Grilled Greek Chicken And Shrimp With Orzo Salad

11/2 pounds boneless chicken breast, cut into 11/2 inch cubes
11/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1 pound box orzo pasta
1 pint grape tomatoes
1 large English cucumber, large dice
1/2 pound feta cheese, crumbled
1 bottle best Greek salad dressing
1/2 c. sliced dark olives(your preference)
Marinade:
5 lemons, reserve 1 for garnish
2 tbs dried oregano
2 garlic cloved, chopped
1/2 cup olive oil
grind of sea salt to taste
fresh ground pepper to taste

Step 1- Make Marinade:

In a covered container, combine oil, garlic, oregano,salt, and pepper, Add zest and juice 4 lemons, reserving 1/3 zest for garnish. Put 1/2 of marinade mixture in a zip bag. Add chicken. Massage chicken and marinade. Chill for a few hours or overnight. Save remaining marinade for shrimp. Important! Do not marinade shrmp more than 15 min. before grilling.

Step 2: Make Orzo Salad
Cook orzo to al dente. The dressing will further soften the pasta. While pasta is cooking, chopped cucumber, slice grape tomatoes in half. Drain orzo and put in a large covered container/dish. Add 1/2 c Greek salad dressing while pasta is still warm. Set cucumbers, tomatoes and sliced olives on top. Cover and refrigerate.

Step 3: Assembly and Grilling

Salad: Add feta and toss orzo salad. Add Greek dressing, to taste. Toss again.

Grill: Add marinade to shrimp. Preheat grill. Put chicken on skewers. I like to use one skewer per person. I use metal, but if you use wooden, remember to soak in water for 30 min. to prevent fire. Grill 3-4 minutes. Skewer Shrimp. Turn chicken. Place shrimp on grill. Turn after 1-2 minutes. The chicken and shrimp should be done at the same time.

Step 4: Serving

Place the hot kabobs over the cold salad, either on individual plates or on a large platter. Garnish with fresh lemon wedges (your reserved lemon), lemon zest, and fresh oregano, if you have it.

To make this ahead, marinate the chicken and set the chicken in the fridge to defrost (if necessary). Cook orzo until aldente, put in a large storage container and toss with some Greek dressing. Prepare your veggies, but put them into separate zip bag to keep them fresh. Set these inside large pasta container. On serving day marinate shrimp and cook them with the chicken according to instructions above. Toss salad and feta while cooking proteins, adding remaining Greek dressing. Serve when the meat is done. Enjoy!

~ Orzo is the Italian word for barley
~ It's a rice-shaped pasta also known as "melon seed pasta" or "risoni"
~ Cookin6 5-6 minutes will give you an aldente pasta. Cooking longer will bring out a risotto like texture.
~ Orzo is popular in soups, salads, pilafs, casseroles, and risottos.