Chicken Orzo Salad Recipes

ORZO CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain off all excess water.
• Add orzo, chicken, sliced peppers, sliced onions, cherry tomatoes and olives into a large mixing bowl.
• Place olive oil, lemon, vinegar, honey, mustard, salt, pepper and red pepper flakes into a jar or a bowl. Place lid on jar and shake vigorously until combined, or whisk until combined.
• Pour dressing over salad ingredients
• Toss lightly to combine
• Add freshly chopped parsley and toss again
• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate

GREEK CHICKEN AND ORZO PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For the chicken: In a medium bowl, whisk together the olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice. Add the chicken and toss to coat. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours.
• Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium high.
• Remove the chicken from the marinade. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 5 minutes per side. Slice the chicken into 1-inch-wide pieces. Set aside.
• For the breadcrumbs: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• In a medium ovensafe skillet, heat the butter, olive oil and garlic over low heat until the garlic begins to sizzle. Add the breadcrumbs and salt and toss to coat. Transfer to the oven and toast until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
• For the dressing: Whisk together the olive oil, vinegar, salt, oregano, pepper, garlic and lemon juice in a small bowl until combined.
• For the salad: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook until al dente, 7 to 8 minutes. Drain and transfer to a large serving bowl. Toss with the dressing while still hot, then let cool to room temperature.
• When cool, stir in the tomatoes, cucumber and parsley. Top with the feta, sliced chicken and breadcrumbs.

MEDITERRANEAN ORZO CHICKEN SALAD

Steps:

• Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain pasta; rinse with cold water and drain well., In a large bowl, combine pasta, chicken, tomatoes, cheese, olives and onion. In a small bowl, whisk remaining ingredients until blended. Drizzle over salad; toss to coat.

CHICKEN ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and transfer to a large bowl; set aside.
• To a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons olive oil, chicken, evenly season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and cook over medium-high heat for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through and lightly golden browned. Stir and flip intermittently to ensure all sides cook evenly. I used thin-sliced chicken breasts which cook quickly. Cooking time will vary based on thickness of chicken. Transfer the chicken and cooking juices to the bowl with the orzo.
• Add the tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions, parsley, basil, and stir to combine; set aside.
• To a small bowl, add 3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, honey, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and whisk to combine. Taste vinaigrette and check for seasoning balance; add more salt, honey, lemon juice, etc. to taste.
• Evenly drizzle the vinaigrette over the orzo bowl, stir to coat evenly, and either serve immediately or cover with plasticwrap and refrigerate before serving.

CHICKEN AND ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Combine mustard, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and basil in a bowl. Mix well.
• Substituting chicken stock for water, cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and mix with 1/3 of the vinaigrette.
• Toss chicken with 1/2 of the remaining vinaigrette. Add the orozo, almonds, red pepper, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining vinaigrette and toss to mix well. Chill, covered in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature one hour before serving.
• Note: Crumbled feta cheese may be added to the salad before serving.

SPEEDY CHICKEN, FETA, AND ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water.
• Combine orzo, chicken, tomatoes, red onion, basil, and oregano in a large bowl.
• Whisk vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a separate bowl. Drizzle over the pasta mixture. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with olives and feta cheese.

CHICKEN FLORENTINE SALAD WITH ORZO PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until cooked through but firm to the bite, 10 to 11 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
• Mix orzo, spinach, chicken, tomatoes, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers in a large bowl.
• Whisk balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, parsley, basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper together in a bowl; drizzle over salad. Toss to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over salad.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN AND ORZO SALAD IN RED PEPPER CUPS

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the orzo, and return to a boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, transfer to a bowl, and let cool in the refrigerator.
• In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic powder, oregano, basil, onion powder, salt, and pepper. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked orzo, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese, and chicken breast meat until thoroughly combined. Pour the dressing over the orzo mixture, lightly mix to coat all ingredients with dressing, and spoon into the red pepper halves. Garnish each serving with an oregano sprig.

CHICKEN PESTO ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Put the chicken breasts on a board and cover with a sheet of baking parchment. Use a rolling pin or meat mallet to bash to an even thickness of about 2cm, being careful not to break the chicken into pieces.
• Combine the lemon zest, crushed garlic, olive oil and some seasoning in a medium bowl, then add the chicken and turn in the marinade to coat. Transfer to the fridge while you make the pesto.
• Toast the flaked almonds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 mins, shaking the pan often until the almonds are golden brown. Tip into a small food processor or blender. Peel the whole garlic clove and tip this into the food processor along with the parsley, basil, most of the mint leaves, the parmesan, extra virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season, then blitz to a fine texture.
• Cook the orzo in a large pan of boiling salted water following the pack instructions, or until al dente. Heat a griddle pan over a medium-high heat and cook the marinated chicken for 4-5 mins on each side until cooked through with char lines. Drain the orzo and transfer the chicken to a plate to rest.
• Drizzle the asparagus spears with a little extra virgin olive oil and season with salt, then griddle for 3 mins until just softened. Remove from the heat and set aside.
• Toss most of the pesto through the cooked orzo along with any resting juices from the chicken. The remaining pesto will keep covered in the fridge for up to five days. Slice the chicken breasts. Tip the orzo onto a large serving platter and pile the asparagus and chicken on top, then scatter with the remaining mint leaves, some parmesan shavings and a grinding of black pepper. Drizzle with a little extra virgin olive oil and serve warm.

CHICKEN FETA AND ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Cook chicken, I season with salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Let cool and dice into bite size chunks.
• While chicken is cooking bring water to a boil and cook orzo. When time is up drain and rinse with cool water to cool it down. Let drain again, you don't want it to have too much water on it when you add it to the salad.
• In a bowl add chopped tomatoes, diced onion, feta, garlic, vinegar, oil, parsley, salt and pepper, orzo, and chicken. Mix to combine.
• Taste for seasoning.
• When I make this I generally don't measure my ingredients, so it may need more vinegar and oil, I like mine tart and you don't want it dry and the pasta will soak up a lot of this! After you taste for seasoning refrigerate for at least an hour to let all the flavors come together.
• Serve!