Mediterranean Chicken Orzo

I closed on a beautiful home in Westchase this week. The buyers — a young couple, first-timers — looked at the keys the way I looked at my real estate license in 2012: like they were holding the future in their hands.

Sophia is researching dental schools with an intensity that would concern me if it were directed at anything other than dentistry. She talked about it at dinner for twenty minutes and I understood approximately half of it but all of the joy behind it.

Some weeks are ordinary. This was an ordinary week. I sold houses. I cooked dinner. I called Mama. I drove to Tarpon Springs on Sunday. The extraordinary thing about ordinary weeks is that they are the ones you miss most when they are gone.

I made avgolemono tonight. The broth was golden, the lemon sharp, the rice soft. Comfort in a bowl, the Greek answer to everything. We ate at the kitchen table, just the three of us, and for a moment the house was not quiet or loud — it was exactly right. Full. Fed. The sound of forks on plates is the sound I love most in this world.

The olive oil in my kitchen is from a Greek import shop in Tampa that sources from Kalamata. It is expensive. It is worth it. I use it on everything — salads, fish, bread, vegetables, the edge of a pot of soup — because olive oil is not a condiment in this family, it is a philosophy. Use it generously. Use it without apology. Use it the way you use love: poured freely, never measured, always more than you think you need.

The avgolemono I made tonight reminded me that the best Greek cooking is never complicated — it is just honest, and it is built on a handful of things done right: good broth, sharp lemon, something soft to carry it all. This Mediterranean Chicken Orzo lives in that same spirit. It is what I turn to when the week has been full and I want the kitchen to smell the way my mother’s kitchen smelled on a Sunday — warm, bright, deeply certain of itself. Make it with the best olive oil you have. Use it without apology.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 45 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 cups orzo pasta
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for finishing
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and sliced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 large lemon)
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Instructions

Season the chicken. Pat chicken pieces dry and season generously with salt, pepper, and dried oregano. Set aside while you prepare the aromatics.
Sear the chicken. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add chicken in a single layer and cook, undisturbed, for 3–4 minutes until golden. Flip and cook another 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate — it will finish cooking in the broth.
Build the base. Reduce heat to medium. Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same pot. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly golden, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Add broth and orzo. Pour in the chicken broth and water, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Bring to a gentle boil, then stir in the orzo and dried thyme.
Return the chicken. Nestle the seared chicken back into the pot along with any resting juices. Reduce heat to a steady simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10–12 minutes until the orzo is tender and has absorbed much of the broth into a silky, thick consistency.
Finish with lemon. Stir in the fresh lemon juice and lemon zest. Add the cherry tomatoes and olives and cook 2 minutes more. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. The broth should be bright, golden, and fragrant.
Serve. Ladle into wide bowls. Scatter crumbled feta and fresh parsley over the top. Finish with a generous drizzle of your best extra-virgin olive oil. Serve immediately while the orzo is still brothy and the feta is just beginning to soften.

Nutrition (per serving)

Mediterranean Chicken Orzo — The Bowl That Made the House Feel Full