This is a great quick recipe with everything you need for a complete dinner, all cooked in one pot. Lots of vegetables, served with risotto/orzo and chicken. Tastes like risotto – full of delicious Greek lemon and garlic flavors!
One-pot Greek chicken risoni
Patience has never been my greatest virtue, so I shared many of my favorite recipes from the very beginning when I started this site in 2014. I love revisiting those old recipes and bringing them to life with new photos. sparkles (to the point, wow!) and recipe videos where the chicken doesn’t have that weird green/yellow tint.
I’m not bothered by the first photos and videos because they remind me of how far I’ve come. But I thought it would be fun to revise these old recipes for your viewing pleasure – and I hope to convince you to try them.
Like the old and new recipes of today: Greek Risotto with Chicken! A complete one-pot dinner that’s quick and easy to prepare and packed with delicious Greek flavors.
This recipe starts with searing and sautéing the chicken on the stovetop, then baking the risotto in the oven (which means without stirring, yay!).
What you need
Here are the ingredients needed to make the recipe for Greek risotto.
1. THE RISONI / ORZO
Risoni is actually a type of pasta shaped like long grains of rice. Also called “orzo” and can be found in pasta aisles. It costs about the same as pasta etc.
- Risoni/orzo – see note above photo.
- Broth/Canned Chicken and Tomato Broth – These are the liquids used to cook risotto. Better than water because risotto absorbs flavors while cooking!
- Tomato Sauce – This adds a bit of tomato flavor to the sauce and thickens the sauce slightly so you end up with a really nice runny texture in the finished dish. It’s not the end of the world if you don’t have it.
Vegetables – I use zucchini/zucchini and bell peppers/bell peppers. Feel free to substitute other sautéable vegetables (carrots, beans, peas, fennel, corn, celery, mixed frozen vegetables). - Also, it would be very helpful if someone could organize a worldwide standardization of food vocabulary. THANKS!
- Onion and Garlic – Aromatic flavor base.
Cherry tomatoes or grape tomatoes – I like to sprinkle this on the surface before I put the dish in the oven. Love the juicy tomato popcorn that pops in your mouth!
2. LEMON GARLIC CHICKEN
Marinate the chicken with a classic Greek twist to make it even more delicious! Here’s what you need:
3. GARNISHES (SEMI-OPTIONAL)
I say “semi-optional” because while you can skip the fresh oregano, feta is highly recommended!
How to make one-pot Greek chicken risoni
This recipe starts on the stove and ends in the oven. I like this technique because it’s safer/easier – no stirring required – and the surface is caramelized, which means extra flavor. Anyone who’s made the fan-favorite One Pot Greek Chicken with Lemon Rice will know it works!
- Marinate the chicken with lemon, olive oil, garlic and oregano. Add flavor to chicken in just 20 minutes.
- If you have time, you can omit the marinade, the whole dish is full of flavor, and the chicken absorbs the flavors when fried with the risotto. If you want to be successful, you can marinate the chicken overnight – you can even freeze the chicken in the marinade. So many options!
Brown Chicken – Use a large heatproof skillet or large saucepan. I use a 30cm / 12″ non-stick skillet. - Cook the chicken, just to seal the outside and lightly brown. This should only take about 2-3 minutes. Do not cook the chicken completely as it will use the risotto is cooked.
Sauté the spices and vegetables – remove the chicken from the pan once it’s browned. Then sauté the garlic and onions, then the zucchini and peppers. - ADD ALL – Add the risotto and stir to coat the deliciousness. Then add everything (canned tomatoes, tomato paste, chicken broth, salt and pepper) and stir to combine.
- Cover chicken and cherry tomatoes, but do not stir.
Oven 15 minutes – Once the liquid begins to bubble, transfer the pan to the oven (without the lid) and cook for 15 minutes or until the risotto is tender. - Garnish and serve – Remove dish from oven. There should still be small puddles of liquid on the surface. That’s what we wanted – the dish should be sweet and sour and juicy, not dry and bland!
- Drizzle the plate with lemon juice, sprinkle with feta crumbs not optional and sprinkle with fresh oregano optional.
So serve! - Look how juicy and irresistibly ugly it looks. He is calling you !
Pour into bowls and marvel at how it looks like your favorite risotto. Except, well, you know. You haven’t cracked 40 minutes on a hot stovetop, slide the ingredients in and stir, stir, stir.
