This quick and easy Greek Salad with Chicken and a homemade Greek dressing is fresh, crisp, delicious and big enough to be enjoyed as a meal all by itself!
And when I say big, I’m talking piled-high-and-fills-a-whole-dinner-plate big. In fact, it’s so filling and satisfying that it’s perfect as a main course salad, and you really don’t need to serve anything else with it!
So, wow, it’s been really hot and humid here for the past several weeks, which is not at all typical for where we live (the summers are usually pretty mild)…but I absolutely love and welcome all of it!
It takes me back to those wonderful summers as a kid when we spent every day playing outside and pool-hopping throughout the neighborhood to stay cool. Such fun!
When the weather is this hot – and sometimes even when it’s not – I just love making a big salad for dinner (or lunch), and this Greek chicken salad is my new favorite!
It’s got romaine lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, kalamata olives, feta cheese, and chunks of warm seasoned chicken breast.
Then we top it off with a tangy Greek vinaigrette-style dressing made with olive oil, red wine vinegar, lemon juice, garlic, oregano, mint, and yogurt (Greek, of course).
It’ll make your tastebuds come alive and have them asking for more!
All that, and it’s quick too. Even after chopping all the veggies, cooking the chicken and assembling the salads, you’ll be ready to sit down and eat in less than 30 minutes!
Ingredients you need:
Note: Ingredient amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Olive oil (I use regular olive oil, not extra-virgin)
- Red wine vinegar
- Lemon juice
- Garlic
- Sugar
- Oregano (dried)
- Mint flakes (dried)
- Plain Greek yogurt
- Boneless skinless chicken breast
- Garlic powder
- Paprika
- Romaine lettuce
- Cucumber (I use English cucumber)
- Tomato
- Onion (I use a sweet onion)
- Pitted kalamata olives
- Feta cheese
- Salt
- Black pepper
Note: This video is just a brief overview of the steps. Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe with detailed instructions.
Tips & Tidbits:
- I use regular olive oil in the dressing instead of extra-virgin, which can have a very strong flavor. But you can certainly use EVOO if you’d rather!
- Even though the dressing has yogurt in it, it isn’t thick and creamy. The yogurt is there mostly to help the dressing emulsify and keep it together longer (otherwise, it would separate too quickly).
- Don’t feel like making your own dressing? Use your favorite bottled Greek dressing.
- You could cook the chicken on the grill instead of on the stove.
- I love the flavor of kalamata olives, but you can use regular black olives if you like them better.
- Want to add some croutons? Try making a batch of my easy Homemade Croutons.
- Pepperoncini would be a delicious addition to this salad for some tangy heat.
- This recipe makes 2 big salads, but you could make 3 or 4 smaller salads instead.
- To change things up, try putting the salad into wraps. Yum!
- This salad is best when it’s served freshly made.
- That being said, you could assemble the salads without the dressing and keep them in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 to 2 days (just know that the longer they sit, the more the veggies will lose their firmness and freshness). Dress the salads right before serving.
- Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- The oil may solidify some in the cold, so be sure to take it out in plenty of time to come back up to room temperature when you’re ready to use it. You’ll probably also need to give it another shake to bring it all together again.
And even though you don’t need anything else to go with it, if you like bread with your salad, some pita bread would be the perfect choice!
I hope you try this Greek Salad with Chicken recipe and love it as much as I do. Thanks for visiting today!
More Salad Recipes You Might Like:
- Classic Chef Salad
- Big Mac Salad
- Black Bean Taco Salad
- Honey Mustard Chicken Salad
- Spinach Salad with Warm Maple Bacon Dressing
If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it went! Please leave a star rating and comment below. Thanks!
Greek Salad with Chicken
Ingredients
For the Salad Dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon dried mint flakes
- 2 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt, I use whole milk yogurt
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For the Chicken:
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (8-ounce) boneless skinless chicken breast, halved lengthwise to make 2 thinner cutlets
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder, or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon paprika, or to taste
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
For the Salad:
- 6 cups chopped romaine lettuce
- 1 English cucumber, partially peeled in long strips and sliced about ¼ inch thick (about 1½ cups)
- 1 large tomato, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2 cups total)
- ½ cup thinly sliced onions, I use a sweet onion, but any kind will do
- ¼ cup halved pitted kalamata olives
- 2 ounces crumbled feta cheese
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
Instructions
Make the Salad Dressing:
- Place all of the salad dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until well-combined; set aside.If you don't have a jar, just whisk all of the ingredients together in a bowl.
Cook the Chicken:
- Season both sides of the 2 pieces of chicken with the garlic powder, paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Heat the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat (I use a 10-inch skillet). Add the chicken and sauté just until it is cooked through (internal temperature of 165°F), about 3 minutes per side.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and let rest for 5 to 10 minutes, then chop it into large bite-sized pieces.To save time, while the chicken is resting, start assembling the salads.
Assemble the Salad:
- Divide the lettuce among 2 dinner plates. Top each with half of the cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, olives, feta cheese; season with salt and pepper, then add half of the chicken to each plate.
- Give the dressing another quick shake and pour half over each salad (or your desired amount); serve immediately.
Notes
- Even though the dressing has yogurt in it, it isn’t thick and creamy. The yogurt helps the dressing emulsify and keeps it together longer instead of it separating too quickly.
- If you’d rather smaller salads, you could make 3 or 4 instead of 2.
- This salad is best when it’s served freshly made.
- That being said, you could assemble the salads without the dressing and keep them in the refrigerator, covered, for up to 1 to 2 days (just know that the longer they sit, the more the veggies will lose their firmness and freshness). Dress the salads right before serving.
- Store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- The oil may solidify some in the cold, so be sure to take it out in plenty of time to come back up to room temperature when you’re ready to use it. You’ll probably also need to give it another shake to bring it all together again.
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