Lemony orzo salad with rotisserie chicken, tomatoes and crumbled goat cheese is an excellent light dinner (that makes fabulous lunch leftovers)!
Today's recipe is your answer to the post-holiday slump and to all the New Years hopes for lighter eating with great taste.
It’s a super simple - and fast - recipe to throw together, it's all kinds of healthy and it has BIG flavor.
I took this lemony chicken orzo salad to a friend of mine a few months ago who had just had twins. A group of us went up to visit, take dinner (and some extras) and help out. Those were two precious little girls I got to hold and love on.
How quickly you forget how tiny they are! Or maybe it’s because my “baby” (age 2), J, is such a big boy. I don’t know why I lift weights when he’s always in my arms...
Later that week, the new mama emailed me and said they had eaten the entire batch of this orzo chicken salad in a couple of days.
She said they were eating it for breakfast, lunch and dinner; couldn’t get enough!
Now I don’t know about breakfast, but this lemony orzo salad with chicken and goat cheese makes a fabulous light dinner and the leftovers will garner you some serious lunch envy at the office.
Or among your Instagram friends if you’re chowing down at home and happen to pause to snap a picture. (Come follow me and tag me if you do! I love to see your creations!)
Let's tackle a few quick recipe notes.
Ingredient Notes:
- Orzo: You can use regular or whole wheat orzo; they cook in about the same time. You could also substitute another small pasta, but you may need to adjust the cook time.
- Chicken: The chicken for this recipe needs to be cooked and chopped, so please plan accordingly. You can use a store-bought rotisserie chicken or some crock pot shredded chicken.
- Lemons: You need the zest AND the juice, so be sure to get that zest before you slice your lemons to juice it.
- Tomatoes: I use cherry tomatoes because they are easily available all year long. You could also try substituting chopped roma tomatoes if you prefer.
Last thing, what to do with leftovers.
Leftovers of this salad will keep in a covered container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days. You can enjoy it cold or reheat it in the microwave and serve it warm.
Those twin baby girls are growing up fast and I can’t wait to go back for a visit. (And I know what I’ll be bringing!)
Enjoy the rest of the holiday season, and I’m wishing you a happy, healthy New Year!
XO,
Kathryn
P.S. You might also love this lemony chicken orzo soup!
Lemony Orzo Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 lb. orzo pasta (whole wheat preferably)
- 2 zucchini, diced small
- zest and juice of 2 lemons
- 3 cups diced leftover cooked or rotisserie chicken
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ cup crumbled goat cheese
Instructions
- Cook the orzo according to package directions.
- Chop the zucchini and place it in a large bowl. Once the orzo is ready, drain it and add it on top of the zucchini (which helps soften the raw zucchini just slightly). Add the zest and juice of the lemon on top of the hot orzo (the heat enhances the flavor and smell).
- Add the chicken, tomatoes, olive oil, salt and pepper and mix well to combine. Add the goat cheese and stir to combine, being careful not to break it up too much.
- You can add in some reserved cooking liquid if needed to help all the ingredients meld together.
- Serve and enjoy! Leftovers are great cold, too.
Adina
I just love this kind of salad and my kids too. I will keep it in mind!
Kathryn
How could this not sound good, right?! Hope you all love it, Adina!
Cheyanne @ No Spoon Necessary
This orzo salad looks absolutely delicious, Kathryn! I looove how lemon can brighten the flavor of a dish, and the use of it here sounds amazing. Plus you added goat cheese, Umm yes please!! I can see why your friends were eating this for breakfast! No shame in that game! Salad perfection! Cheers, girlfriend- to a wonderful new year! Xo
Kathryn
Thanks Cheyanne! Lemon really does some amazing things to a dish... and I need a little lightening and brightening after all the holiday craziness! And yes, goat cheese can ALWAYS be found in my fridge 😉 Cheers girl!
Cathleen @ A Taste Of Madness
Hope you have a great new year! This looks like a great salad! I need to try orzo sometime...
Kathryn
Thanks Cathleen! You definitely need to give orzo a try - it's such a fun pasta 🙂 Happy New Year to you too!
skd
Delicious food😋
Kathryn
Thanks! It really is! 🙂
Meaghan @ 4 Sons 'R' Us
Oh, I love this. We love orzo, so this will be a great change of pace, especially after all the over-indulgence with the holidays. Bring on the fresh, healthy flavors 🙂 Thanks for bringing this to the Throwback Thursday link party this week!
Kathryn
I love how fast orzo is - and how versatile! And yes to all the fresh, healthy flavors I can get this month!
Petra @ CrumblesAndKale
Wow this looks great! Ozro is one of those things I really miss since I stopped eating pasta due to allergies. But I think I will try making this with with my bean-pasta instead because Im so ready to leave all the heavy chistmas-food behind.
Kathryn
I'd love to hear how it turns out with the bean pasta! I bet it's just as light and fresh as the original - and I'm with you on needing a break from all the heavy holiday food!
Carlee
This does look delicious, I can see why they gobbled it up so quickly. Plus at that stage in the game, even warming something up can seem a little overwhelming so this is perfect!
Kathryn
So true, Carlee! Anything you can put directly in your mouth from a bowl is a winner when such tiny infants. I was happy to deliver a little bit of help in that area 🙂
Monique
I wish these recipes had d calorie and fat info
Kathryn
Thanks for the feedback Monique! It's something I am considering adding, so I'm glad to know you would find it helpful. Stay tuned!
SaraLily
oh this looks spectacular! I love simple salads like this! Yum!
Kathryn
Thanks! Simple, fresh salads are the best 🙂 I hope you enjoy it!
Philip Orr
I added a jar of marinated artichoke hearts before adding in the cheese. It was a delicious addition.
Kathryn
That sounds yummy! So glad you enjoyed it Philip!
Mary Beth Einerson
Loved this! Orzo is one of my favorite pastas. So simple to put together with all of the flavors of late summer.
Kathryn
I'm so happy to hear you enjoyed it Mary Beth! 😊
Krueger
I just made this today, and I'll definitely make it again. I went by the recipe, but I'm just not crazy for cherry tomatoes. Is there another suggestion you would recommend that would give it a nice pop of flavor in place of the cherry tomatoes? Also, when stirring the crumbled goat cheese, I tried not to break it up, but it just kind of disintegrated into the mix. Is this because the orzo is too warm and would you suggest mixing the cheese after it is refrigerated? Thank you.
Kathryn
Hi there! The goat cheese may have just melted into the dish if your orzo was super hot. You can always crumble the goat cheese directly on top of each serving when you're ready to eat (and put any extra in the dish after it's cooled). The cherry tomatoes give it a sweetness but also the juicy pop, and I'm not sure there's an exact substitution. Chopped red bell pepper would add some sweetness and some olives might add a good juicy texture. I hope that helps!
Krueger
Thank you so much for your feedback! I will try that. One last thing I want to know is if the pasta left overs need some freshening up after being refrigerated, do you recommend perhaps just a squeeze of Lemon? Or does it require another drizzle of olive oil? I'm sorry, I'm a newbie to cooking, but I have enjoyed learning a few of your other recipes this far 🙂
Kathryn
I'm so happy you found me! Yes - I do like adding a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten up the leftovers. A drizzle of olive oil would be great too. Or even some balsamic vinegar!