Chicken Orzo Bake
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Easy Orzo Baked Chicken Skillet Recipe
Updated March 2026
At a Glance
This chicken orzo bake is a one-pan meal where seasoned chicken roasts alongside tender orzo pasta and vegetables in a flavourful broth. It’s an easy dish to execute, with minimal prep and cleanup, while providing plenty of nutrition including lean protein and vitamins. It can all be cooked in a Dutch oven or covered skillet for maximum convenience.
Chicken Orzo Bake
For a comforting, hearty, and homestyle dish that brings the flavour without the fuss, try this chicken orzo bake! It all comes together in one pan – like a Dutch oven or covered skillet – for your convenience and a quick cleanup. Ideal for busy weeknights, this recipe combines lean protein, perfect seasoning, orzo pasta, and hearty veggies for a dish that the whole family can enjoy.
Ingredients for Chicken Orzo Bake
Chicken: To get the best flavour in this recipe, we chose boneless skinless chicken thighs. If you prefer using bone-in chicken thighs, you’ll need to cook them a little longer to ensure they’re cooked through for safe consumption. If you opt for chicken breast instead, you’ll want to monitor them a bit more and remove them from the pan earlier to ensure they don’t get dry and overcooked. Juicy chicken is a must in this baked orzo recipe.
Seasoning: Get your spice rack ready! This chicken orzo recipe uses a few herbs and spices to punch up the flavour and keep you far away from blandness. Salt and pepper are a given, but we also used Farm Boy™ Organic Paprika and Farm Boy™ Organic Italian Seasoning. If you don’t have Italian seasoning on hand, you can use a blend of dried oregano and coriander for a Mediterranean flair, or make your own Italian seasoning: Combine dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary, dried marjoram, and dried thyme.
Lemon juice: For a little lift and brightness, we used a bit of fresh lemon juice in this recipe. It helps balance all those savoury flavours and keeps them from becoming too heavy. Fresh lemon juice is ideal, versus a shelf-stable variety.
Extra virgin olive oil: Rich and luscious, extra virgin olive oil helps everything cook evenly with an added dash of flavour.
Bell peppers: Bell peppers add a nice crunch and a bit of natural sweetness to this chicken orzo recipe. Small to medium in size is what we prefer, and you can pick whatever colours you like, although we think orange and red are the best for this dish. Cut them into thin julienne strips for even cooking.
Onion: The humble onion does some heavy lifting in the flavour department, with a whole cup of diced onion used in this chicken orzo bake. We like a sweet yellow onion for this one-pan dish, but you can use a regular white onion if that’s what you have on hand.
Garlic: We love the simplicity and convenience of Farm Boy™ Garlic Flowers. There’s no need for peeling, chopping, or pressing – they’re ready for you to cook with and enjoy. However, if you don’t have these in your kitchen, two cloves of minced garlic (or more to taste) will do just fine.
Tomatoes: One of the components of the braising liquid the chicken and orzo cook in is tomatoes. Farm Boy™ Crushed Tomatoes are made from freshly picked, field-grown Ontario tomatoes, harvested at their peak for the best quality and flavour. From field to can within just 12 hours, they’re also gluten-free and Kosher-certified.
Chicken broth: No time to make homemade chicken stock? N problem! Part of the value of this chicken orzo bake recipe is its convenience, which is why we chose a high-quality chicken stock: Farm Boy™ Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth. It’s full of flavour and low in sodium so you can control how salty the finished result is.
Orzo: The best pasta to soak up all that delicious liquid is orzo. These small pieces of pasta are shaped like rice and are ideal for this baked chicken dish. Be sure to use a good, high-quality orzo pasta that won’t over-absorb the liquid and become mushy or soggy.
Peas: For a little pop of colour and burst of fresh flavour, we added peas to this recipe. Farm Boy™ Organic IQF Green Peas are picked at peak ripeness and flash-frozen to lock in all their flavour and nutrients. Pre-washed and ready to eat, you don’t even need to wait for these peas to thaw before adding them to your skillet.
Parsley: Providing freshness and colour is chopped fresh parsley. Use the leaves and stems for this chicken orzo recipe. If you don’t have parsley, you can also use fresh cilantro instead.
Feta cheese: Tangy and creamy, we love sprinkling crumbled feta cheese just before serving this recipe. The heat from the cooked chicken, veggies, and orzo pasta help it melt just enough for a beautiful bite. Farm Boy™ Canadian Made Crumbled Feta Cheese is made locally from 100% Canadian milk. If you’re dairy-free, you can opt to omit it from this recipe.
What to Serve with Chicken Orzo Bake
This chicken orzo bake recipe is a meal all by itself. However, if you want to have some more sustenance (or are serving a larger group), we recommend any of the following sides:
Green veggies: Add some extra vitamins and minerals to your plate with the help of green veggies. You could roast some broccoli and drizzle it with fresh lemon juice, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and finish with some freshly grated Parmesan cheese for a tasty, easy side.
Salad: A classic side to any pasta dish is salad. Carry on the Mediterranean theme of this chicken orzo recipe by picking up a salad from our Chef’s Market. Always prepared fresh daily with the highest quality of produce, we suggest our Farm Boy™ Greek Salad, which echoes some of the tasting notes of this baked pasta dish.
Bread: Sop up all of that delicious braising liquid with the help of some crusty bread. At our Bake Shop, you’ll find plenty of freshly baked loaves to choose from. One of our best-sellers is our Sourdough Batard, which has the perfect crisp, crunchy crust, soft interior, and signature sourdough tang.
How to Store Chicken Orzo Bake
One of the best parts about this easy baked chicken orzo recipe is that it works well as leftovers, meaning you can use it as part of your meal prep for the week. To store leftovers in the fridge, allow to cool and transfer to a resealable container. Keep in fridge for 3 to 4 days.
To store leftovers in the freezer, allow to cool, then transfer to an airtight, resealable container. This chicken orzo bake will keep in the freezer for up to three months. To enjoy later, allow the container to thaw overnight in the fridge before heating.
To reheat from cold, place the leftover chicken orzo bake in an oven-safe container, like a cast-iron skillet, Dutch oven, or casserole dish. Sprinkle with a bit of water so the orzo pasta doesn’t become dry. Reheat in the oven at 350°F until warmed through. If the dish still seems dry, add a bit more water and stir.
Additions, Substitutions, and Subtractions
Make it spicy. If you like a little heat with your meals, try making this recipe a little spicier. Instead of the paprika (or in addition to it), you can also add Farm Boy™ Organic Cayenne Pepper or Farm Boy™ Organic Crushed Chili Peppers. Add a little at a time so you can control your heat level.
Swap the pasta. If you’re unable to find orzo pasta, can’t make it to the store, or follow a gluten-free diet, you can still enjoy this recipe. Switch up the orzo for rice instead. That will make this more of a chicken and rice dish, but it’ll still be wonderfully tasty. We recommend Arborio rice, which is a similar size and shape to orzo and is commonly used in risotto. It has a slightly chewy, almost creamy texture when cooked, which makes it the ideal substitute for orzo pasta in dishes like this chicken orzo bake.
Make it chunky. In this recipe, we chose crushed tomatoes to better blend with the other ingredients. However, if you like a bit of texture to your sauces and casseroles, you can opt for a larger cut of tomatoes. We suggest Farm Boy™ Diced Tomatoes. We also have an option with no added salt and one seasoned with garlic, basil, and oregano, which would suit the flavour profile of this dish well.
More Easy Pasta Recipes from Farm Boy
Looking for more easy pasta recipes? Check out any of the dishes below!
Plant Based Mushroom Stroganoff
Spicy Eggplant Pasta (Pasta alla Norma)
Pasta with Pesto alla Trapanese
Creamy Tortellini with Peas and Pancetta
More Chicken Recipes from Farm Boy
Looking for more recipes starring chicken? Check out any of the dishes below!
Chicken Tikka Skewers with Spicy Cilantro Chutney
Hearty Chicken Soup with Pearl Barley and Kale
Creamy Tuscan Chicken with Tomatoes, Mushrooms, and Spinach
Chicken Soup with Mushrooms and Asian Greens
Spicy Cajun Chicken and Corn Skillet
Ingredients
- 2 ½ tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Italian Seasoning Mix divided
- 2 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Paprika divided
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 kg boneless, skinless chicken thighs about 6 pieces
- juice of ½ lemon
- 2-3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 cup diced onion
- 2 small red or orange bell peppers julienned
- 1 tsp Farm Boy™ Garlic Flowers or 2 minced garlic cloves
- 1 cup Farm Boy™ Crushed Tomatoes
- 1 ¼ cups Farm Boy™ Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth
- 1 cup dry, uncooked orzo pasta
- 1 cup Farm Boy™ Organic IQF Green Peas
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- Farm Boy™ Canadian Made Crumbled Feta Cheese for garnish, optional
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, combine 2 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Italian Seasoning Mix, 1 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Toss chicken thighs with spices and mix in lemon juice. Reserve.
- In a large oven-proof skillet or Dutch oven, heat 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook, turning once, until golden brown on both sides, about 10 minutes (you may have to do this in batches). Remove to a plate and reserve.
- In the same skillet, add the onions, bell peppers, and Farm Boy™ Garlic Flowers and cook, stirring often and scraping up brown bits from the bottom, until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add the Farm Boy™ Crushed Tomatoes, Farm Boy™ Organic Low Sodium Chicken Broth, ½ tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Italian Seasoning Mix, 1 tsp Farm Boy™ Organic Paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then add the orzo pasta.
- Place the chicken pieces back in the skillet, nestling them into the orzo-tomato mixture. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes or until the orzo is fully cooked and has absorbed most of the liquid.
- Remove the skillet from the oven, add Farm Boy™ Organic IQF Green Peas, cover, and let sit 5 minutes to allow for the orzo to absorb any remaining juices and the peas to warm up.
- Serve garnished with parsley and Farm Boy™ Canadian Made Crumbled Feta Cheese.