Greek Chicken and Orzo Pasta Salad
Orzo dressed while it is still hot so it drinks the vinaigrette instead of wearing it, then grilled lemon-oregano chicken, feta broken off a block, and garlic breadcrumbs over the top for the crunch a pasta salad usually goes without.
Method
Start with the chicken. Whisk the olive oil, salt, oregano, garlic powder, pepper and lemon juice together in a medium bowl. Add the tenderloins and toss until they are coated. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes and up to 4 hours — this is the part of the timeline you cannot compress, so start here.
Heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Lift the chicken out of the marinade and grill until cooked through, about 5 minutes a side. Slice it into 1-inch-wide pieces and set it aside.
Now the breadcrumbs, and heat the oven to 400°F. In a medium ovensafe skillet, warm the butter, olive oil and minced garlic over low heat until the garlic just begins to sizzle. Add the panko and a pinch of salt and toss until coated, then move the skillet to the oven and toast until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
Whisk the dressing together in a small bowl: olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, oregano, pepper, grated garlic and lemon juice.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the orzo, and cook it to al dente, 7 to 8 minutes.
Drain the orzo and tip it straight into a large serving bowl, then toss it with the dressing while it is still hot. Let it cool to room temperature.
Once it is cool, stir in the tomatoes, cucumber and parsley.
Top with the feta, the sliced chicken and the breadcrumbs, and take it to the table.
Notes from the line
Dress the orzo hot. Pasta at room temperature beads the vinaigrette on the outside and tastes oily; pasta straight out of the colander pulls it in and tastes seasoned. It is the same twenty seconds of work either way and it is the whole difference in the finished bowl.
Buy feta as a block in brine and break it up yourself. The pre-crumbled tubs are tossed in anti-caking starch, which is exactly what stops the cheese softening into the salad — the recipe calls this out and it is right to.
The breadcrumbs go on at the table, not before. They stay crisp for about as long as it takes to serve, so anything you are packing up for tomorrow should get its crumbs fresh on the day.
Adapted from Katie Lee on Food Network. Headnote and method rewritten for Dad Made.