Light and healthy, this orzo chicken salad is a vibrant dish for an easy dinner. The addition of orzo lends heft, teaming up with chunks of roasted chicken, leafy arugula and juicy tomatoes for a bright and fresh salad.

Orzo is the Italian word for barley, which is deceiving, since orzo is not a grain. And, to muddle its name even further, orzo is also known as risoni in Italy, even though it’s not a rice. Orzo is a rice-shaped pasta usually made from semolina flour. When cooked, it has a firm texture that indeed resembles rice. It imparts a starchy creaminess to soups and pasta dishes and makes a toothsome addition to salads.

What is perfectly clear is that orzo is a welcome ingredient in this salad that you can call dinner. Dinner salads are all about easy eating. It’s a complete meal and takes advantage of any leftover chicken you may have. If not, no worries — the chicken prep is included in the recipe method below. The recipe can be easily prepared for a quick dinner. If you have extra time, let the chicken marinate in the vinaigrette, which does double-duty as a marinade and dressing in this recipe.

Lynda Balslev is a Marin cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer. Learn more at TasteFoodBlog.com.