Mediterranean Chicken and Pasta Salad
Wow your guests with this simple, yet delicious pasta salad. Orzo is tossed with tomatoes, olives, feta and chicken in a vinaigrette, then served in a red pepper cup. A perfect summer starter to enjoy all year round.
Ingredients
Serves: 4
- 225g uncooked orzo pasta
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 75ml red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 3/4 teaspoon garlic granules
- 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
- 3/4 teaspoon dried basil
- 3/4 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 75g baby plum tomatoes, cut in half
- 35g black olives, cut in half lengthways
- 60g crumbled feta cheese
- 1 grilled chicken breast, diced
- 2 red peppers, cut in half lengthways and seeded
- 4 sprigs fresh oregano
Method
Prep:20min ›
Cook:15min ›
Ready in:35min
- Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the orzo and return to the boil. Cook the pasta uncovered, stirring occasionally, until the pasta has cooked through, but is still firm to the bite, about 11 minutes. Drain well in a colander set in the sink, transfer to a bowl and let cool in the refrigerator.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, garlic granules, oregano, basil, onion powder, salt and pepper. In a large bowl, stir together the cooked orzo, tomatoes, olives, feta cheese and chicken breast meat until thoroughly combined. Pour the dressing over the orzo mixture, lightly mix to coat all ingredients with dressing and spoon into the red pepper halves. Garnish each serving with an oregano sprig.
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Reviews & ratings
Average global rating:
(44)
Reviews in English (27)
I was very much looking forward to trying this recipe for me but to my surprise, my hubby instantly fell in love with this and he doesn't even like bell peppers of any color. First bite in and he was praising it like he has only done a few others from this site. Don't get me wrong, he enjoys many from here but this one really stood out to him to the point he was talking about it the rest of the night and already asking when we would have it again. This recipe is great hot or cold and I agree with him in the fact it should be part of our regular rotation. I added green onion to the top because we like it so much and it was good but not necessary. All of the flavors blend splendidly with one another in this and I wouldn't change a thing. Thank you for sharing geranium and congratulations on your Packers - 08 Feb 2011 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
Made this for the Recipe Swap, flower girl, and it was great. I used kalamata olives and my own cherry tomatoes, quartered, cus that's what I had, and a grilled chicken breast left over from the night before.(had been basted while grilling with lime/butter), and I used fresh herbs. Made a gorgeous presentation in the peppers, too. Added my photo til you take one of your own! - 28 May 2010 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)
This was a very delicious recipe! I made it exactly as written. I would suggest that for the amount of dressing, I would use a scant cup of orzo or even a little less because it did need a little more dressing. A little garlic in the dressing would have worked well, too. Serving it in the pepper was a nice idea but totally not necessary. Actually, I might even just dice up a quarter of the pepper and add it to the salad. It just depends on your presentation. I was thinking that adding a quarter cup of toasted pine nuts would have been perfect with this! You can see that this is a versatile idea that will become part of your cooking repertoire. Thanks for posting, geranium! UPDATE: I microwaved the little bit of the leftover pasta the next night, and it was delicious served warm, too! - 28 May 2010 (Review from Allrecipes US | Canada)