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Warm Kale Pasta Salad with Orzo, Kale, Bacon, Grilled Chicken, and Lemon

Warm Kale Pasta Salad

Sauteed garlicky kale, warm orzo, grilled chicken, bacon, and lemon all come together to form this warm kale pasta salad.
5 from 2 votes
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Ingredients
  

  • 16 oz Orzo
  • 6 tbsp Olive Oil
  • 10 oz Kale large stems removed
  • 12 oz Grilled Chicken I used chicken breast already cooked from a grocery store for this dish. See Note Below
  • 4 cloves Garlic minced
  • 1-2 whole Lemons
  • 8 slices Bacon diced, cooked, and drained
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan grated
  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

Instructions
 

  • Cook your bacon. I like to dice up the bacon before it gets cooked. Then, I cook it in a pan for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Drain the bacon once it is cooked. 
  • Boil a pot of water and cook the orzo according to the package directions. After cooking for about 4 minutes, drain the orzo and set it aside.
  • Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan. Once the oil is hot, add 4 cloves of minced garlic.
  • After about 30 seconds, add in your chopped kale and mix it around with the olive oil and garlic. Add 1/2 tsp of sea salt and mix again.
  • Keep mixing the kale around and after about 5 minutes, you should see that all of the kale is a bright green color and wilted. One this happens, add this to a bowl and set it aside.
  • Add your chicken to the pan to heat up slightly on low heat. Once the chicken is heated through, add back your kale, the orzo, the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the juice of one whole lemon. Mix well
  • Add your bacon and mix well.
  • Taste your orzo and decide if you want to add any parmesan cheese and if you want to add additional lemon juice.

Notes

If you want to use raw chicken breast and cook it yourself, you should pre cook your chicken using the method below, and then chop it up to use for this dish.
Ingredients
1 lb Chicken Breast
3/4 tsp Sea Salt
1/4 tsp Black Pepper
2 tablespoon Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves chopped
1.Season your chicken on both sides evenly with the salt, pepper, and garlic.
2 Cook for 12-14 minutes using medium heat, flipping at the half way mark.
3. Let the chicken rest for 10 minutes before your cut it.