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Home » Dinner » Mediterranean Chicken

June 25, 2019 By Sara 92 Comments

Mediterranean Chicken

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This recipe for Mediterranean chicken is chicken thighs, olives, roasted peppers and orzo, all cooked in a single pan. An easy and healthy dinner option with minimal clean up at the end of the night!

I love one pot meals, some of my favorites include chili mac, pizza pasta and this fresh and delicious Mediterranean chicken.

Mediterranean Chicken Recipe | One Pot Chicken #chicken #pasta #healthy #onepot #dinner #dinneratthezoo Mediterranean Chicken Recipe | One Pot Chicken #chicken #pasta #healthy #onepot #dinner #dinneratthezoo

A pan of Mediterranean chicken with orzo, chickpeas and vegetables.

I love Mediterranean food – the flavors are bold and fresh and it’s also healthy. I often cook with ingredients that are found in the Mediterranean diet – whole grains, fruit and vegetables, beans, olive oil and herbs. I took all of my favorite Mediterranean flavors and turned them into a one pot meal, because by now you all know that I’m all about cooking in one pot whenever possible. This one pot Mediterranean chicken  is a real winner and the kids enjoyed it too!

How do you make Mediterranean chicken?

This recipe starts with chicken thighs, which are browned and then combined with chickpeas, orzo, olives, roasted peppers and chicken broth. Everything goes into the oven to simmer until tender. Add a sprinkling of fresh parsley and dinner is served!

Browned chicken thighs in a pan.

Tips for Mediterranean chicken

  • I like to use bone-in skin-on chicken thighs for this dish, but you can also use drumsticks or bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts.
  • Orzo is a small rice shaped pasta that can be found with the rest of the pasta shapes at most grocery stores. You can use regular orzo or whole wheat orzo in this dish.
  • This recipe calls for roasted red bell peppers  – you can roast your own, or buy a jar of prepared roasted peppers to save on time.
  • This dish is perfect as-is, but I sometimes like to serve it with a steamed vegetable on the side such as broccoli, green beans or asparagus.

Orzo pasta, olives, chickpeas and roasted peppers in a skillet.

Mediterranean Chicken Variations

There are so many different ways to vary the flavors in this dish to make your own creation!

  • Beans: Instead of chickpeas, try cannellini or Great Northern beans.
  • Vegetables: Swap out the bell peppers for marinated artichoke hearts or sauteed mushrooms.
  • Grains: Try bulgur wheat or brown rice instead of orzo pasta.

A spoon serving up a portion of Mediterranean chicken thighs.

More than ever I have been relying on easy dinner options. I’d much rather be out in the yard with the kids instead of standing over a hot stove. This Mediterranean chicken  is perfect for our hectic schedule because I can just combine everything in one pot, put it in the oven and walk away until the timer tells me it’s dinner time. Plus clean up is a breeze. Have you hopped on the one pot meal bandwagon yet? If not, this recipe is the perfect place to start.

Mediterranean chicken thighs served over orzo with green beans.

More easy chicken recipes

  • Chicken and Green Beans
  • Slow Cooker Chicken Drumsticks
  • Hawaiian Chicken
  • Chicken Casserole
  • Braised Chicken with Carrots and Potatoes
A pan of Mediterranean chicken with orzo, chickpeas and vegetables.
Print Pin
5 from 11 votes

One Pot Mediterranean Chicken

This recipe for Mediterranean chicken is chicken thighs, olives, roasted peppers and orzo, all cooked in a single pan. An easy and healthy dinner option with minimal clean up at the end of the night!
Course Dinner
Cuisine Mediterranean
Keyword Greek chicken, mediterranean chicken, one pot meal, one pot mediterranean chicken
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 servings
Calories 510kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 4 bone in, skin on chicken thighs
  • 2 teaspoons olive oil
  • 1 small onion finely diced
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • 1/2 cup roasted peppers roughly chopped (can use red, yellow or orange peppers)
  • 8 ounces orzo pasta uncooked
  • 3/4 cup kalamata olives halved
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 15 ounce can chickpeas drained and rinsed
  • 3 cups chicken broth
  • kosher salt and black pepper to taste
  • 2 tablespoons fresh parsley chopped

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large skillet or pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Season the chicken generously on both sides with salt and pepper. Place the chicken in the pan and cook for 4 to 6 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove the chicken from the pan.
  • Drain off excess fat leaving about 1 teaspoon in the pan. Add the onion, cook for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook for one minute more.
  • Add the orzo, oregano, roasted peppers, olives and chickpeas to the pan. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Place the chicken on top of the orzo mixture; add chicken broth.
  • Bring everything to a boil, cover the pot with a lid and place into the oven. Bake for 35 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Sprinkle with parsley, then serve.

Notes

Make Ahead: If you make your own roasted peppers, you can make them 2 days in advance. Never roasted peppers before? Here's a how-to guide.

Nutrition

Calories: 510kcal | Carbohydrates: 78g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 107mg | Sodium: 691mg | Potassium: 950mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 250IU | Vitamin C: 24.4mg | Calcium: 118mg | Iron: 5.6mg

This post was originally published July 16, 2015 and was updated on June 25, 2019 with new content.

Filed Under: Dinner, Light & Healthy, One Pot Meals Tagged With: Chicken, Olives, Orzo

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Spanish Chicken with Potatoes »

Comments

  1. Aubrey says

    January 27, 2021 at 4:45 am

    5 stars
    This recipe was a winner! My family loved it and so did I. THANK YOU!

    Reply
  2. Jen Larson says

    January 9, 2021 at 3:36 pm

    does rice go in cooked or uncooked if choosing that

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 9, 2021 at 8:13 pm

      You would do uncooked!

      Reply
  3. Michael says

    December 16, 2020 at 5:54 pm

    Do you cook the orzo first then add it?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 16, 2020 at 7:57 pm

      The orzo goes in uncooked!

      Reply
  4. Jaimie says

    November 5, 2020 at 5:37 am

    How long does it cook in the oven for? Did I misread something?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      November 5, 2020 at 4:42 pm

      Step 4, bake for 35 minutes!

      Reply
  5. Song says

    October 29, 2020 at 3:23 pm

    I’m using boneless chicken breast, should I cut the time in the oven?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      October 31, 2020 at 10:02 pm

      Yes reduce the cook time by about 10 minutes!

      Reply
  6. Leslie says

    July 15, 2020 at 11:59 am

    This looks really good! I love chicken thighs, but the rest of my family wants chicken breasts. If I use bone-in, skin-on breasts, do you know about how long it would take to cook? Also, could I mix the breasts and thighs, or would the cooking time be off?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      July 15, 2020 at 1:01 pm

      I think you could use both but you’d want to make sure the breasts and thighs are similar in size so they cook at the same rate. For example, you could cut large chicken breasts in half.

      Reply
  7. Dayle says

    February 25, 2020 at 1:03 pm

    Would this still be considered Mediterranean if you used tricolor orzo (dried tomato and spinach) trying to find recipes for the med diet and this looks amazing!

    Reply
    • Sara says

      February 26, 2020 at 9:10 am

      I believe it would work!

      Reply
      • Dayle says

        February 26, 2020 at 9:20 am

        Thank you!😊

        Reply
  8. Audra Jennings says

    February 11, 2020 at 4:56 pm

    Fantastic!!! Made this for dinner tonight and EVERYONE loved it. Definitely one we will keep in our “go to” recipe list.

    Thanks for a wonderful dish!

    Reply
  9. Bea says

    January 29, 2020 at 5:02 pm

    5 stars
    One of my husbands favorite dishes! I sometimes make it with chicken breasts.

    Reply
  10. Stephanie says

    January 28, 2020 at 8:45 am

    This food looks delicious what can I replace the olives with not a fan of olives in my household.

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 28, 2020 at 5:16 pm

      You can just omit the olives!

      Reply
  11. Bette says

    January 12, 2020 at 10:43 am

    Can this be made in advance

    Reply
    • Sara says

      January 12, 2020 at 4:46 pm

      That should be fine!

      Reply
  12. Deb says

    November 20, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    5 stars
    Great flavor and meal in one pan which I always look for! Enough for leftovers!

    Reply
  13. Felicia Thayer says

    November 13, 2019 at 8:38 pm

    Melt in your mouth delicious!
    Will be making this over and over again!

    Reply
  14. Concetta says

    August 19, 2019 at 7:57 pm

    5 stars
    This recipe is awesome. So easy and so delicious, my family totally loved it. Will be making it over and over. Thank you so much 😀😘

    Reply
  15. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    June 28, 2019 at 5:10 pm

    5 stars
    I know for sure this would be a huge hit in my house!

    Reply
  16. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

    June 28, 2019 at 4:32 pm

    5 stars
    This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy! This looks totally awesome!

    Reply
  17. Beth Pierce says

    June 27, 2019 at 12:07 pm

    5 stars
    This was such a perfectly seasoned meal for dinner last night! All the flavors balance so well together; definitely adding this to my favorite recipes!

    Reply
  18. Stephanie says

    June 27, 2019 at 8:49 am

    This looks so delicious! Pinning it so I can add it to next week’s menu!

    Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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