Lemon Orzo Salad with Chicken
This lemon orzo salad recipe is a fresh, light, and colorful summer salad with chicken that's a breeze to make! It's ready in about 30 minutes.
Servings: 6
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 chopped red onion
- 2 cups (loosely packed) fresh arugula optional
- 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
- 1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
- 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh basil
Dressing:
- 2.5 tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 tablespoons lemon juice + zest of 1 lemon
- 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 270kcal | Carbohydrates: 22g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 167mg | Potassium: 256mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 491IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 116mg | Iron: 1mg
Scan the QR code to view this recipe online.
