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One Skillet Chicken Tzatziki and Orzo, the perfect weeknight dinner. Quick, easy, colorful, and delicious! Pan-seared lemon paprika chicken, cooked together with orzo pasta for an all-in-one dinner. Serve drizzled with Tzatziki sauce and fresh, buttery naan. A dinner that everyone at the table will love.
For a dinner that is so simple to throw together, this really has so much flavor! I think we all know by now that a skillet chicken and orzo dinner is a staple around here. Most of the time I’ll just use lemon and herbs, the classic recipe really. But then I’ll come up with a new variation that I swear I love even more than the last!
This was probably Creighton’s favorite dish of the week. It hits all the flavors he really loves most. Smoky paprika, a little bit of spice, lots of garlic, lemon, and then we can’t forget to mention the Tzatziki sauce.
Creighton has declared that Tzatziki might be his favorite sauce of all time. I have to agree, it’s pretty delicious. It also happens to be the easiest to make, we all love it.
Throwing everything into the same skillet just makes sense. For one, you’re saving dishes by avoiding using multiple pans. But even more importantly, you’re creating a dish that’s full of flavor. When you cook everything together, the flavors are able to blend, making every element of the recipe delicious.
Of course, with this recipe, I created one extra step by adding the Tzatziki sauce, but you can totally use a store-bought sauce too. Do what works for you!
Details
As mentioned above, this was one of my family’s favorites. Mainly because I used spices that we all enjoy, paprika mixed with garlic and lemon. The chicken definitely has a Mediterranean vibe to it.
Season the chicken first. I toss a mix of chicken thighs and breasts with tomato paste, and paprika (I use smoked paprika, but regular is great too). Then add lots of chopped garlic, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. Oh, and a good amount of olive oil too.
Now sear the chicken in an oven-safe skillet, then pull it out of the skillet to make room for the orzo. Just set the chicken aside on a plate to hang out.
Add the butter, orzo, and thyme to the same skillet. I love to let the orzo toast in the butter. Add in a good amount of sun-dried tomatoes, then pour in the chicken broth.
Now add the chicken back to the skillet. I usually like to add a handful of fresh herbs here too. Basil and thyme are what we love.
Put the entire skillet in the oven, and let it all cook together for 10-15 minutes, just until the chicken is fully cooked.
While the chicken is baking, I always make a homemade tzatziki sauce. It’s plain Greek yogurt mixed with grated cucumber, olive oil, garlic, lemon, fresh dill, salt, and pepper.
Occasionally I’ll make it spicy with a jalapeño. Sometimes I’ll mix in feta cheese too. Both are delicious additions!
When the skillet comes out of the oven. Scoop it up with the orzo and serve topped with a very generous amount of tzatziki sauce. Add some basil and dill too!
I usually serve this with warm naan, pitas, or tortillas – all three are great for scooping everything up!
Such a fun and bright dinner for any night of the week. And I love that the leftovers are perfect for enjoying the next day for lunch!
Looking for other easy dinners? Here are some favorites:
Easy Greek Sheet Pan Chicken and Potatoes
30 Minute Spicy Indian Butter Chicken
Sheet Pan Chicken Gyros with Feta Tzatziki
One Skillet Street Corn Chicken Enchilada Bake
Lastly, if you make this One Skillet Chicken Tzatziki and Orzo, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Skillet Tzatziki Chicken and Orzo
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 519 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 6 cloves garlic, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest and 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 pinch chili flakes use to taste
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 pounds boneless chicken thighs or breast
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 tablespoons fresh thyme
- 1 1/2 cups dry orzo pasta
- 1/2 cup oil packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- 3 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 cup mixed herbs, such as basil and thyme
- 1-2 cups Tzakiki sauce
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 400° F.2. In a bowl, toss together the chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, tomato paste, paprika, garlic, lemon zest, chili flakes, salt, and pepper. 3. Add the chicken to a large oven-safe skillet set over high heat. Sear on both sides until golden, 3-5 minutes. During the last 2 minutes of cooking, add the butter, then remove the chicken from the skillet. Add the orzo and thyme. Cook until toasted, about 1 minute. Add the sun-dried tomatoes, broth, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in the fresh herbs. Slide the chicken and any juices left on the plate back into the skillet. 4. Bake, uncovered for 15 minutes or until the chicken is cooked through.5. Serve the chicken and orzo topped with Tzakiki sauce and basil. Enjoy!
Very conflicted in how to rate this. 10/10 for taste, 1/10 for recipe instructions. As other reviews have stated, searing the chicken with the tomato paste is a HUGE no. It will burn horribly and you will have to spend ~30 min scrubbing burnt stuff out of your pan so you don’t wreck the whole dish. I’d add the tomato paste to the final product. The burnt almost wrecked our whole evening. Sear on medium heat, without the paste. If this didn’t taste so dang good I’d give it one star solely for that. Shocked such a phenomenal website has recipe instructions like this. The end result is absolutely amazing. Melt in your mouth, heavenly. Just very frustrated that the author has been given feedback about the dish burning and hasn’t taken time to change the recipe. As a result, customers and fans of hers burn their food. We will be making this again with modifications, it is truly mind blowingly good, as are most HBH recipes, just beware the tomato paste.
Hi Jillian,
Thanks so much for trying this dish and sharing your feedback! I’m so glad to hear the flavors were enjoyed:) Sorry about the tomato paste, I haven’t had this issue before! xx
Chicken is still raw at the end of this cook time. I even used thin sliced breasts. Beware
Hey Jake,
Thanks for trying this recipe and sharing your feedback. How long did you bake the chicken for? I haven’t had anyone else have issues with the chicken not being fully cooked. Let me know how I can help! xx
Terrible recipe. Do NOT sear with the tomato paste. Caused the paste to burn to the bottom and created burnt black bits all through the dish.
Hi Carla,
Thanks for trying this recipe and your feedback, so sorry to hear it wasn’t enjoyed. Sorry to hear the tomato paste burned for you. Let me know if I can help in any other way! xT
Do you leave skin on chicken?
Hi Cindy,
I used skinless chicken, but if you enjoy the skin you can certainly leave it on:) I hope you love this dish! xT
This one is a keeper ! I followed another review where I added in some bell pepper n onion. The family loved it ! I also needed some extra minutes for some portion of the orzo to cook more .
Thank you SO much for trying out this recipe! Loveee to hear that you enjoyed it! 🙂 xT
Super yummy flavors, definitely will be recommending to all my fam and friends!
Hey Lucas! Thank you sooo much for trying out this recipe! Hope your New Year is off to an awesome start! xT
This is one of my favorites of your recipes so far! All the flavors just came together so well (a hint of sweetness, super savory and creamy), and I’m so glad I wasn’t too lazy to make the tzatziki, because that really added another layer. Will def make this one again 🙂
Thank you! So glad to hear you’re enjoying this recipe! xT
Made it with couscous, it was fantastic!
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a lovely week! xT
Easy recipe to follow and was super yummy! I would’ve never thought to brown the orzo first- so good!
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Delicious and company worthy. Not too spicy for children. Don’t skip the sauce…makes the dish as does the naan bread! Thank you for another easy, fast recipe!
Thank you sooo much for giving the recipe a try! I am so glad you enjoyed it! xT
I don’t understand what the fresh herbs are all supposed to be, you said such as basil & thyme – what what else? I’m confused
Hi there! You can use whatever herbs you have on hand that you’d like to have with the dish! I usually use basil, thyme, and sometimes a little oregano or parsley!
I made this with your feta tzatziki sauce.. urgh! I’m never going back to normal tzatziki – it was so easy and definitely going to be on our rotation
Thank you!!
Hey Maria! So happy to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Thanks for giving it a try! xT