Chicken Orzo Salad (Mediterranean)

Fresh Mediterranean chicken orzo salad with feta, kalamata olives, cucumber, tomato, and a bright lemon dressing. Make-ahead friendly and easy!

Course dinner, Lunch, Main Course, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine American, Greek, Mediterranean

Keyword chicken orzo salad, easy, healthy, light, make-ahead, pasta salad

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 10

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 435

1 ½ cups dry orzo
2 cups cooked chicken, shredded or chopped (such as rotisserie chicken or grilled)
1 heaping cup cucumber, small diced (such as English or Persian)
1 heaping cup cherry tomatoes, halved
⅓ small red onion, small diced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
¼ cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
¼ cup fresh parsley, chopped
¼ cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Make the Dressing: Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, honey, Dijon mustard, salt, and pepper in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Cook the Orzo: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add the orzo and cook according to package directions until al dente. Drain well and immediately transfer to a large bowl. Don't rinse it.
Pour two-thirds of the dressing over the hot orzo and toss to coat (tossing while hot helps the orzo absorb the dressing rather than sitting on top of it). Let cool for 10 minutes.
Assemble: Add the chicken, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, red onion, feta, olives, parsley, and basil to the orzo. Add the remaining one-third of the dressing and toss gently until everything is evenly combined.
Taste and adjust seasoning, orzo soaks up a lot of flavor, so don't be shy with the salt if you think the salad needs it!
Serve: Serve immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for at least 30 minutes and serve cold. Both are delicious!

Don’t Rinse the Orzo: Drain but don’t rinse the cooked orzo so it absorbs all the yummy lemon dressing.
Season Generously: Pasta salads need more salt than you think! Taste after tossing and adjust, especially since the orzo soaks up seasoning as it sits.
Chicken: I also love my shredded chicken breast in this recipe!