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If you’re looking for a healthy, fresh, and easy weeknight dinner, this Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Casserole with Chickpeas checks every box. It’s a one-pan casserole packed with juicy chicken, tender orzo, fresh veggies, lemon, herbs, and a sprinkle of feta. Everything cooks together in one dish, including the raw chicken, making this a simple, hands-off recipe that your whole family will love!
Why You’ll Love this One-Pan Chicken Casserole!
- One dish, no pre-cooking required – add raw chicken and uncooked orzo directly to the casserole dish.
- Balanced and nourishing – protein from chicken + chickpeas, veggies, orzo pasta, and healthy fats. As a nutritionist, this combo is checking all the boxes for a complete and balanced meal!
- Bright Mediterranean flavors – lemon, Italian seasoning, tomatoes, bell pepper, and feta.
- Easily adaptable! – You can swap the veggies
- Kid-friendly and family-approved – mild flavors with lots of color and texture.
- Meal-prep friendly – reheats well and stays moist. You can also try my chicken orzo meal prep bowls if you want individually portioned meals!
- No pre-cooking required, just like my No-Boil Chicken Pasta Casserole with Artichokes and Peas.
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Casserole
- Gather up your ingredients! Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F
- Lightly grease a 9×13 baking dish. Add uncooked orzo, chickpeas, tomatoes, onion, and bell pepper. Stir to combine. Place un-cooked chicken pieces on top.
- In a small bowl, whisk together red wine vinegar, garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, dijon mustard, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Pour over the casserole along with 3 cups chicken broth.
- Cover with foil and transfer to the oven. Bake for 30 minutes and remove from oven. Stir in sun-dried tomatoes and capers. Remove the foil and transfer back to the oven.
- Bake for another 10 -15 minutes, or until liquid is mostly absorbed and orzo is tender.
- Let the casserole rest for about 5 minutes. Stir in feta and fresh parsley. Serve!
Tips for Success and substitutions
- Cut the chicken evenly so that it cooks at the same rate
- If the orzo isn’t fully tender, add 1/4 cup broth and bake an additional 5 minutes
- Chicken thighs can replace chicken breast with the same cook time! Use skinless, boneless thighs
- Zucchini can easily replace bell pepper. Olives can replace capers, I have a preference for the taste of capers. Parmesan can also replace feta cheese!
Storage and Meal Prep
- Refrigerator: Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Reheat: Add a splash of broth and warm in the microwave or on the stovetop.
- Freezer: Not recommended due to the pasta texture after thawing.
Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Casserole
This Mediterranean Chicken Orzo Casserole is a healthy one-pan dinner with chickpeas, veggies, lemon, and feta. Easy, protein-packed, and perfect for weeknights.
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs chicken breast, , raw and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1.5 cups uncooked orzo
- 1 14 oz can chickpeas,, drained and rinsed
- 1 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes
- 1 small red onion, diced or sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, , minced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- 1 large lemon, (zest and juice)
- 2 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp sea salt, (+ more to taste)
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup marinated sun-dried tomatoes, drained, optional
- 2 tbsp capers , (or olives) optional
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a 9×13 casserole dish.
- Add the orzo, chickpeas, tomatoes, red onion, garlic, and bell pepper to the dish and stir to combine. Top with chicken.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, vinegar, dijon mustard, lemon juice and zest, Italian seasoning, and salt. Pour in the chicken broth and stir.
- Now pour the liquid mixture over the chicken and orzo. You can add sun-dried tomatoes here if using, or wait to add them toward the end. Stir gently so the orzo is submerged. Cover with foil and transfer to the oven.
- Bake for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, remove the foil. Give the mixture a stir, and place back in the oven for another 10 – 12 minutes or until the liquid is mostly absorbed and the orzo is tender.
- Let sit for 5 minutes. Add capers, feta cheese, and parsley (if using). Season with salt to taste.
Tried this recipe?Mention @wholesomelicious or tag #wholesomelicious!
Would love for hr macros to be included – I made this almost 💯 as directed husband liked it 21 year old son liked it – I was worried neither would eat. I thought it had great flavor ! Ty