Lately, I am in love with all things bruschetta. Bruschetta is a simple mix of tomatoes, garlic, basil, parmesan cheese and is served on crunchy toasts. I decided to take the delicious bruschetta mix and turn it into an orzo pasta salad. It is so delicious! To make it a complete meal, I added chicken and this Bruschetta Chicken Orzo Salad is perfect for meal prep and makes the most delicious easy lunch.

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For some reason, anytime orzo is in a pasta salad compared to other kinds of noodles, there is always so much more flavor. I think because the noodles are tiny, you can really taste the flavors of everything that you're eating. Orzo pasta salad is perfect to make for picnics and potlucks. It seems to be a fan favorite.​

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This Bruschetta Chicken Orzo Salad is also perfect for meal prep. It stores really well for a few days and makes the most delicious lunch. Adalyn loves taking things for lunch that are out of the ordinary from a PB and J and this Bruschetta Chicken Orzo Salad is a favorite. Great for kids and adults too.​

For the bruschetta, I used garden tomatoes that still seem to be coming! I recommend using the most flavorful tomatoes that you can find because it helps make the dish taste even more delicious. In a pinch, you could use dried basil but the fresh basil leaves chopped up is even better. I like using shaved parmesan cheese lately instead of shredded because you can taste it better.

Since I like to keep things simple and easy when I can, I used Tyson® Blackened Chicken Strips from Meijer. It has no added breading for less calories, more protein and less fat than other chicken strips. It is fully flavored, raised with no antibiotics ever and makes a great addition to salads, nachos or any entree really. They are super flavorful and delicious! To me, they are spicy because they have a lot of black pepper flavor which went so well with the bruschetta.

The best grocery shopping helper! If you are short on time, you can microwave these or you can bake them in the oven. When you bake them in the oven, they get lightly crispy and are super delicious. I love these on their own as well or tossed on a Tex-Mex salad. They do not need a dip for them because they are very flavorful. I love that there is no breading yet these get fairly crispy so it seems like you're having something more indulgent.

Bruschetta Chicken Orzo Salad

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