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This easy Greek Chicken Orzo Salad with my Greek-inspired herby honey dressing is my go-to summer pasta salad. It’s almost no-cook, comes together quickly, and with very little effort. Grilled pesto balsamic chicken tossed with Greek dressing, orzo pasta, big cubes of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, and herbs. It’s colorful and so delicious. Enjoy this for dinner, serve at your next cookout, and save the leftovers for lunch. It’s always good.
Memorial Day weekend is almost upon us, and for me, that means summer is here. It’s a time for days spent in the sunshine, nights spent outside, cooking with family and friends, and enjoying simple dinners with fresh summer produce.
Lots of grilling, fresh summer herbs, corn, sweet tomatoes, zucchini, and of course, all the berries and stone fruit too. We have so much to look forward to. For any given summer gathering, you can guarantee that I’ll have a pasta salad on my buffet table. Really yummy, flavorful pasta salads are summertime staples.
So happy to be making these again!
Ingredients
- Extra virgin olive oil
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Honey
- Dijon mustard
- Shallot
- Chopped herbs, dill, basil, oregano, thyme
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- Boneless skinless chicken tenders
- Basil pesto
- Balsamic vinegar
- Dry orzo
- Cubed feta cheese
- Cherry tomatoes
- Persian cucumbers, chopped
- Pitted kalamata olives
- Roasted bell peppers
- Chopped pepperoncini
Today’s recipe is a new one with flavors we know and LOVE. Greek salads are delicious just as they are. Fresh tomatoes, cubes of feta cheese, dill, and a simple dressing. I elevated the classic Greek salad with orzo pasta, grilled pesto chicken, cucumbers, olives, cherry tomatoes, plenty of fresh herbs, and one of my favorite variations on a Greek dressing.
This is such a great make-ahead salad. You can serve it warm or cold, and as a side or as a main. You and your guests will enjoy every bite!
Greek Dressing Ingredients
- extra virgin olive oil
- red wine or balsamic vinegar
- honey
- Dijon mustard
- shallots
- fresh herbs – dill, basil, oregano, and or thyme
Step 1
How to make my Greek dressing
This is very easy and my secret is to make the dressing directly in the same bowl you toss the salad in. Get a nice big salad bowl, then mix all of the ingredients listed until combined.
Season the dressing to your taste with salt, pepper, and chili flakes.
For the combination of herbs, I love to use fresh basil, dill, oregano, and thyme. You can use your favorite mix or whatever you have in the fridge (or garden). And if you don’t have any fresh herbs swap in dried herbs instead.
Greek Chicken Orzo Salad Ingredients
- chicken tenders
- basil pesto
- balsamic vinegar
- dry orzo pasta
- feta cheese
- cherry tomatoes
- Persian cucumbers
- kalamata olives
- roasted bell peppers
- pepperoncini
Step 2
Grill the chicken
Toss the chicken with basil pesto and balsamic vinegar and heat up your grill. Grill each chicken tender until fully cooked through. Once finished cooking, you can chop or shred the chicken to use in the salad.
If you are vegetarian or looking to serve this as more of a side dish. You can omit the chicken from the recipe.
Step 3
Cook the orzo
Cook the orzo in boiling water, drain, and toss that hot orzo with the dressing in the salad bowl. Do this while the orzo is still steaming hot. Tossing the orzo while hot helps to further develop the flavors of the salad. The heat will activate the fresh herbs and shallots used in the dressing.
It’s going to smell delicious!
Step 4- assemble
The final step is to assemble the salad. Once the orzo is tossed with the dressing, add all the remaining ingredients, the grilled chicken from above, cubes of feta cheese, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, roasted red peppers, and all those fresh herbs. You can also add some pepperoncini if you enjoy as well.
This salad can be made up to a day in advance. It’s a wonderful dish to entertain with or use as meal prep for busy weekday lunches!
You and your family and friends will really love this fresh salad!
Looking for other great pasta salad recipes? Here are some favorites:
Pesto Chicken, Corn, and Avocado Bacon Pasta Salad
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Pasta Salad
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing
Lastly, if you make this Greek Chicken Orzo Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Greek Chicken Orzo Salad
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 513 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Dressing
- 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 1 shallot, chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped herbs, dill, basil, oregano, and/or thyme
- kosher salt and black pepper
Salad
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders (omit if vegetarian)
- 1/3 cup basil pesto
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1 pound dry orzo
- 2 cups cubed feta cheese
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2-3 Persian cucumbers chopped
- 1 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 2 roasted bell peppers, sliced
- 1/4 cup chopped pepperoncini
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing, combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl.2. Toss the chicken with pesto and balsamic vinegar. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until cooked through, about 8-10 minutes. Give it a chop. 3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente. Drain. Add the hot orzo to the salad bowl full of dressing. Toss, toss! Add the chicken, feta, tomatoes, cucumbers, olives, peppers, and pepperoncini. Toss, toss! Serve warm or cold. The salad will develop more flavor as it sits.
This post was originally published on May 25, 2023
Yes, just yes!!!! Made this tn for dinner and my bf couldn’t stop going “MMMM!!!” with every bite lol
Hi Sidney,
Happy Monday! Thanks a bunch for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed!
This is my favourite go to salad. I sometimes grill asparagus and add it . It is delicious! I make it every chance I get.
Hi Martha,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a bunch for your comment and making this recipe, love to hear it is always a hit!☀️
I must rescind my earlier comment! The first time I made it I found it to be overly salty. I don’t know what I did differently, but it’s one of my favorite recipes now and is delicious as leftovers!! Making ahead for a camping trip this weekend.
Yay! Thanks so much, Shayla! Love to hear this recipe is always enjoyed, I appreciate you making it so often:) Happy Friday! xx
This was spectacular, thank you Tieghan! I ended up only using about half the dressing (saved the other half for other salads this week), and I didn’t have roasted peppers, so I just chopped up a red pepper – and it was awesome. But this is a great “blueprint” recipe, which is my favorite kind – easily adjusted to include or omit ingredients based on chef preferences. My family loved it last night, and I loved it again this afternoon for a quick lunch. Nice job!
Hey Cate,
Fantastic! Love to hear this recipe turned out well for you, thanks for making it! Have the best week:) xxT
Still a favorite! Love the dressing (I add some basil pesto into the dressing as well). So delicious and perfect for prepped lunches!
Hey there,
Thank you so much for making this recipe so often:) Love to hear that it is always enjoyed! xT
Loved this! I will definitely make it again.
Hi Pam,
Fantastic! Thanks so much for trying this recipe and your comment, so glad it was delish! Have a great weekend:) x
Not sure how I feel about this salad. It’s a bit too salty for me, but I haven’t had a lot of greek food, so maybe that’s normal. Next time I would put in less olives and feta. But I use hbh recipes at least 3 times and week and cannot say how much I appreciate what you’re doing!!!
Thank you so much for your kind message, Shayla:) Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one, I would say a lot of the saltiness comes from the olives and feta. xx
So delicious! Can’t wait to have it again!
Hey Kimberly,
Happy Monday!! Thanks a lot for trying this recipe and your comment, I am so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! x
Amazing!! Just added lemon to it and no dressing!! So yummy!!!
Hey Barb,
Thanks so much! I love to hear that this salad turned out well for you, thanks for making it! xT
This is yummy. I usually add pine nuts just because I love how they add texture to an orzo salad.
Yay!! Love to hear this Kendra:) Thanks so much for making this recipe and your message! Have a great week! xT
Loved this salad so much, but would make two changes for next time: more chicken, less olive oil. I only used 1/2 culpable olive oil and it was still too much, very oily and pooled in the bowl after mixing. I think 1/3 cup will be sufficient for us. Really appreciate recipes that can keep in the fridge for a few days for lunchboxes later. ❤️
Thank you for the feedback! I appreciate it! xT
Love your recipes ,I am diabetic and would like to see carb counts and nutrients.
This is one of the best things I’ve ever eaten! All your recipes our unreal, but this one is perfection.
Thank you so much for giving the recipe a try! Glad to hear you enjoyed it! xT
Love this one! It’s so easy to make in advance and enjoy with company. I have made this multiple times this summer to rave reviews. Thank you for making me look like a good cook!
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Have an awesome weekend! xT