Chicken Orzo Bake (Print Version)
# Ingredients:
→ Grains
01 -
2 cups of uncooked orzo pasta
→ Proteins
02 -
Shredded chicken, cooked (around 4 cups or 1 pound)
→ Produce
03 -
A fresh lemon, zest and juice
04 -
4 minced garlic cloves
05 -
1 diced red onion
06 -
2 handfuls of chopped baby spinach
07 -
A few sprigs of parsley, for topping
08 -
½ cup packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped up
→ Dairy
09 -
1 cup crumbled feta, plus some extra to sprinkle later
→ Pantry Items
10 -
1 teaspoon of dried oregano
11 -
5 cups of chicken stock or water
12 -
2 tablespoons of olive oil
13 -
Optional: ¼ cup of kalamata olives, sliced and pitted
14 -
1 teaspoon salt
# Instructions:
01 -
Set the oven to 400°F (200°C) so it can heat up.
02 -
If you're starting with raw chicken, bake it for 25 minutes until done. Once it's ready, shred into pieces with forks on a cutting board.
03 -
Spread the diced onion in a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, drizzle olive oil, and toss to coat. Put it in the oven for 5 minutes while you prep other ingredients.
04 -
Take the baking dish out of the oven. Add in the orzo, garlic, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, olives (if using), oregano, leftover olive oil, and salt. Mix it all together really well.
05 -
Add in the shredded chicken, crumbled feta, lemon zest, and lemon juice. Stir everything until it's all blended together in the dish.
06 -
Pour the chicken broth over everything in the dish. Stir it up to make sure everything's combined and most of it is submerged in the liquid.
07 -
Cover the dish with foil and pop it back in the oven. Let it bake for about 15 minutes.
08 -
Take off the foil, stir everything really well, and bake again (without foil) for 15-20 minutes. The orzo should be soft, and most of the liquid should be soaked up.
09 -
Let the dish cool for 5 minutes after you take it out of the oven. Top it with extra feta and parsley, then serve.
# Notes:
01 -
You can keep leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days in a sealed container or freeze for 3 months.