Chicken And Orzo Salad - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1 tablespoon stone ground dijon mustard
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup olive oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
1 lb orzo
chicken stock (for preparing orzo)
2 lbs chicken, cooked, diced
2 cups slivered almonds, toasted
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
1 lb cherry tomatoes or 1 lb grape tomatoes, halved
salt and pepper

Preparation

Combine mustard, vinegar, olive oil, sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and basil in a bowl. Mix well.
Substituting chicken stock for water, cook orzo according to package directions until al dente. Drain and mix with 1/3 of the vinaigrette.
Toss chicken with 1/2 of the remaining vinaigrette. Add the orozo, almonds, red pepper, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, and salt and pepper to taste. Add the remaining vinaigrette and toss to mix well. Chill, covered in the refrigerator. Remove from refrigerator and let stand at room temperature one hour before serving.
Note: Crumbled feta cheese may be added to the salad before serving.