Asian Chicken & Orzo Salad

Ridgely's Note:

A nice Asian Pasta salad. It is always fun to bring a "different" kind of salad to a gathering. From Paula Deen.

• Total Time: 30 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 12 side

• 1 (9 ounce) frozen sugar snap peas
• 1 (16 ounce) package orzo pasta , cooked and drained
• 1 cup water chestnut , drained and chopped
• 3 cups diced cooked chicken
• 3 green onions , chopped
• 1 medium red bell pepper , diced
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
• 1 (2 ounce) package slivered almonds , toasted

Directions:

1. Cook sugar snap peas according to package directions; drain well and let cool slightly.
2. In a large bowl combine orzo, water chestnuts, chicken, green onion, red bell pepper and sugar snap peas.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, soy sauce and hoisin sauce.
4. Pour over orzo mixture, tossing gently to coat.
5. Stir in toasted almonds.
6. Cover and chill until ready to serve.

Reviews

[nyn8tv]

This dish is off the charts! It's so easy to make and you can use whatever is in the pantry. I picked up a rotisserie chicken and diced it all up. As for the dressing, I prefer a stronger flavour and doubled the rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and hoisin and added 4 packets of Splenda to the mixture. I love the idea of adding a bit of sesame oil to the dressing and will do that next time. I forgot to pick up the sugar snap peas, and used broccoli florets, instead. Next time, I'm going to add some finely chopped Serrano or Cayenne peppers for a bit of a kick. I served this over a bed of torn Romaine and it was delish and paired it with a crisp Voignier. It made for a lovely meal. Thank you for posting this recipe!

[CountryLady]

This makes a refreshing change from the usual pasta salads! With the quantities quartered, I served the 2 of us a main course with just enough leftovers for my lunch. Aside from adding a couple of drops of Sesame oil, I made no changes to the dressing; it was delicious. I made some substitutions, based on availability - red & yellow peppers and frozen baby peas, which made the salad quite colourful. Thanx for posting!

[McGelby]

I've made this twice now once with chicken and once with tofu, and both turned out wonderfully. I used it for for my lunches all week and am planning on taking it to potlucks this summer. Thank you for posting.