Chicken Orzo Artichoke Salad

by Dorothy Reinhold on September 22, 2011


Print This Post Print This Post Chicken Orzo Artichoke Salad

Grab one of those cooked supermarket chickens, a little basket of cherry or sweet grape tomatoes, a small jar of marinated artichoke hearts, and go to town on this uncomplicated but elegant salad.

I feel like a lady who lunches when I eat it, but it’s not fussy; my whole family enjoys it.

I make it ahead of time and pull it out for cool dinners on these warm Southern California evenings. We’ve eaten it for sit-down weekend lunches, but it would also be perfectly lovely on a brunch table; it serves easily.

It is also great as leftovers a day or two later, should you be so lucky as to have leftovers. Not at this house.

Recipe: Chicken Orzo Artichoke Salad

Summary: A simple, refreshing chicken orzo salad with Mediterranean flavors is an elegant warm-weather dinner over a bed of fresh spinach. Fruit salad alongside completes the meal.

Ingredients

  • 3 cups diced cooked chicken
  • 1/2 cup orzo pasta, cooked according to package directions
  • 1 cup cherry or sweet grape tomatoes, halved
  • 3 green onions, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 (6-ounce) jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

  • Dressing:
  • 6 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • For serving: Fresh spinach, cut into a chiffonade
  • Garnishes: halved Kalamata olives, grated Parmesan cheese, shredded fresh basil

Instructions

  1. Using an immersion blender or a whisk, in a small bowl whisk together all dressing ingredients; season with salt and pepper.
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, cooked orzo, tomatoes, green onions, parsley and artichoke hearts; toss with dressing to combine.
  3. Taste and season salad with salt and pepper to suit.
  4. Serve salad over a bed of fresh spinach cut into a chiffonade (very thin strips).
  5. Half our tasters preferred the salad as-is, and half liked it with optional garnishes, ranging from pitted and halved Kalamata olives to grated Parmesan and fresh basil shreds. Suit yourself.

Quick notes

Adapted from a recipe at Crisco.com. They wanted to use their vegetable oil, but this one screams for olive oil!

Preparation time: 20 minute(s)

Cooking time: 10 minute(s) (for orzo)

Number of servings (yield): 4

Culinary tradition: Italian

My rating 5 stars:  ★★★★★ 1 review(s)


{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }

Emily September 23, 2011 at 3:07 pm

This sounds like a great fast meal for evenings when I work or have class late!

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