Greek Chicken Orzo Salad

B. should get the credit for finding this recipe - he'd clipped it from Epicurious and it'd been sitting on his desktop for months before he thought of it during one of our weekly menu planning/grocery list making sessions.


When I was away for school, I never made menu plans - I had a vague idea of what I usually ate and just shopped by that; I had (and still have) toast with pumpkin seed butter/banana or an egg every morning, needed fruit to take to school, I had fish once a week, I made a lot of pastas and stir-fries, etc. etc. I was pretty good about shopping just once a week, but occasionally would run to the store to pick up an item or two for a recipe.

However, I've run into a lot of people who aren't intuitive like that, and end up going to the store multiple times a week, buying just enough food for dinner that night - what a waste of time and money! Yes I understand there are some countries/cultures where people do go to the market every day, but I don't think that's the purpose of our sterile supermarkets, nor does it fit in a lot of busy, North American lifestyles. Planning your meals/menu ahead of time cuts down on the amount of trips you make to the grocery store, *usually* cuts down on the money you spend (unless you keep on trying crazy recipes every day) and saves you from just making a big batch of something and eating it for the rest of the week (unless that's what you want... I won't judge you... can you tell I'm speaking from experience?)

My meal/menu planning technique is mostly inspired by the tips at Simple Bites. During my month with B., it was nice to come home and know the answer to "What's for dinner?"


This salad is actually an amalgamation of two recipes - the orzo salad from Epicurious served as the base, but we wanted a little protein, so I went into my Reader and found a chicken "gyros" recipe (without the tzatziki) from Healthy Eats. It was originally supposed to be a main dish/side dish situation, but B. cut the chicken small enough that it mixed well into the salad.

    
We've made this salad a second time now - though with just a touch too much variation - and we think it's a keeper. I think B. will appreciate having to just follow one recipe here instead of two separate ones in order to make it. We did cut out the pine nuts in the original recipe because they were ridiculously expensive at the store, but I'm sure they'd be lovely to have back. Adding cucumber and/or bell peppers would probably help play up the "greek salad" part of the recipe, if you so desire.

Greek Chicken Orzo Salad
Adapted from Epicurious/Bon Appétit/Giada de Laurentiis and Healthy Eats
Makes 8 servings

For chicken:

• 1½ lb (680 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
  
• 1 tbsp (15 mL) olive oil
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) dried oregano
  
• 1 lemon, juiced and zested

For dressing:

• ¼ cup (60 mL) red wine vinegar
  
• 2 tbsp (30 mL) lemon juice
  
• 1 tsp (5 mL) honey
  
• ½ cup (125 mL) olive oil

For salad:

• 6 cups (1½ L) total low-sodium chicken broth and/or water*
  
• 1 lb (454 g) orzo
  
• 2 cups (500 mL) grape/cherry tomatoes, halved
  
• 7 oz (200 g) feta cheese, cut into ½" cubes (about 1½ cups/375 mL)
  
• 1 cup (250 mL) fresh basil, chopped
  
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped (about 1 cup)

1. Cut chicken into pieces and place in a bowl. Add olive oil, oregano, zest and juice from lemon, and salt and pepper to taste. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour (can make ahead and refrigerate overnight).
   
2. When ready, heat a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken and sauté until cooked through, about 5-8 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
   
3. To make dressing, whisk together vinegar, lemon juice and honey. Slowly whisk in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.
   
4. Prepare orzo by bringing broth/water to a boil in a large saucepan. Stir in orzo, reduce heat to medium, cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain in a colander and rinse briefly in cold water to cool down and rinse off excess starch, being mindful not to rinse off flavour from chicken broth! Transfer to a large, wide bowl.
   
5. Mix tomatoes, feta, basil, green onions and cooked chicken into orzo. Add dressing; toss to coat. Serve at room temperature (leftovers can be served cool.)

Nutrition Info (per serving): 527 calories, 21 g fat (6 g saturated), 71 mg cholesterol, 48 g carbohydrate (3 g fibre, 5 g sugar), 33 g protein, 550 mg sodium. An excellent source of thiamine (vitamin B₁)**, riboflavin (vitamin B₂)**, niacin (vitamin B₃)**, folate**, vitamin B₆, vitamin B₁₂, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc, manganese and selenium. A good source of pantothenic acid (vitamin B₅), calcium, iron** and copper.

*Nutrition info assumes equal parts chicken broth and water

**Due to fortification