Greek Chicken Orzo Salad
A light, lemony pasta salad with chicken and vegetables
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Servings: 6
Calories: 381kcal
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and pepper to taste
Salad
- 1 1/4 cups dry orzo
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken shredded
- 1 cup grape tomatoes
- 1 large English cucumber
- 8 ounces roasted red peppers from a jar, drained well.
- 1/4 cup pitted Greek olives pitted
- 4 scallions
- 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves sliced thin
- 2 ounces feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, olive oil, oregano, cayenne pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl or jar. Whisk well. Season with a pinch of salt and ground pepper, or to taste. Set the dressing aside.
- Cook the orzo according to the package directions, typically 8-10 minutes for an al dente texture. Drain and rinse well with cold water to chill the orzo. Place the drained orzo in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the shredded chicken to the bowl with the orzo. Pour the dressing over, stir well, and refrigerate while you prepare the vegetables. NOTE: If the orzo is still warm, chill it for about 30 minutes or until cool.
- Cut the tomatoes in half or quarters, depending on their size. Cut the cucumber and red peppers into bite-sized pieces (about 1/2 to 1-inch), cut the olives in half, and mince the scallions. Add all of the vegetables to the bowl with the orzo and chicken and toss well.At this point, you can refrigerate the orzo salad for up to two hours or continue with the next step if serving immediately.
- Slice the basil leaves thinly and sprinkle it and crumbled feta cheese over the salad just before serving.
- Refrigerate leftovers tightly covered for two days.
Notes
Don't add salt until you taste the finished salad. The feta cheese, olives, and rotisserie chicken are already quite salty.
Feel free to add more or less of any of the vegetables.
Refrigerate leftovers for 2 days.
Nutrition
Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 29g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 84mg | Sodium: 993mg | Potassium: 304mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 671IU | Vitamin C: 27mg | Calcium: 94mg | Iron: 1mg
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