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This Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing is the perfect summer dinner salad. It’s almost no-cook and comes together quickly and easily. Grilled chicken tossed with a lemony herb honey mustard dressing, orzo pasta, cheddar cheese cubes, crispy bacon, and creamy avocado. It’s colorful and so delicious. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch. Warm or cold, it’s always good. Or serve this up at your next backyard dinner with friends.
It’s a Monday salad, but an exciting Monday salad because it’s certainly not just greens and vegetables…there’s so much more! I love this one.
First of all, happy Monday guys. Hope everyone had a great weekend and is slowly slipping into the laid-back, chill, summertime mindset. It’s all about the easy-going life for the next three or so months, right? That’s kind of my thinking and I’m really embracing it when it comes to our weekly dinners.
I know most of us want to be out enjoying these summer days and not spending hours in the kitchen. So as I said last week, simple is the name of the game…all summer long.
I have what seems like hundreds of orzo recipes on HBH, so it’s really no secret that I love using orzo. Technically, it’s pasta, but it’s shaped like small rice, so I love tossing it into salads. It makes for super quick one-pot pasta dishes or even carbonara.
It really is so versatile, and one of my favorites ingredients to use in the summertime because of how quickly it cooks up.
Shockingly, I have not shared an orzo salad with you guys. So when I had this idea, I jumped right in and created it. It ended up being the perfect, quick-to-throw-together summer dinner…and you guys, it really is good and for so many reasons…
The lemon herb honey mustard dressing, the grilled chicken, orzo, bacon, creamy avocado, melty cubes of cheddar cheese, and fresh herbs. And when put all together, such a GOOD combination.
Here are the details…start with the dressing
The dressing is where you want to start. I was so into the dressing I made for those burrata vegetable sandwiches I shared the other week that I used the same dressing here. Only I added fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme, and basil, and a shallot too.
The dressing is the heart of this recipe. As the chicken grills in it and then the hot orzo gets tossed up with it too.
It’s a little herby, spicy, sweet, and tangy…all the things we really love.
Grill up that chicken and toss the orzo
Once you toss the chicken in the dressing, throw it on the grill. While the chicken is grilling, I boil off the orzo and then toss it with the chicken.
Now, this next step is key. I like to toss the hot orzo with the cubes of cheese and the dressing. The heat from the pasta turns the cheese melty and helps the dressing really soak into the pasta and infuse it with flavor.
Now finish it up
When you have the chicken grilled and the orzo tossed, add everything else, then top with the avocado and more fresh herbs.
You can enjoy this warm or cold, though I LOVE this warm with those melty chunks of cheddar cheese.
Totally and completely delicious. But simple to make!
I know I say this just about every day, but this recipe really is good.
It’s one of those recipes that you’ll crave time and time again. Plus the sauce just kind of melts in your mouth. YUM!
Looking for other quick dinners? Here are some favorites:
Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata
Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad
Tropical Jerk Grilled Chicken with Charred Mango Salsa Verde
Lastly, if you make this Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado 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!
Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 728 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons grainy dijon mustard
- juice of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup mixed herbs, chopped (rosemary, oregano, basil)
- 1 small shallot, grated
- 2 cloves garlic grated
- kosher salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes
Salad
- 3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken tenders
- 1 bell pepper, quartered
- 1 pound dry orzo pasta
- 1 cup cubed cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)
- 2 cups shredded red leaf lettuce
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 6 slices cooked bacon, crumbled
- 1 avocado, sliced
Instructions
- 1. To make the dressing. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar and whisk until smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper.2. In a large bowl, toss the chicken with 1/3 of the dressing. Let sit 10 minutes. Set your grill, grill pan, or skillet to medium-high heat. Grill the chicken until lightly charred and cooked through, turning halfway through cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes. During the same time, grill the bell pepper, until lightly charred, then chop.3. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the orzo to al dente, according to package directions. Drain. Add the hot orzo, cheddar cheese, blue cheese, and 1/3 of the dressing, toss to combine. Add the chicken, grilled peppers, lettuce, tomatoes, and bacon, tossing to combine.4. Top the pasta with avocado. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt. Serve warm or cold.
This post was originally published on June 7, 2021
Really wonderful recipe! This sauce is phenomenal, I’ll definitely be making as a marinade in the future even when I’m not making this specific dish. I marinated the chicken overnight for maximum flavor, and swapped the lettuce for spinach/chard (I’m not a huge fan of warm lettuce). Definitely will make again this summer!
Hey Gina,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
Absolutely delicious and easy to make! Definitely putting on my favorites list!
Hey Kathy,
Wonderful! I am thrilled to hear that this recipe was enjoyed. Thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xTieghan
This was sooo delicious! I put the dressing on the orzo and fresh herb lettuce and then put the toppings out so everyone could make it their own way. To the options I added sundried tomatoes and TJ’s grilled marinated artichoke hearts. Thought the left-overs would be good too but there was nothing left!
Hey Lisa,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
This was amazing!! I have three teenage boys and they could not stop talking about how good it was! Love all of your recipes!!
Hey Ashley,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Tongue tantalizing!
I substituted arborio rice for orzo, used a cup instead of lb. Loved all the flavors especially the melted cheese. It was a family hit. Thanks!
Hey Lindsay,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Tieghan, this was one of the most incredible dishes! We tried making this for the first time last night and my husband couldn’t get enough. This will be a staple in our home. Everything about it was perfect, the salad dressing is just incredible.
Hey Tamara,
Happy Friday! Thanks so much for making this recipe, I am delighted that it was enjoyed! xxTieghan
Amazing!
Thanks so much Stephanie!! xTieghan
Very delicious ~ I’ll make the dressing again and use it in other salads.
Hey Kate,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
This looks amazing! Planning on making it for friends this weekend. I would love if you could comment in your recipes about if parts of the recipe can be made ahead, and how many days ahead. Sometimes I don’t have time to do everything the same day.
Hey Ellen,
I hope you love the recipe! Sorry, that would involve a lot more recipe testing and work that I just don’t have time for. You are always welcome to ask and I can answer to the best of my ability. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Ok, could I marinate the chicken overnight? Or make the orzo ahead and reheat it?
Def can marinate the chicken overnight. I wouldn’t warm up the orzo though. It’s best fresh. She did say you could serve the salad cold though…
Hey Ellen,
Sure you could marinate the chicken overnight:) xTieghan
This dish was so awesome and refreshing! Great summer meal❤️
Hey Julie,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
So yummy and fresh!! Made it for one of my daughter’s and her family after they moved and they LOVED it? I substituted arugula for the salad and used herbed goat cheese with parmesan for the cheeses:) Tieghan is a source of inspiration on every recipe she creates!
Hey Donna,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Oh wow – that marinade looks great – and this is a perfect salad for the summer.
Thanks so much!! xTieghan
Delicious. One daughter has decided to eat healthier so I cooked up 1 cup of brown rice and used that instead of the orzo. My other daughter is a vegetarian so I marinated some tofu in the dressing and grilled it up. The chicken was on one side of the platter and the tofu on the other. I had a LOT of asparagus (and very little refrigerator space) so I threw that on the grill pan with some of the dressing. Everyone was so happy. A perfect summer meal.
Hey Karen,
Love to hear this! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xTieghan
Absolutely perfect summer salad! I will be making over and over again. My super picky 11 year gave it a thumbs up!
This is so great to hear Sandy! Thanks for making the recipe! xTieghan
This is delicious and so refreshing for a summer meal. I used the blue cheese but will omit it next time. Hubby declared it company worthy. I could eat the dressing with a spoon…so yummy.
Hey Charlene,
Fantastic! I am thrilled that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxTieghan