Ultimate Greek Chicken Salad: A Fresh, Flavorful & Easy Mediterranean Meal

On a hot summer day, or really, any day you crave something light yet satisfying, this Greek Chicken Salad is an absolute dream come true! It’s the perfect entrée salad, versatile enough for a quick lunch or a delightful dinner. Imagine combining the vibrant flavors of my Traditional Greek Salad with succulent, perfectly grilled Greek Chicken, all served over a bed of crisp lettuce. This recipe brings the essence of the Mediterranean right to your table, offering a healthy and incredibly delicious meal that will leave you feeling refreshed and nourished.

While I eagerly anticipate the day I can visit Greece and immerse myself in its rich history and breathtaking landscapes, for now, my kitchen serves as my personal culinary gateway. I absolutely adore creating Greek Recipes – they are incredibly refreshing, often healthful, and truly shine at any time of year. However, they hit an exceptional sweet spot during the warmer months, making them ideal for summer gatherings, barbecues, or simply a light family meal.

This post was initially published on July 15, 2019, and received its last update on June 11, 2021.

For quick access to the full recipe, use the JUMP TO RECIPE button located at the top of the post, or simply scroll down to the bottom to view the complete recipe card with detailed ingredient measurements and step-by-step instructions.

Crafting the Perfect Traditional Greek Salad

The foundation of an exceptional Greek Chicken Salad begins, naturally, with an outstanding traditional Greek Salad. And at the heart of any great Greek salad is its dressing. This flavorful concoction is where the magic happens, infusing every vegetable with a tangy, herbaceous goodness. Beyond just the ingredients, there’s a specific process and purposeful layering technique that elevates a simple salad into a truly authentic Greek experience.

Our quintessential Greek dressing is a symphony of simple yet powerful flavors: bright lemon juice, pungent red wine vinegar, robust extra virgin olive oil, fragrant dried oregano, a hint of thyme, and a balanced touch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper. To truly deepen and round out the flavor profile, I always incorporate a special Greek seasoning blend. This combination creates a dressing that’s both zesty and aromatic, perfectly complementing the fresh vegetables.

The preparation process is just as crucial as the ingredients themselves. My method starts by thinly slicing red onion and placing it at the very bottom of the salad bowl, directly with the dressing ingredients. This strategic step serves a dual purpose: it gently “pickles” the raw onion, taking away its harsh bite, and allows it to infuse the dressing with a subtle sweetness as you prepare the remaining vegetables. This creates a beautifully mellow onion flavor that permeates the entire salad. To learn more about this technique and get the full breakdown of ingredients, click the link to the recipe below.

Discover my complete Traditional Greek Salad recipe HERE for all the details!

Mastering Flavorful Greek Chicken

To create the perfect Greek Chicken for our salad, the seasoning should echo the vibrant flavors of the Greek salad itself. The key lies in a simple yet potent marinade comprising salt, black pepper, aromatic dried oregano, a special Greek seasoning blend, rich olive oil, and the essential bright tang of lemon juice. This combination not only infuses the chicken with incredible flavor but also helps tenderize it.

For optimal results, allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes to absorb those wonderful flavors. For a truly authentic “souvlaki-style” experience with deeper flavor penetration and tenderness, marinating overnight (up to 8-12 hours) is highly recommended. However, there’s a critical rule to follow: you must either cook the chicken within 30 minutes of adding the lemon juice or allow it to marinate for an extended period, preferably overnight. Marinating the chicken for a “medium” duration (e.g., 2-4 hours) with lemon juice can actually cause the protein to break down too much, resulting in a slightly “gummy” or rubbery texture. So, it’s either quick or long – no in-between when it comes to citrus marinades!

Find my full Quick & Easy Greek Chicken recipe and marinade instructions HERE!

My Greek Chicken recipe utilizes my perfected method for grilling chicken, ensuring juicy, tender results every time. This involves precise temperature control, searing for those beautiful char marks, and allowing the chicken to rest properly after cooking to redistribute its juices. For a more in-depth guide on achieving perfectly grilled chicken, irrespective of the marinade, you can refer to my dedicated post on that topic.

Learn more about my Perfect Grilled Chicken method HERE!

Bringing It All Together: Assembling Your Greek Chicken Salad

This Greek Chicken Salad is a harmonious fusion of two of my absolute favorite Greek-inspired recipes, culminating in a truly satisfying and wholesome entrée salad. I particularly appreciate a salad that transcends the side dish category and stands proudly as a complete meal, and this one certainly delivers on that promise. It’s an ideal choice when you desire something light, fresh, yet utterly filling.

While a traditional Greek Salad is typically served without a bed of lettuce, presented simply with its fresh vegetables and dressing, for an entrée salad like this, I find that adding some crisp romaine lettuce elevates the experience. The lettuce introduces an extra layer of crunch and a refreshing textural contrast that perfectly complements the robust flavors of the Greek salad and chicken. Moreover, it effectively “bulks up” the entire dish, transforming it into a more substantial meal, especially when generously topped with our savory Greek chicken.

One of the beauties of the traditional Greek salad component is that a flavorful dressing naturally forms as the vegetables marinate together with the olive oil, lemon juice, and red wine vinegar. When serving, be sure to scoop deeply from the bottom of the bowl to capture all those delicious juices. This naturally created dressing is rich in flavor and provides all the moisture and zest you need for a truly authentic taste.

For those who enjoy an extra layer of creamy indulgence, consider an optional creamy dressing. Thin out some of my homemade Garlic Tzatziki with a couple of tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar and a fresh squeeze of lemon juice. This creates a wonderfully tangy and cool dressing that adds a delightful richness to the salad, balancing the vibrant, zesty notes with a creamy finish. It’s a fantastic addition if you’re looking to enhance the salad’s texture and flavor even further.

Did you try this amazing Greek Chicken Salad recipe? I would love to hear your thoughts! Please let me know by leaving a review or comment below. And don’t forget to sign up for my newsletter to get new recipes delivered straight to your inbox. You can also follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook for daily inspiration and updates!

📖 Recipe

Yield: 4 Salads

Greek Chicken Salad

Prep Time:
15 minutes

Cook Time:
20 minutes

Total Time:
35 minutes

There isn’t much I enjoy more than a GREAT greek salad. Make it next level with my Greek Chicken Salad, I’ll just be eating this for lunch all summer long!

Ingredients

• 4 Greek Chicken Breasts
• 1 recipe Garlic Tzatziki, if desired
• Juice of half a Lemon
• 1 recipe Traditional Greek Salad
• 2 heads Romaine Lettuce, chopped
• 1 cup Kalamata Olives
• 2 cups Feta Cheese, sheep’s milk from Costco
• 1 cup Pepperoncini Pepper Slices, drained

Instructions

1. Prepare your Greek Chicken, and slice or dice for topping your salad.
2. Thin some of the garlic tzatziki with some white balsamic vinegar and the juice of half a lemon to make a creamy Greek Dressing to top this salad with.
3. Place your chopped romaine lettuce in a shallow bowl or plate. Top with a few good scoops of Greek salad, getting some of the juices from the bottom to sprinkle over the lettuce.
4. Top with chicken, feta, olives, peppers, and thinned tzatziki if using as dressing.
5. Enjoy!

Notes

I mash up a couple of my very favorite Greek recipes here to produce this perfect entree salad. I love a good salad that can become a meal, especially this one!

Traditional Greek Salad is not served with or on a bed of lettuce. I like to add some romaine lettuce to give this a bit of extra crunch. It also bulks everything up and makes this a nice salad that can be a meal, especially topped with chicken.

A dressing forms naturally as you marinate the veggies. I like to be sure to get a nice big scoop of veggies from the bottom with all the juices too. It’s everything you need!

To dress it with an extra creamy touch, thin my Garlic Tzatziki with a couple of tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar and a squeeze of lemon juice.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

4

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving:
Calories: 644Total Fat: 34gSaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 181mgSodium: 1579mgCarbohydrates: 31gFiber: 9gSugar: 20gProtein: 56g

This is an estimated caloric value, actual numbers may differ based on the ingredients used.

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