Chicken-Orzo Salad with Goat Cheese

I came across this recipe in an old copy of Cooking Light magazine, and I thought it looked perfect for a hot summer evening.  We tried it for dinner the other night, and it was a hit with all of us.  For the chicken, instead of buying pre-cooked (which the recipe suggested, and I thought sounded like it might be pretty dry), Ted just added some chicken breasts to the grill the night before. So they were ready when I wanted them the following day.  To add flavor to the orzo, I cooked it in low sodium chicken broth instead of water.  That’s a waste of broth, but it’s such a light dish, I thought the flavor would be worth it.  And if I had been thinking about it, I could have saved the broth after I strained the orzo, and used it again for the same thing, or maybe to cook rice or potatoes in.  Oh well, next time.  Maya said she wished there had been more goat cheese in her portion, so next time we have this, I’ll double the amount.  It was delicious, and I had some for lunch the next day.  Yum!

The recipe is also available online, along with the beautiful picture, here.

Ingredients

• 1 1/4  cups  uncooked orzo
• 3  cups  chopped grilled chicken breast strips
• 1 1/2  cups  trimmed arugula
• 1  cup  grape tomatoes, halved
• 1/2  cup  chopped red bell pepper
• 1/4  cup  chopped red onion
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh basil
• 1  teaspoon  chopped fresh oregano
• 2  tablespoons  red wine vinegar
• 1  tablespoon  extra virgin olive oil
• 1/8  teaspoon  salt
• 1/8  teaspoon  black pepper
• 6  tablespoons  (1 1/2 ounces) crumbled goat cheese

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat; drain well.

2. Combine pasta, chicken, and the next 6 ingredients (through oregano) in a large bowl; toss well.

3. Combine vinegar, oil, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl, stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinegar mixture over pasta mixture; toss well to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.