Megan

Instant Pot meal win for the books! I love my Instant Pot (affiliate link) and I literally use it every week. The most frequent use for it is to make homemade greek yogurt. However, it was time to create a real meal in it again and I didn’t want to do a soup. I absolutely love Mediterranean food. I love the flavors. The garlicky and tangy flavors + the freshness of it all is just my fav.

This meal is one of those that is easy and quick enough to throw together on a weekday but awesome enough for an evening on the weekends. This is my new favorite!

We have to talk about the tzatziki sauce. It is a sauce native to the Mediterranean and is sooo so delicious. This version is a combination of greek yogurt, cucumbers, garlic, olive oil, and fresh dill. You won’t want to leave this out.

My husband said something to me the other day when I was working on this recipe. I always like him to test my recipes so I can get a 2nd opinion on whether or not it is blog-worthy. Anyway, he reported on the first rough draft that it was “good.” I already knew when he said that that the recipe needed improvement. Then he went on to say “When you eat healthy food you have to realize it’s healthy and just prepare yourself for it. I’m not eating a ribeye so I need to recognize that. That’s the exact opposite of what I go for. I always try to cook more on the healthy side but I don’t want it to taste healthy. You get what I’m saying?!

He did not need to say anything else because I knew I had more work to do. After some recipe tweeking and adding of ingredients, omitting others I am happy to say he reported back on the final test that this is a TEN!! He was happy, I was happy, and now I hope that you will be happy too because I love this recipe!

A quick look at the recipe:

1. Make the tzatziki sauce. I recommend you make this first. It’s quick and easy, but so many times I leave sauces like this for the very end. Everything is ready and the family is ready to sit down to eat but the sauce…AHHH! I suggest not procrastinating on the sauce so it’s ready to go when the main dish (chicken and orzo is ready) so you aren’t sitting down to food that is semi-warm.
2. Pressure cook the chicken for 10 minutes.Transfer to a dish along with the juices and cover. Dice chicken into 3/4″ cubes.
3. Pressure cook the orzo + water for 8 minutes. Add to chicken and stir. Cover.
4. Toss the greens with cucumber, tomato, kalamata olives, and feta cheese. Whisk together the dressing ingredients – olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, and fig marmalade. Drizzle onto salad.
5. Arrange salad in bowls. Add chicken and orzo, pita bread wedges, and a dollop of tzatziki sauce.

This is what great (and healthy!) meals are made of! And yet it doesn’t taste too healthy because the deliciousness of it all makes you forget about the healthy part IMO.

This would be a fun recipe to use for meal prep because the chicken and orzo would keep well in the fridge for a few days and you could store the salad in a separate compartment. I used to meal prep my lunches more when the kids were little little because otherwise my lunches were pretty sad looking. It ensured I could have a quality meal before 3pm.

I hope you love this one!! And be sure to leave me your thoughts in the comments! Thanks!!

Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Orzo Bowls with Tzatziki Sauce

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Course Dinner

Cuisine Mediterranean

Servings 4

Ingredients

  

Tzatziki Sauce

• 3/4 english cucumber stripe the outside with peeler, grated
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cups plain greek yogurt
• dash fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2 tbsp fresh dill chopped

Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• pinch kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp fig marmalade

Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Orzo

• 1 lb chicken breasts sliced lengthwise
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• fresh ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/4 tsp paprika
• 1 1/4 cups water, divided
• 1/2 cup orzo
• 1/2 lemon juiced

All Together

• 3 cups fresh greens
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes halved
• 1/2 cup kalamata olives halved
• 1/2 English cucumber peeled in stripe fashion, chopped
• 1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles
• 2 slices pita bread cut into 1/4s

Instructions

 

Tzatziki Sauce

• Squeeze out the water from grated cucumber using paper towels. Set aside
• In a large bowl add the garlic, apple cider vinegar, and olive oil. Stir well with a whisk. Add yogurt, black pepper, and fresh dill and mix in. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Oil and Balsamic Vinaigrette

• Combine all ingredients in a small bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Instant Pot Greek Chicken and Orzo

• Add chicken breasts to Instant Pot or pressure cooker in single layer. Sprinkle salt and pepper over chicken evenly. Continue adding the next 8 seasonings through the paprika. Add 1/4 cup water. Replace lid and turn vent to sealing position and pressure cook for 10 minutes. Release pressure manually. Transfer chicken to a cutting board and dice into 3/4" cubes and then place in a dish along with the juices and cover. Set aside.
• Add orzo and 1 cup water to Instant Pot. Turn vent back to sealing position. Pressure cook for 8 minutes. Release pressure and add orzo to dish with chicken and stir together. Squeeze lemon juice over chicken and orzo.

Arrange Greek Chicken and Orzo Bowls

• Toss together the greens, cucumber, tomatoes, olives and feta cheese. Portion out into bowls. Add chicken and orzo next and then follow with 2 wedges of pita bread and a dollop of the tzatziki sauce. Drizzle the oil and balsamic vinaigrette dressing over the salad.

More Delicious Instant Pot Recipes

Homemade Plain Yogurt

Best Instant Pot Chicken Enchilada Soup