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
I just made this for dinner tonight, and boy was it YUMMY!!!
I made this tonight and I loved it! so refreshing..I also love it when you post WW points!!!!!! whoo hoo!!! I will be making this as a side dish at my son's birthday party…Thank you!!!
Mandy
Made this last night and it was delicious! But I think to really knock it out of the park, I'm going to replace the chicken with a jar of freshly canned sockeye next time. OMNOMNOMNOM.
Made this tonight and it was very, very good. I'm not much of a cucumber fan but this salad just made convert me. Perfect summer dish!
This looks bee-yootiful! Can't wait to try it!!
This looks DELICIOUS! Thanks so much for posting the Weight Watchers points! I'm already head over heels for your site, if you added WW points as a regular feature, I'd be completely smitten! 🙂
I just have to leave a comment and tell you two cute gals your blog is the BEST! I know this is not hte first and surley not the ;ast time you will hear this but i neededt olet you know :)I love looking at food blogs but have become (in only 2 days) obsessed with yours. Everyone claims to be geared towards the average housewife/mother..you guys are the REAL deal with a funky flare I love! I dont know that my comment will be read with the followers you guys have (i too am now on this list) but for my own good i had to leave this comment. O and Yes i am very excited to make the watermelon salad this Sunday for my moms family dinner..i am sooo going to look like a Betty 🙂
Thanks again. Keep keepin on girls!
I just made this for dinner and it was ridiculously delicious and easy! I did sub parsley for the dill (not a fan), red onion for the green and shrimp for the chicken. I just sauteed the shrimp in a lil olive oil with salt, pepper and parsley. I'm wondering how long this will keep in the fridge, need something for a potluck on Friday and this would be perfect
Oh YUM. I'm adding halved grape tomatoes to this when I make it tonight!
I have been making a salad like this for years, except mine has cooled roasted veggies (zucchini, red peppers, onions, eggplant, mushrooms) and I use either feta or parmesan, whichever I have on hand. Similar dressing too, a really lemon-y vinaigrette but no honey or dill. I will have to try this fresh version, thanks 🙂