Orzo Chicken Salad – Beyond The Chicken Coop

Pasta salad made with orzo, bell peppers, tomatoes and chunks of chicken topped with a light vinaigrette dressing.

Throw this quick tasty pasta salad together in under 30 minutes.

Why make this pasta salad

There’s something so wonderful about pasta salads. They make a great meal for lunch or dinner. They are perfect to take on picnics or to bring to a potluck.

Pasta salads are also easy to make ahead of time and it’s ready to go whenever you are ready to eat.

This pasta salad is made with orzo pasta, which is a rice shaped pasta. I’ve made orzo salad before and this salad has some similarities, but it is also different – it has chicken and a vinaigrette dressing.

Key ingredients

• Orzo – Rice shaped pasta
• Chicken – Cooked and cubed. Use leftover chicken or cook up a couple of chicken breasts
• Bell Peppers – Use a variety of colors
• Green Onions – A red onion could also be used
• Cherry Tomatoes – Halved or quartered, depending on size

Steps to make

• Cook and drain pasta. Rinse pasta with cool water and drain again
• Add pasta, cooked and cubed chicken, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, green onions and black olives to a large bowl

• Make dressing by combining olive oil, lemon juice, vinegar, honey, mustard, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper in a small jar with a lid. Shake vigorously to combine.
• For dressing over pasta

• Lightly stir pasta until everything is well combined
• Add fresh parsley and combine

variations

When making a pasta salad, you can always change things up to include your favorite ingredients or use what you have available.

• Make it vegetarian – omit the chicken
• Use leftover turkey or ham instead of the chicken
• Add thinly sliced ​​salami for an Italian flare
• Spice it up – add a finely minced jalapeno to add a little extra spice
• Substitute kalamata olives for the black olives
• A red onion can be used instead of the green onion
• Use freshly chopped cilantro or basil in place of the parsley

Expert Tips

• When the orzo is done, drain and rinse with cool water. This helps cool the pasta but also removes excess starch on the pasta which causes the pasta to stick together.
• Cut the veggies and the chicken into bite sized pieces
• Taste the salad before serving and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.

More delicious pasta salads

If you love pasta salads, you’ll also want to check out these delicious salads:

If you make this recipe, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below and snap a picture and tag me on Instagram @beyondthechickencoop

Be sure to check out all my delicious salad recipes!

Orzo Chicken Salad

Kathy

Pasta salad made with orzo pasta, chunks of chicken, fresh bell peppers and tomatoes with a tasty vinaigrette dressing.

Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

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Total Time 25 mins

Race Main Dish, Salad

Kitchen American

Servings 12 servings

calories 197 calories

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

salad

• Cook orzo pasta according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cool water. Drain off all excess water.

  16 ounces orzo pasta

• Add orzo, chicken, sliced ​​peppers, sliced ​​onions, cherry tomatoes and olives into a large mixing bowl.

  3 cups cooked chicken, 6 mini bell peppers, 6 green onions, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup black olives

Dressing room

• 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.

  4 tablespoons olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, 1 teaspoon honey, 1 dijon mustard teaspoon, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• For dressing over salad ingredients

• Toss lightly to combine

• Add freshly chopped parsley and toss again

  1 tablespoon parsley

• Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate

Ratings

Variations:

• Make it vegetarian – omit the chicken
• Use leftover turkey or ham instead of the chicken
• Add thinly sliced ​​salami for an Italian flare
• Spice it up – add a finely minced jalapeno to add a little extra spice
• Substitute kalamata olives for the black olives
• A red onion can be used instead of the green onion
• Use freshly chopped cilantro or basil in place of the parsley

Tips:

• When the orzo is done, drain and rinse with cool water. This helps cool the pasta but also removes excess starch on the pasta which causes the pasta to stick together.
• Cut the veggies and the chicken into bite sized pieces
• Taste the salad before serving and add a bit more salt and pepper if needed.

Nutrition Disclaimer:

Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and should only be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. To obtain the most precise nutritional information in a provided recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the exact ingredients you are using when preparing the recipe using your preferred nutrition calculator.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cupcalories: 197caloriesCarbohydrates: 30gprotein: 5gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 195mgPotassium: 139mgfiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 199UIVitamin C: 6mgCalcium: 18mgIron: 1mg

Keyword Chicken Pasta Salad, Orzo Pasta Salad, pasta salad