This easy Greek Salad with Chicken is the most delicious, bright and wonderful entree salad. It’s made with tender marinated chicken thighs, feta cheese, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, avocado, hummus, and more, all served on top of crisp romaine lettuce. Drizzled on top is a fresh and easy lemon vinaigrette. It doesn’t get any better than this!
🥗 Why I Love This Recipe
Years ago I used to work right next door to a fabulous Greek restaurant called Mykonos. And after every shift, whether it ended at 11 AM or 11 PM, I’d pop over there for my favorite thing on the menu: Greek Salad with Chicken.
It was such a great salad, piled high with tender pieces of chicken, crunchy vegetables, and feta cheese, and served with a delicious lemon vinaigrette and a side of hummus. I’m telling you, it was absolutely fantastic, and the furthest thing possible from a boring salad. That salad had oomph!
So when I recreated it at home and took my first bite, it was like I was transported right back to New York, sitting in the restaurant I loved, eating my favorite dish.
I tried my best to get my Greek salad exactly the way they made it, with juicy marinated chicken thighs, crisp cucumbers and red onions, feta, avocado, olives, hummus, and more.
And I have to say, I did a pretty great job (*gives self a pat on the back*). This salad is oh so satisfying, and surprisingly easy to make! It’s great for a simple weeknight dinner, your weekly meal prep, or when entertaining friends.
🔪 Ingredients List
Get your grocery list ready! The ingredients in this recipe are fairly simple and straightforward, so you should be able to find them at most grocery stores (I did all my shopping at Kroger this week). Here’s what you’ll need to make this recipe at home:
🍗 Marinated Chicken & Salad Dressing
- Boneless Skinless Chicken Thighs. Chicken thighs have more flavor than chicken breasts, but you can substitute chicken breasts if that’s what you prefer or have on hand.
- Olive Oil
- Lemon
- Herbs: Dried dill, dried oregano, garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Alternately, use my homemade Greek Seasoning Blend!
🥬 Salad & Toppings
You can customize the salad toppings based on what you have in the house and what you like! Here’s what I use:
- Produce: Romaine lettuce (or mixed greens or spinach), cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, avocado.
- Feta Cheese. I’ve always found a block hummus tastes better and fresher than pre-crumbled hummus. Buy a block and dice it up.
- Hummus. You can use your favorite store-bought brand, homemade spicy hummus, or bean-free Whole30 hummus, whatever works for you.
- Olives.
- Optional, for garnish: Fresh dill, parsley, lemon slices.
🧑🍳 Step by Step Instructions
Before you do anything else, you want to marinate the chicken thighs. Marinating the chicken is a must, so don’t skip this step! Marinating adds flavor and tenderizes the meat, which is what really takes this dish to the next level.
First, dice the chicken into bite sized pieces. Pat them with a few papers towels to dry them off, then transfer the chicken to a large bowl.
Add half of the oil, lemon juice, and herbs, then mix it all up. Note: You can skip this step if you buy a store-bought sugar free greek marinade/dressing.
➡️ How long to marinate chicken? Marinate chicken for at least 30 minutes, but up to 18 hours in the refrigerator. Do not marinate chicken for longer than 24 hours, though, or else it actually starts to work in reverse and will make the chicken tougher.
While the chicken is marinating, we’re going to make all the good stuff that goes in and on the salad. Of course, that means we’re making salad dressing first! In a small jar or bowl, mix together the remaining oil, lemon juice, and seasonings. Set it aside until you’re about to eat.
Next, prepare all the salad ingredients. This is the easy part, because it just involves a bunch of cutting and no real thinking (yay!). Wash and chop the lettuce, thinly slice the onions, and dice the tomatoes and cucumbers. If you’re using a block of feta, cut it into small cubes.
By the time you’re done with the toppings, the chicken should be ready to cook. The really nice thing is that this is the only actual cooking we need to do for this dish.
To cook the chicken, heat the oil in your biggest skillet, then add in the chicken pieces. You should try to avoid overcrowding the skillet, because you won’t get the beautiful caramelization on each pieces. Instead, cook the chicken in two or even three batches, depending on the size of your skillet.
Turn the pieces of chicken as they cook to get all the sides browned evenly. When the chicken is done cooking through, transfer it to a bowl.
➡️ What’s the safe cooking temperature for chicken? According to USDA, chicken must be cooked to 165°F (~74°C). Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken is cooked through.
Okay, now we’re in the home stretch! All that’s left to do is assemble the salad. Add the lettuce to a large serving platter and top with all the vegetables, feta, and chicken.
Tip: Since we have a few olive lovers and a few olive haters (🙋♀️) in our family, I leave the olives in a small mason jar and serve it alongside the salad. That way everybody gets to make a choice about olives, and nobody’s mad about it!
When you’re ready to serve the salad, drizzle on the dressing, sprinkle it with a little fresh dill and parsley, and garnish with a few slices of lemon. Toss the salad together and dig in! I promise as soon as you take your first bite, you’ll see why this is my favorite!
📝 Tips and FAQ
It’s important to store the salad without dressing on it, otherwise the lettuce can get soggy. Transfer the salad to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator. According to USDA, it should be eaten within 3-4 days.
Store the salad dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks. It’s versatile, and can be used to marinate chicken or to dress your favorite mediterranean inspired salad.
Yes! All the vegetables in this recipe are low in carbs, and the chicken is high in protein. The feta and salad dressing are good sources of healthy fats. Each serving contains approximately 7 net carbs.
This salad recipe is not Whole30 compatible as written, because it contains feta cheese (dairy) and hummus (made with legumes). If you’d like to make this salad Whole30 compatible, omit the feta cheese and use a Whole30 compatible hummus.
Absolutely! You could prepare the recipe up to a day in advance, but don’t cook the chicken or assemble the salad until just before serving.
1. Wash and prep all the salad ingredients EXCEPT the avocado and hummus and store them covered in the refrigerator. Do not dress the salad.
2. Cover the raw, marinating chicken and store it in the refrigerator overnight, then cook it up just before serving. Just don’t let it marinate longer than 24 hours (18 hours or less is best).
3. Assemble the salad, top it with chicken, diced avocado, and then drizzle with the salad dressing. Toss and serve!
Greek salad goes beautifully with lots of sides! Pita bread, pita chips, tzatziki, orzo salad, and mediterranean bean salad are all wonderful choices to serve with Greek salad.
More Delicious Recipes
Well, it looks like it’s time to get cooking! If you make this dish, I’d love to hear about it! Leave a comment below or tag me on Instagram @cookathomemom.
Greek Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Marinated Greek Chicken
- 2 lb. chicken thighs boneless & skinless
- 3 Tablespoons olive oil
- 1.5 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
Greek Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce, or about 6 cups mixed greens or spinach
- 1/2 cup feta cheese diced
- 1/4 small red onion
- 1/2 cup olives
- 1 cucumber
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- 1/2 cup hummus
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley, optional, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill, optional, for garnish
- 1 sliced lemon, optional, for garnish
Lemon Salad Dressing
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
- 1/8 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/8 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon pepper
Instructions
Marinate the Chicken
- Dice the chicken thighs into 1 inch pieces. Pat the chicken with a few paper towels or napkins to dry them. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl.
- Mix the chicken with the oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, dill, oregano, salt and pepper until all pieces of chicken are evenly coated. Cover and set aside to marinate at least 30 minutes, or up to 18 hours in the refrigerator.
Prepare the Salad Ingredients
- Meanwhile, wash and chop the lettuce, dice the tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese, slice the red onion. To prevent browning, wait until just before serving to dice the avocado.
- In a bowl or jar, whisk together all the salad dressing ingredients. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Cook the Chicken
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.
- In batches, cook the marinated chicken, turning occasionally until it's lightly browned on all sides and cooked through. Use a meat thermometer to test the internal temperature. Once it's cooked, transfer the chicken to a large bowl or plate.
Assemble & Serve
- Assemble the salad by adding the lettuce to a large serving platter, then topping the lettuce with all of the salad toppings: chicken, cucumber, tomato, onion, feta, olives, avocado, and hummus. Optional: Sprinkle with fresh herbs and garnish with slices of lemon.
- Just before serving, drizzle the salad with the dressing and toss together. Serve immediately and enjoy!
Video
Notes
Storing Leftover Dressing: Store the salad dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks.
Nutrition
