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This Orange Chicken Orzo Salad is the perfect warm weather dish and will make a spectacular addition for picnics, beach days or road trips. This is an ideal dish that travels well that can be a meal in itself or simply served as a colorful, tasty side dish.

Orzo chicken salad being dressed with orange dressing

Summer is almost here and I’m going to share with you how I like to spend my summer holiday… at the beach! The best days of summer are when my husband and I pack a lunch and some drinks, grab our towels, beach umbrella and sunscreen. We make a day of relaxing on the warm sand of the beach and taking in the warming Southern California sun.

A closeup showing the red peppers, orange segments, chicken and green onions

Serving Suggestion:

In addition to this orange chicken orzo salad, another favorite I like to take to the beach is a tuna pita pockets (< click for recipe link).

4 tuna pita pockets lined up on a board

I love the simplicity of this dish and it is so packed with fresh orange flavor, both in the dressing that is mixed with all the ingredients, as well as the chicken that is cooked in an orange sauce.

A closeup showing the red peppers, orange segments, chicken and green onions

There are jewels of fresh orange segments mixed throughout the salad for an extra burst of flavor, along with roasted red peppers and spring onions for a pop of flavor as well as vibrance and color.  Once the orzo and chicken are cooked, all the ingredients are mixed together and the salad is done!

Mixing orange dressing and mixing with the chicken, vegetables and orzo
Yield: 6

Orange Chicken Orzo Salad

Colorful orange segments, roasted red peppers in an orange chicken orzo salad

Chicken is cooked in an orange sauce and served over delicious orzo with red peppers and fresh orange segments.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

  • For the dressing:
  • Juice and zest of 1 orange
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon Olive oil
  • For the salad:
  • 8 ounces (227 grams) Orzo
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 pounds (681 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
  • Salt
  • Ground black pepper
  • Zest and juice of 1 orange
  • 1/2 teaspoon corn starch
  • Orange segments of 2 oranges
  • 6 ounces (227 grams) roasted red peppers, chopped
  • 4 spring onions, thinly sliced

Instructions

  1. For the dressing:
  2. Add the orange juice, zest, honey, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to a bowl. Pour in the oil while whisking until emulsified. Set aside.
  3. For the salad:
  4. Add 4-6 quarts of water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the water and add the orzo. Simmer for 9 minutes uncovered and drain.
  5. Add the orzo to a large bowl and pour over half of the dressing, mix and set aside.
  6. To a heavy skillet add the oil over medium-high heat.
  7. Salt and pepper the chicken pieces. When the oil ripples, add the chicken and brown.
  8. Mix the zest and juice of 1 orange with the corn starch until dissolved. Add to the pan of chicken and mix well. Cook until thickened and remove from heat.
  9. Add the chicken to the orzo to a large bowl along with the orange segments, red peppers and green onions and the rest of the dressing, mix well. Serve warm, room temperature or chilled.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

2 ounces
Amount Per Serving Calories 184Total Fat 5gSaturated Fat 1gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 2mgSodium 328mgCarbohydrates 35gFiber 4gSugar 26gProtein 3g

This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.

© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Salad

If you’ve tried this Orange Chicken Orzo Salad or any other recipe on the blog, then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know it turned out in the comments below. I love to hear from my readers!

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A slice of potato and vegetable quiche on a white plate with micro greens