Main Dishes
Sheet Pan Chicken Orzo Bake
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Yield
4
This Chicken Orzo Bake takes chicken meatballs and pairs it with baked veggies and orzo for a complete, easy, sheet pan meal with minimal clean up.
This easy Chicken Orzo Bake is the perfect easy bake for the whole family. It’s made with fresh tomatoes, protein-packed chicken meatballs, and orzo. This Orzo Bake is a full meal made on a sheet pan, making it easy, with minimal mess. What I love about this recipe is how all the flavors marinade into one, making the orzo so flavorful and delicious.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Chicken Orzo Bake
- Protein-Packed: This Chicken Orzo Bake is full of protein with the lean chicken in the meatballs. It’s healthy, and will fill you up.
- Flavorful: Sheet pan meals are full of flavor because all the juices and flavors marinade together from each of the ingredients as they cook. It’s so tasty!
- Versatile: Sheet pan meals are versatile. You can swap the ground chicken for ground turkey, and add in any veggies or fresh herbs.
🍲 Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs – This Chicken Orzo Bake is made with chicken meatballs that are made with ground chicken, feta, and seasoning. They’re protein-packed and delicious.
Green Olives – I LOVE olives. As you probably know by now, I’m Greek, so olives are a sacred food for me. 😉 They add a little saltiness and pops of flavor to this recipe. There is nothing better than a nice warm olive and it pairs so well in this dish.
Orzo – Orzo is a short type of pasta that almost looks like rice. It is a great pasta to use in casseroles and one-pan or sheet-pan dishes because it cooks quickly and adds a carb into a one-pot meal. It’s also great in pasta salads.
👩🍳 How to Make a Chicken Orzo Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a 9×13 baking dish and spread it around the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Make the cherry tomato salad by combining the halved cherry tomatoes, chopped green olives, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a medium-sized bowl. Gently mix together and set aside.
- Prepare the meatballs – Mix together the ground chicken, chopped basil, crumbled feta cheese, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Once combined, scoop about 2 tbsp at a time and form into meatballs – you’ll get 12-14 meatballs. Place each meatball into the oiled baking dish.
- Bake the meatballs for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the chicken stock paste with the hot water. Stir until fully combined.
- After 8 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss the meatballs around the dish a bit and then add the orzo, hot water mixture, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes and red onion. Gently stir to combine everything in the baking dish.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the cream, zucchini and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 5 more minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is creamy.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cherry tomato and olive salad.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- If your meatballs are crumbling, add a little more of a binder to help them stick together, such as egg or virgin olive oil.
- To prevent your meatballs from sticking to your hand, just simply run your hands under some water first so the meat doesn’t stick.
- Make sure that your sheet pan isn’t too crowded so it cooks evenly. If you don’t have enough room, spread it onto two baking sheets.
🗒 Variations
If you love this Chicken Orzo Bake, I have so many other sheet pan recipes you’ll love such as:
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Sheet Pan Gnocchi
- Sheet Pan Salmon
- Baked Tilapia Recipe
🗒 Best served with
- Green Salad
- Fluffy Greek Pita Bread
- Garlic Confit
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers of this Chicken Orzo Bake in the fridge for up to 4 days. This is also a great meal prep meal that you can make on Sunday night and have on hand for easy lunches through the week.
🤔 Common Questions
You can use whatever ground meat you prefer in the meatballs for this sheet pan recipe. You can also even use this recipe as a base and make chicken thighs instead.
Your best bet is to cut into a meatball to make sure it’s no longer pink and to taste a little bit of the orzo.
Sheet Pan Chicken Orzo Bake
Video
Ingredients1x2x3x
For the cherry tomato salad topping
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup chopped green olives
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
For the chicken meatballs
- 450 g (1 lb) ground chicken
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the orzo
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1 tbsp chicken stock paste
- 2 ¼ cups hot water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup 10% / light cream
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add 2 tbsp olive oil a 9×13 baking dish and spread it around the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Make the cherry tomato salad by combining the halved cherry tomatoes, chopped green olives, olive oil, salt and pepper into a medium sized bowl. Gently mix together and set aside. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tomato.mp4
- Prepare the meatballs – Mix together the ground chicken, chopped basil, crumbled feta cheese, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Once combined, scoop about 2 tbsp at a time and form into meatballs – you’ll get 12-14 meatballs. Place each meatball into the oiled baking dish. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/mixandball.mp4
- Bake the meatballs for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- In a mixing bowl mix together the chicken stock paste with the hot water. Stir until fully combined. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stock.mp4
- After 8 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss the meatballs around the dish a bit and then add the orzo, hot water mixture, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes and red onion. Gently stir to combine everything in the baking dish. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/allinsheetpan.mp4
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the cream, zucchini and parmesan cheese. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/creamzuchinni.mp4
- Bake for 5 more minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is creamy.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cherry tomato and olive salad. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/serve.mp4
Notes
- We love this meal as an easy weeknight dinner for the whole family!
- Or, make this and portion it out for meal prep lunches.
- If you like this recipe, try our Chicken & Feta Baked Meatballs
Nutrition
Post A CommentCancel reply
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Arayes (Middle Eastern Meat-Stuffed Pita)
Sheet Pan Chicken Orzo Bake
Ingredients
For the cherry tomato salad topping
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup chopped green olives
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
For the chicken meatballs
- 450 g (1 lb) ground chicken
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the orzo
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1 tbsp chicken stock paste
- 2 ¼ cups hot water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup 10% / light cream
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add 2 tbsp olive oil a 9x13 baking dish and spread it around the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Make the cherry tomato salad by combining the halved cherry tomatoes, chopped green olives, olive oil, salt and pepper into a medium sized bowl. Gently mix together and set aside. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tomato.mp4
- Prepare the meatballs - Mix together the ground chicken, chopped basil, crumbled feta cheese, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Once combined, scoop about 2 tbsp at a time and form into meatballs - you’ll get 12-14 meatballs. Place each meatball into the oiled baking dish. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/mixandball.mp4
- Bake the meatballs for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- In a mixing bowl mix together the chicken stock paste with the hot water. Stir until fully combined. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stock.mp4
- After 8 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss the meatballs around the dish a bit and then add the orzo, hot water mixture, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes and red onion. Gently stir to combine everything in the baking dish. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/allinsheetpan.mp4
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the cream, zucchini and parmesan cheese. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/creamzuchinni.mp4
- Bake for 5 more minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is creamy.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cherry tomato and olive salad. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/serve.mp4
Video
Notes
- We love this meal as an easy weeknight dinner for the whole family!
- Or, make this and portion it out for meal prep lunches.
- If you like this recipe, try our Chicken & Feta Baked Meatballs
Nutrition
FoodbyMaria.com
Main Dishes
Sheet Pan Chicken Orzo Bake
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Yield
4
This Chicken Orzo Bake takes chicken meatballs and pairs it with baked veggies and orzo for a complete, easy, sheet pan meal with minimal clean up.
This easy Chicken Orzo Bake is the perfect easy bake for the whole family. It’s made with fresh tomatoes, protein-packed chicken meatballs, and orzo. This Orzo Bake is a full meal made on a sheet pan, making it easy, with minimal mess. What I love about this recipe is how all the flavors marinade into one, making the orzo so flavorful and delicious.
❤️ Why You’ll Love Chicken Orzo Bake
- Protein-Packed: This Chicken Orzo Bake is full of protein with the lean chicken in the meatballs. It’s healthy, and will fill you up.
- Flavorful: Sheet pan meals are full of flavor because all the juices and flavors marinade together from each of the ingredients as they cook. It’s so tasty!
- Versatile: Sheet pan meals are versatile. You can swap the ground chicken for ground turkey, and add in any veggies or fresh herbs.
🍲 Ingredients
Chicken Meatballs – This Chicken Orzo Bake is made with chicken meatballs that are made with ground chicken, feta, and seasoning. They’re protein-packed and delicious.
Green Olives – I LOVE olives. As you probably know by now, I’m Greek, so olives are a sacred food for me. 😉 They add a little saltiness and pops of flavor to this recipe. There is nothing better than a nice warm olive and it pairs so well in this dish.
Orzo – Orzo is a short type of pasta that almost looks like rice. It is a great pasta to use in casseroles and one-pan or sheet-pan dishes because it cooks quickly and adds a carb into a one-pot meal. It’s also great in pasta salads.
👩🍳 How to Make a Chicken Orzo Bake
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add 2 tbsp olive oil to a 9×13 baking dish and spread it around the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Make the cherry tomato salad by combining the halved cherry tomatoes, chopped green olives, olive oil, salt, and pepper into a medium-sized bowl. Gently mix together and set aside.
- Prepare the meatballs – Mix together the ground chicken, chopped basil, crumbled feta cheese, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Once combined, scoop about 2 tbsp at a time and form into meatballs – you’ll get 12-14 meatballs. Place each meatball into the oiled baking dish.
- Bake the meatballs for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- In a mixing bowl, mix together the chicken stock paste with the hot water. Stir until fully combined.
- After 8 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss the meatballs around the dish a bit and then add the orzo, hot water mixture, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes and red onion. Gently stir to combine everything in the baking dish.
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the cream, zucchini and parmesan cheese.
- Bake for 5 more minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is creamy.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cherry tomato and olive salad.
🗒 Tips and Tricks
- If your meatballs are crumbling, add a little more of a binder to help them stick together, such as egg or virgin olive oil.
- To prevent your meatballs from sticking to your hand, just simply run your hands under some water first so the meat doesn’t stick.
- Make sure that your sheet pan isn’t too crowded so it cooks evenly. If you don’t have enough room, spread it onto two baking sheets.
🗒 Variations
If you love this Chicken Orzo Bake, I have so many other sheet pan recipes you’ll love such as:
- Sheet Pan Fajitas
- Sheet Pan Gnocchi
- Sheet Pan Salmon
- Baked Tilapia Recipe
🗒 Best served with
- Green Salad
- Fluffy Greek Pita Bread
- Garlic Confit
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Store leftovers of this Chicken Orzo Bake in the fridge for up to 4 days. This is also a great meal prep meal that you can make on Sunday night and have on hand for easy lunches through the week.
🤔 Common Questions
You can use whatever ground meat you prefer in the meatballs for this sheet pan recipe. You can also even use this recipe as a base and make chicken thighs instead.
Your best bet is to cut into a meatball to make sure it’s no longer pink and to taste a little bit of the orzo.
Sheet Pan Chicken Orzo Bake
Video
Ingredients1x2x3x
For the cherry tomato salad topping
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- ½ cup chopped green olives
- 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp ground pepper
For the chicken meatballs
- 450 g (1 lb) ground chicken
- ¼ cup fresh chopped basil
- 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
- 3 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 egg
- ½ cup breadcrumbs
- zest of one lemon
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
For the orzo
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, pressed
- 1 cup dry orzo pasta
- 1 tbsp chicken stock paste
- 2 ¼ cups hot water
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ tsp ground pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp chili flakes
- ⅓ cup finely chopped red onion
- ½ cup 10% / light cream
- 1 cup grated zucchini
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400F. Add 2 tbsp olive oil a 9×13 baking dish and spread it around the bottom of the dish. Set aside.
- Make the cherry tomato salad by combining the halved cherry tomatoes, chopped green olives, olive oil, salt and pepper into a medium sized bowl. Gently mix together and set aside. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/tomato.mp4
- Prepare the meatballs – Mix together the ground chicken, chopped basil, crumbled feta cheese, garlic, egg, breadcrumbs, lemon zest, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and olive oil. Once combined, scoop about 2 tbsp at a time and form into meatballs – you’ll get 12-14 meatballs. Place each meatball into the oiled baking dish. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/mixandball.mp4
- Bake the meatballs for 8 minutes and then remove from the oven.
- In a mixing bowl mix together the chicken stock paste with the hot water. Stir until fully combined. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/stock.mp4
- After 8 minutes, remove the baking dish from the oven, toss the meatballs around the dish a bit and then add the orzo, hot water mixture, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, chili flakes and red onion. Gently stir to combine everything in the baking dish. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/allinsheetpan.mp4
- Bake for 14-16 minutes or until the orzo is al dente.
- Remove from the oven and stir in the cream, zucchini and parmesan cheese. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/creamzuchinni.mp4
- Bake for 5 more minutes or until the meatballs are cooked through and the orzo is creamy.
- Serve in bowls topped with the cherry tomato and olive salad. https://www.foodbymaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/serve.mp4
Notes
- We love this meal as an easy weeknight dinner for the whole family!
- Or, make this and portion it out for meal prep lunches.
- If you like this recipe, try our Chicken & Feta Baked Meatballs
Nutrition
Post A CommentCancel reply
Viral Costco Chicken 🐔
Homemade Doner Kebab Recipe 🍢 (Viral)
Frozen Lemon Ginger Cubes 🍋
