Orange Chicken Orzo Salad
Orange Chicken Orzo Salad is a delicious departure from a regular summer pasta salad. Combining the flavors of tender, orange-infused chicken, cooked orzo pasta, along with roasted red peppers, fresh orange segments and spring onions. A wonderful blend of textures and tastes, making it a perfect choice for a light summer meal.

How does a summer pasta salad sound that tastes like takeout orange chicken? Basically, it is a healthier version, as the chicken is not breaded. This dish is inspired by Slow Cooker Orange Chicken Wings (another perfect summer dish). All the citrus notes throughout bring a mediterranean flair to the dish.

This is one of those pasta salad dishes that can be served room temperature or cold. Perfect for summer road trips, picnics, barbecues and beach days. To accompany these delicious Tuna Pita Pockets pictured below.

What is orzo?
Orzo is a very small pasta, shaped to look like rice and cooks quickly. You don’t have to use orzo, you can use just about any shaped small pasta you like.
Orange Chicken Orzo Salad Additions
A sprinkling of toasted silvered almonds, or any nuts of your choice adds a nice crunch. Crispy noodles, fresh herbs like basil or cilantro (coriander). Add more veggies like summer corn, cooked zucchini (courgette).

Orange Chicken Orzo Salad Dressing
A simple vinaigrette dressing this orzo salad using fresh orange juice and zest that complements the orange chicken. They are mixed with vinegar, oil, salt and pepper and that’s pretty much all you need to add great flavor.

How to segment an orange
There are juicy pieces of fresh orange in this salad which add a burst of sweet orange flavor. Whereas it may seem difficult to segment an orange, it is actually very easy. First you use a small paring knife to peel the orange (reference pictures). Then hold the peeled orange in one hand, carefully slice between the white membranes of the orange to cut the segments.



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Orange Chicken Orzo Salad

Chicken is cooked in an orange sauce and served over delicious orzo with red peppers and fresh orange segments.
Ingredients
- For the dressing:
- Juice and zest of 1 orange
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- For the salad:
- 8 ounces (227 grams) orzo
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 ¼ pounds (681 grams) boneless, skinless chicken breast cut into bite-size pieces
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- ½ teaspoon corn starch
- Orange segments of 2 oranges
- 6 ounces (about 1 cup) (227 grams) roasted red peppers, chopped * see note
- 4 spring/green onions, thinly sliced
Instructions
- For the dressing:
Add the orange juice, zest, honey, white wine vinegar, salt and pepper to a bowl. Pour in the oil while whisking until emulsified and thickened. You can also add all the ingredients to a jar and shake vigorously with the lid on. - For the salad:
To a large saucepan, fill with water about ¾ full. Add 1 tablespoon salt to the water and add the orzo. Simmer for 9 minutes uncovered, until tender. Drain. - Add the orzo to a large bowl and pour over half of the dressing, mix and set aside.
- To a heavy frying pan add the oil over medium-high heat.
- Salt and pepper the chicken pieces evenly. When the oil ripples, add the chicken and brown on all sides, turning as needed.
- Whisk 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.
- Add the chicken to the orzo along with the orange segments, red peppers, onions and the rest of the dressing, mix well. Serve room temperature or chilled.
Notes
Note: You can buy these already made or make your own
Nutrition Information
Yield
6Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 376Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 6gCholesterol 80mgSodium 299mgCarbohydrates 40gFiber 3gSugar 18gProtein 33g
This nutrition calculation is provided by Nutronix that is only a guideline and not intended for any particular diet.
12 Comments on “Orange Chicken Orzo Salad”
I love this recipe. Perfect amount of orange flavor
Thank you, it’s one of my favorites ๐
I made this for take to work lunches for the week. I didn’t mix with the dressing, I do that before I eat. I added snow peas and almonds for crunch. REally good!
This is so perfect for work lunches. I love the additions ๐
This is great! So fresh with great summer flavors! And orzo pasta is so yummy!
Love orzo pasta. This looks so delicious! Great flavors, perfect for this time of the year!
Anything with orzo sounds super delicious to me. If you top it with orange chicken you can really have a winner on your hands. Pair it with Aquafina is a splendid idea.
Your salad is lovely…. I love the bits of orange in it…. it just makes it so summery and doesn’t Summer make everyone happy?! ๐
This sounds like the most refreshing meal EVER! I’m a huge fan of grapefruit drinks, so I’m heading to Target to find Aquafina, and of course I’ll be making your gorgeous salad, too.
I’m planning a trip to the beach this Memorial day weekend – this would be perfect for the packed lunch! Thank you!
I love finding new salad recipe ideas, because in the summer we eat a lot of salads. I brought this to the beach this past weekend and it was so good, the kids inhaled it. The orange segments really make it.
I love getting the thumbs up from kids because they are the toughest food critics ๐