Orzo Chicken Salad
This Mediterranean orzo chicken salad is a fresh, high-protein meal prep lunch packed with grilled chicken, veggies, feta and lemon dressing.
Servings: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 1 cup Cooked orzo cooled
- 1/2 english cucumbers diced
- 1 cup Cherry tomatoes halved
- 1/3 cup red onion finely diced
- 1/3 cup tri-colored bell peppers diced
- 1 cup feta cheese
- 1 tbsp Fresh dill chopped
- 2 small Grilled chicken breasts diced
- Italian dressing for marinating the chicken
For the Lemon Vinaigrette
- 2/3 cup good-quality olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh lemon juice
- 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Start by marinating your chicken in Italian dressing. You can do this ahead of time or while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
- Heat a skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and cook the chicken until it's beautifully golden on the outside and completely cooked through. Allow it to rest before dicing it into bite-sized pieces.
- Meanwhile, cook your orzo according to the package directions. Drain it and allow it to cool before assembling the salad.
- In a large bowl, combine the cooked orzo, cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, red onion, bell peppers, feta cheese, fresh dill and diced grilled chicken.
- To make the dressing, add the olive oil, fresh lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, oregano, garlic powder, salt and black pepper to a bowl. Whisk vigorously until the dressing looks creamy and completely combined.
- Pour the dressing over the orzo salad and toss really well, making sure everything is evenly coated.
- Cover the salad and place it in the refrigerator to chill before serving. This step is important because it gives the orzo time to soak up that bright, tangy dressing and allows all of those Mediterranean flavors to come together.