This lemon orzo salad recipe is a fresh, healthy, and colorful summer salad that's a breeze to make! Ready in about 30 minutes.
I'm back with another recipe with everyone's favorite rice-shaped pasta! I'm not quite sure why, but orzo seems to be very popular (you loved this Lemon Chicken Orzo Soup), so I've added even more orzo recipes to my never-ending recipe list spreadsheet.
This lemon orzo pasta salad is easily customizable and lends itself to substitutions or additions. My mantra has always been that summer recipes like salads should be fuss-free. Who wants to be in the kitchen for hours when you can be outside? So, make this orzo pasta salad as-is or check out my suggestions in the recipe notes below.
Recipe notes & tips:
- If you want to make this salad ahead of time/for meal prep, I suggest leaving out the arugula. That way, it'll last in the fridge a few days.
- Need to make this vegetarian? Omit the chicken.
- I used a rotisserie chicken for this recipe, but you can definitely quickly cook some chicken if you have some (try pan frying it with your favorite seasoning) and it'll be delicious.
- Feel free to throw in any herbs you may have in the garden!
- Don't like arugula? Try swapping it for spinach.
- I think that Kalamata olives and/or capers would go great in here if you're a fan.
- I use my handy Microplane zester/grater to zest that lemon.
Love pasta salads? Try these recipes:
Are you an orzo fan? Leave me a comment below if you have any questions or if you've made this orzo salad. As always, tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram if you've made one of my recipes. 🙂
Lemon Orzo Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked orzo
- 2 mini cucumbers (or 1/2 English cucumber) chopped
- 1 cup little tomatoes (grape/cherry/etc.) cut into quarters
- 2 tablespoons red onion chopped
- 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh arugula optional
- 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil sliced thin
Dressing:
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil a salted pot of water and cook the orzo al dente according to package directions. Once it's done, rinse it with cool water and let it drain thoroughly. Transfer to a large bowl.
- Meanwhile, prep all the salad ingredients and add them to the bowl. If you're not going to eat the salad right away, I suggest skipping the arugula.
- Add the dressing ingredients to a jar or small bowl, and whisk/shake until well combined.
- Toss the salad with the dressing. Add more lemon/oil if needed. I also add plenty of salt & pepper - there's a lot of pasta in here, so you need to salt it well so it doesn't taste bland.
Notes
- This recipe makes quite a lot of pasta salad. If served with nothing else, this could serve 4 adults. You can easily get 6+ servings out of this. If you know you're going to have leftovers, I suggest either leaving out the arugula or only tossing it with the portion of the salad you'll be eating right away. Without arugula, this salad will last in the fridge for a few days no problem.
- Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.
Renee Fellows says
I made this recipe. I thought it was good! I life arugula so I ate some with it. My husband thought it was a side salad, so we’re have it with fish tonight. I used Banza rice instead of orzo for more protein.
Natasha says
I'm glad that you enjoyed it!!
Lori V says
Omg! This was excellent. Had as leftovers for a couple of days and forgot the arugula. Didn’t miss it actually. Soooo good. Will definitely make again.
Natasha says
I'm so happy you enjoyed it, Lori!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know!
Louise says
Great easy one dish recipe. I added a can of chick peas and tripled the dressing. I kept the arugula in a separate dish without dressing. I put 1/2 the dressing on the chicken, orzo and veggies and kept 1/2 for people to add with the arugula. Loved this dish and will make it again.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it, Louise!!
Rachel says
Excellent yummy fresh pasta salad. Quick and easy. Was a huge hit with everyone. Didnt change a thing. Will be making again for sure
Rachel says
Oops, I did change one thing. I almost doubled the amount of Lemon juice the recipe called for.
Natasha says
Yup, definitely a good idea to tweak ingredients to your liking. 🙂
Natasha says
Fantastic! So pleased you enjoyed it, Rachel!
Kris says
My family loved this salad! Very light and summery. I substituted Dijon mustard for the garlic, used honey roasted rotisserie chicken, and feta instead of the Parmesan. They all agreed it was a keeper! Thanks for the great recipe!
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Sounds delicious. Thank you!
Pia says
We all loved it. So fresh and so tasty.
Natasha says
Fantastic!! Thank you, Pia.
Michele says
If you are meal prepping and don’t eat it right away do you reheat it or eat it cold?
Natasha says
It's not hot to begin with, so yeah it's great for meal prepping and eating cold. I recommend adding the arugula just prior to serving or leaving it out altogether if meal prepping (it's in the recipe notes).
Kate says
If making ahead, what do you think about adding in the arugula just before serving?
Natasha says
I suggest that in the recipe notes, so yes lol. It'll definitely work. 🙂 Hope you enjoy the salad!
Frédérique says
I absolutely devoured this! Such a perfect spring lunch! (I spaced on picking up cucumber at the market and it was still delicious)
Natasha says
I'm thrilled you enjoyed it, Frédérique 🙂
Kelly says
This is so good!!! Trying to cut out meat so ommited that and I changed it up a bit by only adding 1/4 cup parm, no cucumber or onion , subbed spinach for arugula, and used sundried tomatoes. It was amazing!!! Love all of your recipes!!
Natasha says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it!! Thank you!
Allyson says
My plan was to have this lovely salad for a dinner party outdoors yesterday. However, the weather disagreed & a cold plate didn't seem appropriate. Long story short, I doubled the dressing, omitted the cucumber & served this as a hot dish. It was a DELISH! It got raves & was truly tasty.
Thanks for yet another versatile crowd pleaser.
Natasha says
Ooh love that idea!! So glad you were able to pivot 🙂
Nanci says
I found the salad good but not fantastic. A little on the bland side as there was nothing the came forward …and I made it per the recipe. I would definitely add more lemon to the dressing. And feta instead of Parmesan cheese. Also some pitted black olives.
Joy says
Really enjoyed this!!!
Natasha says
Excellent!! 🙂 Thanks for letting me know, Joy!
Donna says
Loved this salad and will definitely make it again. I doubled the dressing, because I find pasta always soaks it right up. Added sliced kalamata olives. Soooooo good! Thanks for the recipe! We will enjoy this all summer.
Natasha says
I'm so glad you liked it, Donna!! Yup, the pasta definitely soaks it up.
Lindsey Yancey says
This is so yummy and so easy! Im out of parmesan so I substituted it with feta, and I’m happy with the outcome. Thank you for another recipe that hits it out of the park! XOXO
Natasha says
I'm so glad you liked it!! Thank you 🙂
Mona says
Absolutely will make this for July 4th patty!! Looks so yummy!
Natasha says
Yay!! Let me know if you do!
Chirag. says
Hi,
I agree with the point of recipes needing to be fuss free during this season.
I'd love to try this as it seems an innovative way to present pasta with less effort.
My query is that is there any possibility to substitute Orzo with any other form of pasta?
Thanks.
Natasha says
Hi! I would normally say "yes", but my concern is that there may not be enough dressing if you do that. The orzo is pretty compact, and large pasta shapes may not work as well with the listed ingredient quantities. It is a pretty forgiving salad, though, so if you're willing to do a few tweaks (if needed), then I don't see why you couldn't give it a try. 🙂
Donna says
You could try Acini de Pepe pasta. I find it to be a good substitute.
Wendy says
An absolute favorite! Already made this salad 3 times!!! Light and flavorful. Thanks for helping me look like a hero in the kitchen🥰
Natasha says
That's wonderful! Thanks so much for commenting. 🙂 XO