bowl up a notch and drizzle on some sriracha for added heat.
Ingredients
Please refer to the recipe card near the bottom of the page for the full list of ingredients, amounts and the instructions.
- chicken breast - chicken thighs could also work well
- cherry tomatoes
- english cucumber - english cucumbers have less seeds in them, but if you cant find an english cucumber you can use a regular cucumber
- uncooked orzo pasta
- onion
- feta cheese
- olive oil
- juice of a lemon
- oregano
- marjoram
- greek seasoning - found in the spice aisle
- dried basil
- garlic powder
- salt and pepper
- greek yogurt - the 6 ounces size
- minced fresh garlic
- dried dill
How To Make Greek Chicken Orzo Bowls
There is no need to marinate the chicken for any length of time. Get it coated in the instructed ingredients and while you prepare the tzatziki, that's all the time it need. When you go to cook the chicken you'll want to make sure your pan is hot enough to sear the edges.
Since the chicken is getting filleted (so that it cooks faster) your pan will be stuffed full of chicken. This can be a problem because the chicken will let out moisture and that creates a difficult environment for getting a nice color on the chicken.
To avoid this, you'll need start with a higher heat. That way when the chicken hits the pan (you'll hear a loud sizzle) it won't have time to release the water from it.
Somewhere in that time the chicken is cooking make the orzo and cut up all of the vegetables.
When it comes time to eat, put everything in a bowl and serve it. You can use one big bowl or individual bowls.
More Recipes
- Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus
- Chicken Pitas With Tzatziki
- Greek Chicken Bowls with Brown Rice
- One Pot Greek Chicken and Rice
- Italian Chopped Salad with Roasted Chickpeas
Greek Chicken Orzo Bowls
These greek chicken orzo bowls are filled with orzo pasta, seasoned chicken breast, english cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, homemade tzatziki and feta cheese. A healthy but easy to make dinner the whole family will enjoy. The perfect summer evening dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 lb thin chicken breasts
- 12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
- ¾ english cucumber, quartered
- 8 oz orzo pasta
- ¼ c crumbled feta cheese
- ½ lemon, zested and juiced
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp parsley, chopped
- 6 basil leaves, chopped
- ¼ tsp dried dill
- ¼ tsp dried oregano
- salt and pepper
chicken marinade
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp oregano
- ½ tsp marjoram
- ½ tsp Greek seasoning
- ¼ tsp dried basil
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ⅛ tsp pepper
tzatziki
- 6 ounces greek yogurt
- ¼ english cucumber, grated
- ½ lemon, juiced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ tsp dried dill
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the 'chicken marinade' ingredients into a large ziploc bag, mix it up. Add the chicken, coating all sides. Let this marinate for 30 minutes.
- To make the tzatziki: In a small bowl stir together the greek yogurt, grated cucumber (squeeze the water out), lemon juice, minced garlic, dried dill, olive oil, salt and pepper. Chill in the fridge.
- Cook the chicken in a saute pan until no longer pink in the center. Once done, set aside and rest. Slice the chicken thinly once you've prepared the orzo.
- Boil the orzo pasta per package instruction, until al dente. Retain ¼ cup of pasta water before draining. After draining the water out, pour into a large bowl. To the bowl add the lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, basil, dried dill, dried oregano, salt and pepper. Toss together. Mix in the tomatoes, cucumber and feta cheese.
- Top the orzo with the sliced chicken. Dollop on the tzatziki.
Notes
Try adding some sriracha for spice.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 374Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 2gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 67mgSodium: 271mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 3gSugar: 11gProtein: 31g
This information comes from online calculators. Although moderncrumb.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
Hayley
A very light and refreshing dish! I cut up the chicken before cooking it and tossed it back in the marinade for a sec before popping it in the pan. Also, not a huge fan of raw onion so I diced red onion and tossed it in with the chicken, absolutely delicious. I’m an absolute sucker for feta!
Tara Moore
Thanks so much Hayley!
Rion
I made this tonight after an indulgent week of eating and it was refreshing, delicious, and exactly what I needed and hoped it would be! My family and I loved it, thank you!