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4.89 from 26 votes

Lemon Orzo Salad with Chicken

This lemon orzo salad recipe is a fresh, healthy, and colorful summer salad that's a breeze to make! It's ready in about 30 minutes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time30 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: lemon orzo salad, orzo pasta salad recipe
Servings: 6
Author: Natasha Bull

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.

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