Chicken Florentine Salad with Orzo Pasta

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 10 min
Servings: 8
Yield: 8 servings

Description

Grilled chicken and orzo pasta are tossed with spinach and a homemade balsamic vinaigrette in this chicken Florentine salad with orzo pasta recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups orzo pasta
3 cups chopped grilled chicken
2 (10 ounce) packages baby spinach
2 roma tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tablespoons capers, or to taste
1 cup balsamic vinegar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, or to taste

Directions

1 Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook orzo in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, 10 to 11 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2 Combine orzo, chicken, spinach, tomatoes, pine nuts, sun-dried tomatoes, and capers in a large bowl.
3 Whisk balsamic vinegar, olive oil, sugar, parsley, basil, garlic, oregano, salt, and black pepper together in a bowl; drizzle over salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese over salad.