Description
This chicken pasta salad is made with orzo pasta, chicken breast and a ton of fresh vegetables! It's dressed with a basil vinaigrette for a refreshing summer pasta salad!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1 cup uncooked orzo (or another pasta will work! Bowties are a close second favorite)
- 1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup red onion, diced
- 1 English cucumber, quartered
- 2 chicken breasts, cooked and shredded or cut into pieces
Basil Vinaigrette
- 1 tbsp basil (fresh or from a tube is fine)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 cloves of garlic, minced ( or 1/2 tsp garlic powder)
- 2-3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1/4 tsp salt
- pinch of cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Cook orzo according to package instructions.
- Combine all the ingredients for the basil vinaigrette in a small bowl. Whisk to combine.
- Once the orzo is cooked, rinse under cold water to stop cooking process and cool down the pasta.
- Combine all ingredients for the pasta salad (sun-dried tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, cooked chicken, cooked orzo and parmesan cheese) in a bowl. Mix to combine.
- Pour dressing over ingredients and gently toss to combine. Serve cold and store in fridge for up to 4-5 days.
Notes
You can use any kind of pasta (however I don't recommend spaghetti or angel hair).
I would not use dried basil in this recipe because the flavor from the basil will be muted.
Add more fresh cracked pepper, parmesan cheese as you wish!
If vegetarian you can swap out the meat for shrimp or garbanzo beans. Or check out my greek orzo pasta salad recipe for some extra protein!
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: salad, main dish
- Method: assemble
- Cuisine: Mediterranean
