Grilled Chicken Orzo Salad with Avocado.

This grilled chicken orzo salad is a delicious lunch or dinner. Orzo is dressed in cilantro lime vinaigrette and tossed with grilled chicken, avocado, scallions and fresh herbs. Leftovers are fabulous too!

A bowl this beautifully green has me happy on a Monday morning!

This is going to become one of your new favorites. A great lunch option, a delicious dinner, this could even be a side dish for a get-together. I like to serve this grilled chicken orzo salad cold or chilled, with lots of avocado chunks and fresh herbs.

This recipe was born out of my adoration for keeping delicious vinaigrettes in my fridge at all times. And my love for grain bowls! You know this is a main focus of my book Everyday Dinners – make fridge staples throughout the week to keep in the fridge. Dressings and sauces that elevate dishes, things like bowls and salads, and keep variety in our meal plans.

It’s a key to eating well throughout the week.

The orzo tossed in the cilantro lime dressing is just incredible. I could practically eat that on its own. So super delicious and flavorful.

So I like to toss the orzo in the dressing then add everything else on top.

This is amazing served warm or cold, leftovers are great and it gets even more delish as it sits! 

Here’s the run down!

We start with my cilantro lime vinaigrette. This is one of my favorite dressings of all time! Not only is it a beautiful vibrant green color, but it’s incredibly delicious. It holds up well in the fridge. This is the dressing that I use on our favorite tortellini salad and it can’t be beat. 

When it comes to the base of the bowl, I love to use orzo. You could use quinoa, couscous, bulgur, rice – whatever your favorite is for a cold salad bowl. Now of course – you can serve this warm. But I really love to serve it chilled or even at room temp. It’s a fabulous meal to prep ahead of time for lunch or quick dinners.

I grill chicken with a few of my go-to spices. Smoked paprika, garlic powder, salt and pepper obviously. The smoky flavor from the grill adds so much here so that is key for me. It makes it taste so much better – gives it a hint of summery flavor too. You can always use a rotisserie chicken in a pinch. 

Lots of green! I like to use avocado, cilantro and a bunch of fresh sliced scallions. If you’re preparing this a day or two ahead of time for work lunches, leave the avocado out until serving. Everything else can go into the bowl and gets tossed with the amazing vinaigrette!

This can always become a clean-out-the-fridge meal for you too. Toss in some tomatoes, maybe even corn. A few peppers or any leftover roasted vegetables you may have hanging out. You can even throw some things on the grill with the chicken. 

A vibrant dish like this is just so FUN to eat. And my kids enjoy it because it’s so GREEN.

Grilled Chicken Orzo Salad

Grilled Chicken and Avocado Orzo Salad

Yield: 4 people

Prep Time: 30 mins

Cook Time: 15 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

This grilled chicken orzo salad is a delicious lunch or dinner. Orzo is dressed in cilantro lime vinaigrette and tossed with grilled chicken, avocado, scallions and fresh herbs. Leftovers are fabulous too!

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Ingredients

• 16 ounces orzo, cooked
• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• kosher salt and pepper
• 4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 handful fresh cilantro
• 1 avocado, cubed

cilantro lime vinaigrette

• 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 ½ tablespoons honey
• ¼ cup fresh cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• pinch crushed red pepper flakes
• ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil

Instructions 

• As a note, I love to make the cilantro lime dressing first. You can even make it a few hours ahead of time and stick it in the fridge!
• Preheat your grill to the highest setting. Let it heat up for 10 minutes.
• Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook the orzo according to the package directions.
• Season the chicken breasts all over with the paprika and garlic powder, along with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill grates. Grill for 5 minutes, then flip over and grill for 5 minutes more, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove the chicken and let it rest for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, slice or chop the chicken.
• Toss the orzo with half of the cilantro lime vinaigrette. Stir in the green onions and cilantro. Add the chicken and toss. If serving now, toss in the avocado. I love to serve this cool/room temperature, but you can also serve it warm! Taste and season with more salt and pepper if necessary.
• Drizzle on extra dressing and serve!

cilantro lime vinaigrette

• In a blender or food processor, combine the lime juice, honey, garlic, cilantro salt, pepper, pepper flakes and olive oil. Blend until combined and smooth (some pieces of cilantro may remain). Leftovers stay great in the fridge for a few days! Store it in a sealed container.

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

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Doesn’t get much greener!