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 combing 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.
- Pour 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.
Recipe FAQs
Orzo is a rice shaped pasta.
This pasta salad will last up to 4 days if covered and refrigerated.
More delicious pasta salads
If you love pasta salads, you'll also want to check out these delicious salads:
- Mediterranean Couscous Salad
- Asparagus Pasta Salad
- Thai Pasta Salad
- Israeli Couscous Salad
- Pasta and Pea Salad
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
Ingredients
Salad
- 16 ounces orzo pasta
- 3 cups cooked chicken (chopped)
- 6 mini bell peppers (sliced)
- 6 green onion (sliced)
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes (quartered, approximately 24 tomatoes)
- ½ cup black olives (sliced)
- 1 tablespoon parsley (finely chopped)
Dressing
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
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 onion, 1 cup cherry tomatoes, ½ cup black olives
Dressing
- 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 teaspoon dijon mustard, ½ teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon pepper, ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Pour dressing over salad ingredients
- Toss lightly to combine
- Add freshly chopped parsley and toss again1 tablespoon parsley
- Serve immediately or cover and refrigerate
Notes
- 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
- 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.
Valentina says
This sounds amazing, and it's so pretty. I love orzo and miss it because my older son has to be gluten-free. I haven't made it in so long. I will have to make it one day when I feel like making a few separate meals. 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced says
Ah, I really love pasta salads! For some reason, I don't use orzo near enough - I need to fix that. We recently picked and froze a bunch (like 5-6) rotisserie chickens, so now I have all that yummy rotisserie chicken ready and waiting for recipes - and I think this recipe might be on the list now! Sounds like my kinda meal. 🙂
Kathy says
That's such a great idea! I love having foods in my freezer that make getting meals on the table quick and easy. Freezing the rotisserie chicken in portions would be perfect to use in this salad.