This simple and delicious Greek Chicken Salad is loaded with juicy grilled chicken, crunchy vegetables, and crumbled feta cheese for an easy and healthy meal that everyone will love.
Greek Chicken Salad
This easy chicken salad is everything you want in a fresh Mediterranean dish. The crisp lettuce, cool cucumbers, and juicy chicken pair so well with the creamy feta and zest Greek salad dressing. It’s light yet satisfying enough to keep you full for hours.
What is in a Greek Chicken Salad?
There are a few basic ingredients that go into this classic Mediterranean salad, but you can get creative with your favorite toppings. Here are a few of my favorite.
- Chicken – Most people go for leaner meat like chicken breast as opposed to chicken thighs which tend to have more fat.
- Marinade – it’s as simple as olive oil, lemon juice, fresh garlic, oregano, salt, and pepper.
- Toppings – For a crunchier salad go for the romaine instead of iceberg. You also want to use cherry tomatoes since they don’t get as mushy. And of course make sure to top it with fragrant feta, kalamata olives, red onion, cucumbers, and crispy pita chips. Be sure to heed the CDC’s warning on Romaine lettuce before purchasing. Spinach, Green leaf and Iceberg are fine substitutions.
- Greek Salad Dressing – Wheather you make your own greek salad dressing or buy it from the store is up to you. But if you do purchase it from the store, get it from the fridge, as those tend to be tastier than the ones on the shelf.
How to make Greek Chicken Salad
- Marinate the chicken– this step is crucial. The longer the chicken marinates the more flavor it will absorb into. It will also make your chicken juicier too!
- Grill the chicken– you can always pan sear it or even bake it in the oven. But ultimately grilled chicken has a unique smoky flavor that can’t be beaten by any other cooking fashion.
- Chop the vegetables– I find that cutting everything in similar bite-size pieces makes it more enjoyable to eat this chicken salad.
- Assemble the salad– Now fill a big serving bowl with all of your chopped veggies and add the cooked chicken on top along with the olives, feta cheese, and greek salad dressing.
How long should I marinate the chicken?
Generally, if your chicken has skin on it, you want to marinate it over 2 hours. For this skinless chicken breast, you can marinate from anywhere between 2-8 hours. 4 hours is optimal.
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Since everything in this salad is best served fresh there is a limit to how far in advance you can make it. The only thing you can really make in advance is the marinade and chop the vegetables a few hours beforehand.
What goes well with chicken salad?
- Chicken Noodle Soup
- Rustic Bread
- Potato chips
- Pita chips
- Garlic Asparagus
- Spinach Artichoke Dip
- Garlic Green Beans
More salad recipes to try:
- Lemon Herb Potato Salad
- Greek Pasta Salad
- Simple Spinach Salad
- Avocado Chicken Salad
- Antipasto Pasta Salad
Greek Chicken Salad
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 skinless boneless chicken breast
- 1/4 cup
olive oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon
dried oregano
- 3 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Salad ingredients
- 6 cups chopped lettuce such as iceberg or romaine
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes
- 1 cup cucumber sliced
- 1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives
- 1/4 cup feta cheese broken into chunks
- Red onion
- Pita chips
- Greek salad dressing
Instructions
Marinate the chicken breast
- Place the chicken breast in a large bowl and add in the marinade ingredients as listed above. 1/4 cup olive oil, 3 tbsp lemon juice, 2 minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon dried oregano, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 tsp cracked black pepper.
- Let the chicken sit in the marinade for about 4 hours in the fridge (covered).
Grill the chicken
- Then fire up the grill and cook the chicken over medium heat and cook both sides of the chicken until the internal temperature of the chicken is 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Then place the chicken on a plate and cover it with foil and let it rest for about 10 minutes so the juices absorb back into it. Then slice it up.
Assemble salad in a bowl and add dressing
- Meanwhile, assemble the rest of your salad ingredients into a large serving bowl.
- Start with the chopped lettuce, the cherry tomatoes, sliced cucumber pitted kalamata olives, feta cheese, and red onion. Then top with crushed pita chips, sliced chicken, and a good quality Greek salad dressing. Serve immediately.
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