A crunchy cucumber and dill-flecked orzo salad is the perfect accompaniment for juicy grilled chicken in this easy weeknight recipe. Draining the orzo directly over the spinach to wilt means you can skip the sautéing altogether.
Ingredients
- Cooking spray
- ½ (16 - oz.) box orzo
- 1 (5 - oz.) pkg. baby spinach
- 1 lb. chicken breast tenders
- 1 medium cucumber
- ¼ cup loosely packed fresh dill
- 2 green onions
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 3 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
Steps
- Coat grill or grill pan with cooking spray and set to medium-high. Cook orzo according to package directions. Place spinach in a large colander in the sink.
- While orzo cooks, season chicken with salt and pepper. Grill until fully cooked (165°F on an instant-read thermometer), 3–4 minutes per side.
- Drain cooked orzo over spinach to wilt. Rinse orzo with cold water until cool and drain well.
- Peel and chop cucumber. Chop dill and green onions. To a large bowl, add cucumber, dill, green onions, oil, lemon juice, orzo and spinach. Toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Serve chicken tenders over orzo salad.
Tags
- orzo salad
- Fresh Magazine May June 2026
- weeknight dinner