Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo Salad will remind you of your favorite flavors of the Mediterranean.  Chicken breasts are marinated in a Greek marinade and then baked and paired with a tzatziki orzo salad and garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and kalamata olives. This makes the perfect Sunday family meal!

Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo Salad

Family meals are very important to me.

And who wouldn’t like to sit down with the ones they love and enjoy this Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo Salad?

Growing up, my family ate as many weekly dinners together as possible.

The family that eats together, stays together, right?

With the busy lives we all lead, finding time to sit down around a table at the end of a day to eat a home cooked meal and talk is important.  

I believe that family dinners growing up influenced my love of food and I believe the reason my family remains so close to this day is because we took time to connect over family meals.  

Whether you live with a spouse, a roommate or have children, family meals are a great time to relax and unwind from the stresses of the day and stay involved in each others’ lives.

While we try to eat as many meals as possible together throughout the week, Sunday dinner is a must. 

Recently we ate this Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo Salad for our Sunday dinner and it was a huge hit.

We also like to rotate and make Greek Lemon Chicken, Moroccan Chicken Thighs and this Grilled Chicken Thighs with Greek Marinade recipe. 

Sunday cooking is an opportunity to invite relatives over, gather in the kitchen and cook a meal together.

It gives everyone a chance to connect over conversation and food.  And don’t leave the kids out of the fun.

They can get involved in the cooking process, which is not only a nice teaching opportunity, but helps connect them to the food they are eating.

Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo Salad features Just BARE Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts Family Packs , which are versatile and offer a lot of options for family dinners.

Just BARE chicken breasts are hand-trimmed boneless skinless breast fillets, making them ready-to-cook right out of the package.  

At Just BARE, the brand recognizes its ethical obligation to provide for the wellbeing and humane care of its chickens—and that responsibility is taken very seriously.

From breeding to hatching to processing, its policy is straightforward—a zero tolerance for any abuse or mistreatment of its chickens.

The brand takes pride in its humane and responsible animal welfare practices.

I was also happy to hear that Just BARE is certified under the American Humane Certified^® Farm Program every year.

From start to finish, their chickens are raised with the utmost care by experts in animal science, nutrition, rearing and handling. 

On the farm, they are cared for by independent family farm partners who, on average, have been raising chickens for more than 20 years—some for three generations.  

You can learn more about how Just BARE cares for their chickens through their practices & promises .

HOW TO MAKE GREEK CHICKEN WITH TZATZIKI ORZO SALAD?

To marinate the chicken I suggest letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator, but if you forget to plan ahead, you can marinate it for 2 hours. 

The marinade is simple: whisk together olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, red chile pepper flakes, salt and pepper.

Place the chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag, add the marinade and massage into the chicken. Close the Ziploc bag and refrigerate for 2 hours or, ideally overnight.

When you are ready to bake your chicken remove it from the Ziploc and place it in a baking dish.

Pour the marinade over the chicken and bake at 375°F for 30-32 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F .

While the chicken bakes, you can go ahead and prepare your Tzatziki Orzo Salad and whatever garnishes you like.

When I make this dish I like to serve each person a chicken breast, a few scoops of the Tzatziki Orzo Salad and garnish it with chopped tomatoes, cucumber, crumbled feta and kalamata olives.

I also serve it with a chunk of crusty bread and olive oil. This meal is light, full of flavor and colorful. It really brightens up any family meal and encourages your family to eat the rainbow!

WHAT SHOULD I SERGVE WITH THIS GREEK CHICKEN?

In my opinion the best pairing for Greek Chicken is a big Greek salad. I often make a big bowl of this Village Greek Salad, Greek Chickpea Salad or this Greek Tabbouleh and add it to a Chicken Souvlaki Pita. 

Potatoes are another great addition to this meal. I love serving these Spicy Lebanese Potatoes or these Lemon Cilantro Potatoes. 

Yogurt sauces are a great addition to this chicken. I like this Creamy Dill Sauce Recipe or this Tahini Sauce.

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Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 32 minutes

Total Time: 52 minutes

Greek Chicken with Tzatziki Orzo will remind you of your favorite flavors of the Mediterranean. Chicken breasts are marinaded in a Greek marinade and then baked and paired with a tzatziki orzo salad and garnished with diced tomatoes, cucumbers, feta cheese and kalamata olives. This makes the perfect Sunday family meal!

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Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 2 lbs. Just BARE Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Dash of pepper
• 1 teaspoon oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice

For the tzatziki orzo:

• 1 cup whole wheat orzo pasta {you can use gluten-free or regular}
• 16 ounces vegetable broth {or chicken broth}
• 3 Tablespoons plain yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 2 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1/2 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh dill, chopped
• Dash of salt and pepper

Garnish:

• Fresh tomatoes, diced
• Cucumber, diced
• Freshly chopped parsley
• Freshly chopped mint
• Crumbled feta cheese
• Kalamata olives, pitted

Instructions

For the marinade:

1. Place chicken breasts in a large Ziploc bag. In a medium bowl whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano, red chile flakes and lemon juice. Pour the marinade over the chicken breasts and close the Ziploc bag. Massage the marinade into the chicken breasts. Refrigerate the chicken for 2 hours or, ideally overnight.

To cook the chicken breasts:

1. When ready to cook the chicken preheat the oven to 375°F . Lightly grease a 9 x 13 baking dish with nonstick spray. Remove the chicken breasts from the Ziploc bag and place them side by side in the baking dish. Pour the marinade over top of the chicken breasts. Bake for 30 to 32 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature is 165°F

For the Tzatziki orzo:

1. In a large pot boil the vegetable broth, add the orzo, cover and reduce heat to simmer for 12-14 minutes {or until the pasta is tender and liquid is absorbed}, stirring occasionally.
2. Drain and run under cold water. Set aside.
3. In a medium bowl whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, cucumber, garlic, dill, salt and pepper. Mix together the orzo and the yogurt dressing. Put the orzo salad into the refrigerator.
4. Once the chicken is done cooking, remove from the oven. When ready to eat the chicken put a couple of scoops of the orzo salad on a plate, top with the Greek chicken breast and then garnish with your choice of garnishes, like diced tomatoes, cucumber, feta cheese and kalamata olives.

Notes

This chicken also works great on the grill.
I love chopping up the leftover chicken and adding it to salads, like a Greek Salad or Caesar Salad.