This light and fresh salad is packed with fresh vegetables and bright flavors (hello lemon and dill), and while I love the addition of grilled chicken, you can also make it meatless if you prefer. The orzo pasta makes this salad hearty, but it stays light and fresh at the same time. This is a great meal-prep recipe as it stays good in the fridge for several days, and also really wonderful for luncheons and potlucks. It’s also very flexible, feel free to adjust the veggies and add things you enjoy or need to use up!
Ingredient Notes
- Orzo – If you’ve never cooked with Orzo before, it’s a pasta that you can find in the regular pasta aisle. It usually comes in a small box, or you can buy it in bulk in a tub sometimes. The actual pasta pieces look like large grains of rice.
- Lemon Juice and Lemon Rind – Go with fresh lemon here, not jarred juice or dehydrated zest. The only product I recommend in place of fresh lemon, is True Lemon, which is crystallized fresh lemon and makes an excellent substitute!
- Dill – dried dill is just fine here, but I especially love the addition of fresh dill, which you can usually find with the other fresh herbs in the grocery store.
- Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil. If you prefer a more neutral flavor, use light olive oil.
- Veggies- This recipe calls for red pepper, green onion, cucumber. If you have other vegetables you’d like to use up, feel free to substitute, it’s pretty flexible!
- Chicken– I usually grill chicken for this recipe. If I can plan ahead, we’ll grill chicken one night for dinner, and I’ll make extra to save for the next day for this salad. You could also grab a rotisserie chicken or use other leftovers, like grilled steak!
How To Make Lemon-Orzo Salad With Chicken
- Cook orzo according to package directions.
- While orzo is cooking, chop red pepper, cucumber and green onions and set aside.
- Put all dressing ingredients in a mason jar and shake till combined.
- To assemble, combine all salad ingredients except feta in a bowl and toss with dressing.
Serving Suggestions
- This salad is great on it’s own as a light meal. It would also make a great side dish if you leave the chicken out and serve alongside something like this Lemon-Garlic Herb Rubbed Chicken.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! The flavors just get better. Most pasta salads are best when they’ve had a chance to chill in the fridge. They are great for meal prepping lunches for several days as well. Feel free to make this one day and enjoy it for several. Sometimes citrus juice loses it’s kick after a couple of days, so a fresh squirt of lemon juice before serving won’t hurt. You can mix the feta in when you make it initially, or simply sprinkle some on at serving time.
Yes! Orzo is actually a “pastina”, or very small pasta. It’s often mistaken for rice! Since it’s small, it needs to be cooked in a large pot of water to allow it to move around and prevent it from sticking together. Adding a lot of salt to the water also helps prevent sticking.
Rinsing the pasta after cooking is recommended to stop the cooking process, cool it down quickly, and prevent it from becoming mushy or sticky. For best results, cook the pasta to just under the “al dente” phase. Overcooked pasta will absorb more liquid, so aim for a firm texture.
Lemon-Orzo Salad with Veggies and Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup uncooked orzo pasta
- ½ teaspoon lemon rind finely grated
- 4 tablespoons lemon juice fresh
- 4 tablespoons olive oil extra virgin
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¾ teaspoon garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon honey
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ – 2 cups chicken cooked, shredded, skinless, and diced
- 1 cup cucumber diced
- 1 cup red bell pepper diced
- ½ cup green onions sliced
- 1 ½ tablespoons dill, fresh, chopped or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
- ¾ cup feta cheese crumbled
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water until pasta feels cool to the touch. Drain and place in a medium sized salad bowl.
- While orzo cooks, combine lemon rind, lemon juice, olive oil, salt, garlic, honey, and black pepper in a mason jar. If using dried dill, add that as well. Shake well to combine.
- Add chicken, cucumber, bell pepper, green onions, and dill (if using fresh) to pasta.
- Shake dressing immediately before drizzling on salad. Toss to combine. Add feta and gently toss again.
- You can eat it immediately, but I find it’s best if you can chill for 1-2 hours before serving.
Questions & Reviews
love orzo! looks delicious!
I have always been interested in cooking orzo, but never knew what to make with it. I am going to give this a try. Thanks!
yuuuuuuuuuuuuum! My mouth is watering!!! I think I might add some roasted artichoke hearts… I think I know what's for dinner tonight!
we make orzo salad all the time in the summer-my boys love it! we make a similar version but with shrimp,garlic, lemon, pinenuts, tomotoes, and feta. We also make a chicken, basil, tomato, basil, mozarella, & balsamic that is delicious too.
This looks amazing! I have to try this!
And Barilla is my absolute FAVORITE pasta brand. Go Barilla!
this looks great! i'm making this tonight!
And Sara, that seriously looks so good–I'm loving lemon right now!
iamhoneybee–We've featured crumbled just because it's more widely available. Athenos actually offers chunk feta, it's just more difficult (for me, at least) to find.
This looks great. I have been loving all the recipes with Feta. I love, love, love Feta!
I have noticed that you only use crumbed feta. Maybe that is your agreement with Athenos but I really like their block feta. It just seems that the brine adds a lot of flavor, plus you can crumble it to the size you want. (just my 2cents)
we cook them as pasta, or make pilaf with them. Orzo is commonly used in chicken soups.. It's a huge part of our nutrition. I've never tried it in salad, but i definetly will. Thanks for the idea.