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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!
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.
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.
Do you have the system rigged to only receive high ratings. I just posted that I didn’t like your recipe. I followed it to a tee and it’s odd tasting and bland. But my post wasn’t added. Strange indeed that only 5* postings are listed…
Hey there! Your comment actually was posted, but thanks again for the feedback!
I’m so sorry but this recipe is terrible. None of the flavors meld together. It’s odd tasting but weirdly flavorless and unharmonious. Bizarre that you have so many high ratings. I’m a very good cook. Very good. And I followed your recipe to a few, which I never do. I make my own recipes. It’s really a strange dish. I feel like I wasted money on it
Hi! I am so sorry that this recipe didn’t turn out for you, thank you for letting me know
SO GOOD!! It was a hot day today so oven was not an option–this recipe was perfect! Went with fresh basil, dried thyme, and added crushed red pepper for the dressing, omitted the peppers, and added a couple hefty spoonfuls of Trader Joe’s Artichoke Antipasto. Came together quick and the family devoured! Simply delish!
Hey Megan! Thanks so much for giving the recipe a try! So happy to hear it was enjoyed! Have an awesome week! xT
I have the staub grill pan, any tips on preventing the chicken from sticking to the pan. Do you brush it with oil first, or do you just need to get it really hot?
Hey Suzanne! Make sure you’re pan is coated really well with oil, (I usually use avocado oil or olive oil), and then you want to preheat your pan to prevent sticking! xT
Another winner! I absolutely loved the myriad of textures and flavors in this!! I made it to bring to a BBQ that was serving chicken and lamb kabobs so did omit the chicken. Oh, and yes, I was asked to pass the recipe 🙂
Hi Yvette! So glad to hear this recipe was enjoyed! Have a great day! xT
This salad was so good! My whole family loved it and we will definitely be making it again.
Hey there! Sooo glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for trying it out! xT
TIEGHAN!!! You have truly done it again. This salad is INSANELY GOOD. Since it made so much, I’ll be eating this for days but honestly, I’m not complaining.
Hi Alyssa,
Happy Sunday!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and your comment, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
It looks beautiful and tastes great, plus it’s pretty easy. definitely part of the summer rotation!
Hi Karen,
Happy Sunday!!🍋☀️ I appreciate you trying this recipe out and your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xT
This was delicious, only thing I will change is to also salt the chicken next time first. Thanks for the great recipe as always!!!
awesome.
made my own pesto from basil i grew in my garden. so fresh tasting. hubby said definitely a do you over. loved the fresh herbs. also from my garden.
Hi Mary Margaret,
Fantastic!!🍒🍉 I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your comment, so glad to hear it was a winner! xx
I added a bunch of romaine lettuce to my dish. To bulk up the veggies. Smoked my own peppers & tomatoes on the traeger. Plus smoked the chicken. My dad doesn’t normally like this sort of stuff, but he had 2 servings. My parents thought it was fantastic! Making it for the 2nd time, as we speak & taking it to a pot luck BBQ in a few weeks.
Hey Nikki,
Happy Monday!!☀️🌊 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it was a hit! xT
I made mine with roasted potatoes instead of orzo (husband doesn’t like orzo). It was great! I also used banana peppers instead of pepperoncini (its what I had), but I would recommend NOT doing that lol. It was too much vinegar flavor. Would definitely make this again.
Hi Kaitlyn,
Happy Monday!! Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! Have a great week! xT
This was SO good! I ate some for lunchq today (Sunday), but the bulk went into 5 separate containers for my lunches this week…if I don’t sneak one into a suppertime meal too. I made it according to the recipe provided – no changes.
Hey Pam,
Happy Monday!!☀️🌊 I appreciate you making this recipe and your comment, so glad to hear that it was a hit! xT
Hi!
I know you said it can be made up to a day in advance. Does that mean it would only be good in the fridge for one day?
Hi Janessa,
You could use this as a meal prep, it will be good in the fridge for a few days:) Let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Is it ok to use a mix of fresh and dried herbs? If you use dried, how much? Can’t wait to make this!
Hi Sarah,
Yes, that would be just fine for you to do, I would cut the dried herbs measurements in half:) I hope you love this recipe, let me know if you give it a try! xT
This had so much flavor! I could not find orzo again so I used pasta twists, I also forgot to buy pesto so I made homemade from dry pasta, ok enoigh. Your recipies help me explore with flavors that I am loving! Family loved it too! Thanks for the inspiration. 💚💚
Hey Cheryl,
Happy Sunday!!🏖️🌤️ I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, so glad to hear that it turned out well for you! xT
This is so so good. I make it for my meal prep and I always look forward to it. Tieghan’s salads NEVER disappoint!
Hey Liza,
Amazing!! Thank you so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it turned out well for you! xx