Meal Prep
Tomato Basil Chicken Orzo
Tomato Basil Chicken Orzo is one of those meal preps that somehow feels light, cozy, and ridiculously satisfying all at once. You’ve got juicy seasoned chicken, tomato-soaked orzo, spinach, fresh basil, and just enough Parmesan and lemon zest to make the whole thing taste way fancier than something sitting in a Tupperware. Fresh, comforting, and packing 64.6 grams of protein per serving, this is absolutely the kind of meal you’ll be looking forward to all week.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Tomato Basil Chicken Orzo
64.6g protein580 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 10 mins
- Cook Time
- 25 mins
- Total Time
- 35 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Orzo:
For the Chicken:
Instructions
Cook the chicken (two methods):
Air Fryer: Preheat to 400°F. Spray chicken breasts with oil and season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Air fry for 12- 15 minutes, flipping halfway, until cooked through. Rest, then dice into bite sized pieces.
2 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 tbsp garlic powder, 2 tsp Italian seasoning, 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper, 1 tsp olive oil
Stovetop Sear: Heat a skillet over medium-high with spray oil. Season chicken as above, then sear 5- 6 minutes per side until golden and cooked through. Rest, then dice into bite sized pieces.
Toast the orzo:
8 oz dry orzo, 2 cloves garlic
Build the sauce:
14 ½ oz canned crushed tomatoes, 2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, 1 tsp onion powder, 1 ½ tsp Italian seasoning, ½ tsp salt, ¼ tsp black pepper, 1 cup halved cherry tomatoes
Simmer:
Finish it:
Stir in spinach and chopped basil until wilted, then fold in the cooked chicken to coat in the sauce. Add parmesan and lemon zest to brighten, and adjust seasoning to taste.
2 cup fresh spinach, 3 tbsp chopped fresh basil, 1 tbsp parmesan, 1 tbsp lemon zest
Assemble your prep:
See it come together
Watch: Tomato Basil Chicken Orzo
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 580 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 57.3 g
- Protein
- 64.6 g
- Fat
- 9.7 g
- Saturated Fat
- 2.21 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 1.78 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 3.01 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.03 g
- Cholesterol
- 167 mg
- Sodium
- 1,255 mg
- Potassium
- 1,531 mg
- Fiber
- 5.5 g
- Sugar
- 7.4 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 128 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 21.64 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.01 mcg
- Calcium
- 129 mg
- Iron
- 5.74 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$2.89 per serving · $11.56 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- dry orzo: $0.62
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Orzo Pasta, 16 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- canned crushed tomatoes: $0.81
411.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Crushed Tomatoes with Tomato Puree, 28 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- low-sodium chicken broth: $0.78
480 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 240 g Liquid carton treated as 32 US fl oz; stock uses the broth reference where applicable.
Walmart: Great Value Reduced Sodium Gluten-Free Chicken Broth, 32 oz Carton (Shelf-Stable) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- fresh spinach: $0.42
60 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 30 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Marketside Fresh Spinach, 10 oz Bag (Fresh) · Price checked 2026-09-21
- halved cherry tomatoes: $1.56
149 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (cherry tomatoes) = 149 g Grape tomatoes used as a price proxy for cherry tomatoes.
Walmart: NatureSweet Cherubs Heavenly Grape Tomatoes, 10oz Package, Fresh · Price checked 2026-09-21
- chopped fresh basil: $1.08
7.9 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
2 tbsp (chopped) = 5.3 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Basil, 0.5 oz Clamshell · Price checked 2026-09-21
- parmesan: $0.09
7.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 7.6 g Shredded Parmesan reference; grated products and brands may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Finely Shredded Parmesan Cheese · Price checked 2026-09-21
- lemon zest: $0.52
120 g purchased · Whole lemons bought for zest; conservative full fruit cost assigned to zest. Estimated usable yield: 5% of purchased weight; per-100 g price includes the discarded portion.
1 tbsp = 6 g Whole lemons bought for zest; conservative full fruit cost assigned to zest. Estimated usable yield: 5% of purchased weight; per-100 g price includes the discarded portion.
Walmart: Fresh Lemons, 2 lb Bag · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic: $0.11
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
3 clove = 9 g; USDA SR Legacy household weights used as an approximate physical conversion for the current ingredient profile; nutrition remains from its own mapped record. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Spice World Fresh Peeled Garlic, 6 oz, Pouch · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.03
2.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Italian seasoning: $0.06
1.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1 g; Editorial dried-leaf blend estimate: 1 g/tsp. Nutrition uses the separately documented composed blend. Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Italian Seasoning · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.02
0.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- raw boneless skinless chicken breast: $5.14
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Variable-weight pack priced per pound, raw boneless skinless breast.
Walmart: Freshness Guaranteed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.11
9.7 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 9.7 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Italian seasoning: $0.08
2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1 g; Editorial dried-leaf blend estimate: 1 g/tsp. Nutrition uses the separately documented composed blend. Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Italian Seasoning · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.01
6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.06
4.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 4.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein64.6g45%
- Carbs57.3g40%
- Fat9.7g15%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
This orzo gets tomato flavor from crushed tomatoes and cherry tomatoes, with spinach, basil, and lemon zest added near the finish. Have those finishing ingredients ready before the pasta is tender so it does not keep absorbing broth while you chop. Zest the lemon while it is whole, and keep extra basil for serving if you like a fresher finish.
Cook the chicken separately while the orzo simmers, then rest and dice it before portioning. Fold the diced chicken through the orzo, then divide the well-mixed batch so each container gets its share. Stir the orzo along the bottom as it cooks and keep a little broth available if the pan dries before the pasta is ready. This is a tomato-based option within the pasta meal-prep collection. Stop cooking while the orzo still has a little bite, with enough sauce left to move around the chicken. It will absorb more liquid in the fridge.
Add a small splash of water or broth to a chilled serving if the orzo has become dense. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir through the center and reposition the chicken at the pause, then add fresh basil if using. The listed Parmesan is a small finishing ingredient rather than a creamy sauce base, making this a different direction to try among the lower-calorie meal preps. For more tomato-and-herb combinations, explore the Italian-inspired recipes or the chicken archive.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
I LOVE tomato & basil. What a fresh, classic, outright delicious pairing. There is a reason why margherita pizza is one of my top 3 pizzas (with buffalo chicken up there as well... if you've seen my recipe archive, that's pretty obvious). I had to make my very own recipe that puts tomato-basil at the forefront, and what better way than a low-effort, low-dish one pot recipe. This one is everything you didn't know you were missing- try it out and give me your feedback!
★★★★★
Sublime!