Grilled Greek Chicken Salad with Feta

This Greek chicken salad is flavorful and light.  With juicy marinated chicken, pungent feta cheese, salty olives and a delicious zesty greek dressing, you will be salivating over this healthy weeknight dinner. 

Why you’ll love this Greek Chicken Salad

I used to say that salad night was a boring dinner night.  Until I started changing things up and created this delicious Greek chicken salad.  The bright flavors of garlic, oregano and lemon dressing, mixed with the bold flavors of feta, olives and marinated chicken are the perfect medley of summer freshness. 

Bold Flavors – This is not your typical boring old salad.  This is a greek salad with chicken touting briny olives, pungent feta cheese, and bright lemon flavors.

Fast – Literally all you have to do is toss the ingredients on a bed of lettuce.  How much simpler can dinner get?

Pre-Prep Option – Spend a little time making the chicken and you will have this meal made ahead and ready to throw together in a minute.

Love chicken? Try these healthy and delicious recipes; Greek Chicken Bowls, The Best Chicken Meal Prep and How to Make Shredded Chicken

What’s in a Traditional Greek Salad?

Traditional Greek salads are simple but flavorful.  They contain bright flavors and use fresh ingredients.  The most recognizable Greek salad ingredients are feta cheese and olives.  Though most also have ripe tomatoes and cucumbers.  The dressings will be made with olive oil or possibly greek yogurt with spices like oregano and garlic.

What is the difference between a Greek salad and a Mediterranean salad?

Mediterranean salad and Greek salad are very similar because the Mediterranean encompasses Greece. However a Mediterranean chicken salad uses a wider selection of vegetables and flavors.  Some common items added to a mediterranean salad are artichokes, aubergine, and courgette.  While salad dressing flavors branch out into lemon, cumin, and mint.

Ingredients

Marinated Chicken Breasts – This Greek chicken salad recipe uses marinated chicken, flooding the chicken with the bold flavors of Greece.  

Olives – Even though this is a chicken Greek salad, the olives play a star roll in the flavors and texture of the salad. Their briny, fruity flavor will make you feel like you are looking out at the Mediterranean sea from Greece itself.

Feta – The feta cheese really sets this salad with chicken apart. The salty, tangy, pungent flavor of the feta marries so well with the marinated chicken and olives. 

Greek salad dressing – The best Greek salad dressing is made up of simple ingredients and seasonings.  I think you are going to love the dressing for this recipe with olive oil, a squeeze of lemon,  garlic, and oregano.  The flavor is bright and full.

If you have leftover feta, consider making one of these yummy recipes; Viral Crispy Feta Eggs or Whipped Feta Dip with Harissa

Variations/ Adaptations

You don’t have to limit yourself to chicken as the protein on this salad.  Most healthy Greek salads are loaded with seafood.  Some great options to substitute the chicken are shrimp or fish flavored the same way as the chicken.

Make this salad into a Mediterranean Greek salad by adding more Mediterranean vegetables.  Some delicious options are artichokes, roasted red peppers, aubergine, and courgettes.

Instead of frying the chicken, try making it on the grill for a delicious grilled chicken Greek salad.

If you are vegan, just replace the chicken with a vegan chicken substitute or tofu.  Then add the same seasonings that are in the chicken marinade.

How to make Greek chicken salad

*Prepare the chicken breast by pounding the thickest part of the breast to reduce the thickness of the breast. Start by marinating the chicken breasts in ½ tbsp of oregano, ½ tbsp of mixed herbs, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, juice of half a lemon & a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine in a bowl and pop in the fridge for one hour.

1. Next preheat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, then add the chicken into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, adding a splash of water into the pan to deglaze any sticky bits. This also adds a nice colour to the chicken (Image 1).
2. Then add the components of the salad to a bowl, that’s the lettuce, red onion, cucumber, tomatoes and crumbled feta (Image 2).

3. To make the salad dressing, combine 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil with the juice of half a lemon, the minced garlic, 1 tsp oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to the salad bowl and toss together (Image 3).

4. Slice the chicken along the breast into bite-sized pieces. Finally, serve up the salad and top with the sliced chicken and crumbled feta. Summer in a bowl! (Image 4).

Need inspiration for some main meal recipes? Try my; Halloumi Burger, Prawn Salad Recipe and Perfect Pan Fried Cod Recipe

Or need some ideas for some easy, quick side dishes to pair with this salad? Try these; Airfryer Frozen Fries, Airfryer Hash Browns or The Crispiest Halloumi Fries

Here are some more delicious salad recipes to try after this one; Grinder Salad (Italian Sub Salad), Thai Noodle Salad with Peanut Sauce and the best halloumi salad

Make Ahead Instructions

Greek chicken salads are a great make ahead meal.  You can pre-prep all the ingredients by marinating and cooking the chicken ahead of time, pre-chopping any vegetables that need chopping, and making the dressing.

Then store them all in the refrigerator using the instructions below.  The only item in this recipe that is freezer friendly is the cooked chicken.

Leftover storage Instructions

Once this salad has been constructed and dressed with the dressing, it is best eaten soon after.  If you try to store it after adding the dressing, the lettuce will become soggy and inedible.

FAQs

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Grilled Greek Chicken Salad

by Mimi Harrison

Print

5 from 6 votes

Prep Time: 5 minutes mins

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 35 minutes mins

£1.95

mains, Salad

Greek

Servings: 4

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MetricUS Standard

Boldly flavored Greek chicken salad with tangy feta cheese, juicy flavorful chicken and zesty Greek dressing.

Ingredients

• ▢ 600 g chicken breast, pounded (£2.65)
• ▢ Juice of a lemon (£0.30)
• ▢ 6 salad tomatoes, thinly sliced (£0.95)
• ▢ 50 g black olives (£1.00/2)=(£0.50)
• ▢ 2 romaine lettuce, washed and sliced (£1.09)
• ▢ 1 cucumber, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced (£0.89)
• ▢ 1 red onion, thinly sliced (£0.15)
• ▢ 1 garlic clove, minced (£0.39)
• ▢ 100 g feta, crumbled (£0.89)

Cupboard Essentials:

• ▢ ½ tbsp + 1 tsp dried oregano
• ▢ ½ tbsp mixed herbs
• ▢ 5 tbsp olive oil
• ▢ Salt & Pepper

Method

• Prepare the chicken breast by pounding the thickest part of the breast to reduce the thickness of the breast.
• Start by marinating the chicken breasts in ½ tbsp of oregano, ½ tbsp of mixed herbs, 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil, juice of half a lemon & a pinch of salt and pepper. Combine in a bowl and pop in the fridge for one hour.
• After the chicken has marinated for an hour, preheat a non-stick frying pan over a high heat, then add the chicken into the pan. Cook for 5 minutes on each side, adding a splash of water into the pan to deglaze any sticky bits. This also adds a nice colour to the chicken.
• To make the dressing, combine 4 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil with the juice of half a lemon, the minced garlic, 1 tsp oregano and a pinch of salt and pepper.
• When your chicken is ready, slice along the breast into bite-sized pieces. Toss the salad dressing with the chopped romaine lettuce, tomato, cucumber, olives and red onion.
• Finally, serve up the salad and top with the sliced chicken and crumbled feta. Summer in a bowl!

Notes

• Add the salad dressing just before eating to prevent lettuce from becoming soggy.
• Cook chicken over high heat for a good sear and shorter cook time, preventing dryness.
• Pound or butterfly chicken to reduce thickness, minimising the cook time and preserving moisture.

Nutrition

Servings: 4 servings

Fat: 28g

Calories: 470kcal

Carbohydrates: 15g

Protein: 41g