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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.

A white bowl full of orange chicken orzo salad

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 and make a day of relaxing on the warm sand of the beach and taking in the warming Southern California sun.

Pouring orange dressing over orange chicken orzo salad

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. 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!

Orange Chicken Orzo Salad is the perfect warm weather dish and will make a spectacular addition for picnics, beach days or road trips.

Orange chicken orzo salad from above showing the vibrant orange and red colors

 

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Yield: 4 people

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 Orzo
  • 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1/4 pounds 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 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.
  8. When the oil ripples, add the chicken and brown.
  9. 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.
  10. 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 405Total Fat 9gSaturated Fat 2gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 7gCholesterol 80mgSodium 397mgCarbohydrates 46gFiber 4gSugar 22gProtein 34g
© Janette
Cuisine: American / Category: Salad
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