Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing.

This Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad with Honey Mustard Bacon Dressing is the perfect summer dinner salad. It’s almost no-cook and comes together quickly and easily. Grilled chicken tossed with a lemony herb honey mustard dressing, orzo pasta, cheddar cheese cubes, crispy bacon, and creamy avocado. It’s colorful and so delicious. Enjoy this for dinner and save the leftovers for lunch. Warm or cold, it’s always good. Or serve this up at your next backyard dinner with friends.

It’s a Monday salad, but an exciting Monday salad because it’s certainly not just greens and vegetables…there’s so much more! I love this one.

First of all, happy Monday guys. Hope everyone had a great weekend and is slowly slipping into the laid-back, chill, summertime mindset. It’s all about the easy-going life for the next three or so months, right? That’s kind of my thinking and I’m really embracing it when it comes to our weekly dinners.

I know most of us want to be out enjoying these summer days and not spending hours in the kitchen. So as I said last week, simple is the name of the game…all summer long.

I have what seems like hundreds of orzo recipes on HBH, so it’s really no secret that I love using orzo. Technically, it’s pasta, but it’s shaped like small rice, so I love tossing it into salads. It makes for super quick one-pot pasta dishes or even carbonara.

It really is so versatile, and one of my favorites ingredients to use in the summertime because of how quickly it cooks up.

Shockingly, I have not shared an orzo salad with you guys. So when I had this idea, I jumped right in and created it. It ended up being the perfect, quick-to-throw-together summer dinner…and you guys, it really is good and for so many reasons…

The lemon herb honey mustard dressing, the grilled chicken, orzo, bacon, creamy avocado, melty cubes of cheddar cheese, and fresh herbs. And when put all together, such a GOOD combination.

Here are the details…start with the dressing

The dressing is where you want to start. I was so into the dressing I made for those burrata vegetable sandwiches I shared the other week that I used the same dressing here. Only I added fresh herbs, rosemary, thyme, and basil, and a shallot too.

The dressing is the heart of this recipe. As the chicken grills in it and then the hot orzo gets tossed up with it too.

It’s a little herby, spicy, sweet, and tangy…all the things we really love.

Grill up that chicken and toss the orzo

Once you toss the chicken in the dressing, throw it on the grill. While the chicken is grilling, I boil off the orzo and then toss it with the chicken.

Now, this next step is key. I like to toss the hot orzo with the cubes of cheese and the dressing. The heat from the pasta turns the cheese melty and helps the dressing really soak into the pasta and infuse it with flavor.

Now finish it up

When you have the chicken grilled and the orzo tossed, add everything else, then top with the avocado and more fresh herbs.

You can enjoy this warm or cold, though I LOVE this warm with those melty chunks of cheddar cheese.

Totally and completely delicious. But simple to make!

I know I say this just about every day, but this recipe really is good.

It’s one of those recipes that you’ll crave time and time again. Plus the sauce just kind of melts in your mouth. YUM!

Looking for other quick dinners? Here are some favorites:

Pesto Chicken Caesar Salad with Tomatoes and Burrata

Lemon Parmesan Salmon with Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Salad

Tropical Jerk Grilled Chicken with Charred Mango Salsa Verde

Lastly, if you make this Grilled Lemon Herb Chicken Avocado Orzo Salad, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!