Greek Chicken Salad
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With protein, veggies, and healthy fats, this Greek chicken salad recipe makes a fantastic lunch or dinner entree. You can prep it ahead to save time, and it’s customizable, too!
Are you tired of taking expensive lunch breaks, eating subpar meals from fast food restaurants? If so, I think you’ll appreciate having a make-ahead lunch that tastes as good as it looks!
Instant download of our tips to cook the best chicken!
Why This Recipe is a Favorite
This Greek chicken salad is a high-protein meal chock full of nutritious ingredients. It’s healthy and delicious, and the Greek salad dressing adds a wonderful tangy, lemony flavor.
Every part of this meal is made from scratch with fresh, wholesome ingredients.
This recipe is perfect for meal prep, too! Spending just a few extra minutes to put the ingredients in a container with divided sections is so worth it. This way, the chicken and dressing stay separate from the veggies, keeping them fresh and crisp.
And of course, avoiding fast food places will save money, too.
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my mom-tested cooking tips for making this Mediterranean salad recipe!
- Avoid crowding the chicken in the skillet. Otherwise, it won’t brown well. Instead, cook multiple batches, depending on the size of your pan.
- When washing and drying the salad greens, make things easy by using a salad spinner. And don’t forget to use cold water so the lettuce stays nice and crisp.
Ingredients
Get your grocery list ready! The ingredients in this Mediterranean salad are fairly simple and straightforward. You can find them at any grocery store. Here’s what you’ll need:
Substitutions and Variations
Chicken: If you don’t want to use chicken thighs, substitute with either boneless skinless chicken breasts or tenderloins.
Seasoning: Instead of measuring out individual spices for the Greek chicken marinade, make my homemade Greek seasoning blend instead!
Greens: Instead of Romaine lettuce for the base of the chicken salad, you can or whatever crispy greens you like. It could be a mixed spring blend, baby spinach, or even kale.
There’s homemade spicy hummus on the Greek chicken salad, but use store-bought hummus if that’s easier for you.
Make it kid friendly: Feel free to swap out any of the ingredients you or your kids don’t like. Consider using kid friendly substitutes, like shredded carrots or a different type of cheese.
I you have both olive lovers and haters in your family, serve them in a bowl or jar alongside the salad. This way, you can avoid arguments.
How to Make Greek Chicken Salad
This is just a summary of the steps. See the recipe card for full instructions! ⬇️
Jump to Recipe
- Prep the chicken thighs. Dice the chicken into bite sized pieces, then pat them dry with a few papers towels.
- Make the marinade. Marinating adds flavor, which really takes this Greek salad to the next level.
How Long To Marinate Chicken Thighs
Marinate the thighs in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but no more than 12 hours. This allows enough time for the marinade to work into the meat without making it rubbery.
- Clean and chop the veggies. While the chicken is marinating, go ahead and prep the rest of the salad ingredients. Note: If you won't be serving the salad until the next day, refrigerate the chicken salad ingredients in meal prep containers.
- Make the Greek dressing. Measure the ingredients into a small bowl or mason jar. Use a whisk to combine them, or put the lid on the jar and shake it a bit. Set the salad dressing in the fridge for later.
- Cook the chicken. Use a large skillet over medium-high heat, and be sure the oil is hot before adding the meat. Also, use tongs to turn the chicken as it cooks so that it browns evenly.
- Use a digital meat thermometer to check the temp. When the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165° Fahrenheit, remove it from the heat
- Assemble the salad, starting with the greens. Then, add the chicken and other salad toppings. Drizzle the lemon vinaigrette over the top.
Meal Prep Notes
It's important to store the components for the salad without dressing on them. Otherwise, the lettuce will become really soggy.
To store the salad in meal prep containers, prep everything except for the avocado and hummus. Store the cooked chicken, vegetables, and dressing in separate meal prep containers in the fridge. They'll keep for about 4 days.
The Greek salad dressing will keep for 2 weeks in the fridge. Before using it, just give it a good shake or whisk the ingredients back together.
Just before you're ready to eat, divide the salad into bowls. Add slices of avocado and a spoonful of hummus.
If you think you might have leftovers, I recommend serving the dressing on the side.
Storing Greek Chicken Salad Leftovers
Transfer any leftover salad to an airtight container in the fridge. For the best flavor and texture, serve it again within 3 days.
Serving Ideas
For an extra boost of flavor, sprinkle fresh dill and fresh parsley on the salad, along with thin slices of lemon or a bit of lemon zest.
The Mediterranean salad is a complete meal on its own, but soft pita bread or pita chips would go well with it.
After you make this recipe, please give it a star rating below and comment to let me know how it went!
Greek Chicken Salad
Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs or boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1½ tablespoons lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon dried dill
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
For the Salad
- 1 large head romaine lettuce or about 6 cups mixed greens or spinach
- ½ cup feta cheese diced
- ¼ small red onion
- ½ cup olives
- 1 cucumber
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 avocado
- ½ cup hummus
- 1 teaspoon fresh parsley optional, for garnish
- 1 teaspoon fresh dill optional, for garnish
Salad Dressing
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- ⅛ teaspoon dried dill
- ⅛ teaspoon dried oregano
- ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
- ⅛ teaspoon sea salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Pat the chicken thighs dry with paper towels. Place them on a cutting board and dice them into 1-inch pieces. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl.
- Whisk the oil, lemon juice, garlic powder, dill, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Pour it over the chicken, then use tongs or spoon to make sure all of the pieces are covered. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set it aside to marinate for 30 minutes. If you are meal prepping to eat later, marinate it for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator.
- 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.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot, add the pieces of marinated chicken. Avoid crowding the pan - cook in batches if you need to.
- Sauté the chicken, using tongs to occasionally turn the pieces so they brown on all sides and cook through. Use a meat thermometer to take the internal temperature. When it reaches 165℉, transfer the chicken to a large bowl or plate.
- 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, or serve the dressing separately at the table.
Notes
Storing Leftover Dressing: Store the salad dressing in a covered container in the refrigerator and use it within 2 weeks.
It isn’t a Greek salad unless it has pickled beets
Sounds like a lovely addition! I’m sure it would be great with this recipe.
This is strange, but when I printed the recipe, it called for 3 cups of olive oil in the marinade. That seemed like an awful lot. Glad I looked at the recipe online again and saw that it calls for 3 Tablespoons. Just wanted to let you know.
Hi DeeAnn, Thank you for letting me know! You’re the second person who said that happened.. I’m going to try to get to the bottom of it now! I hope you enjoy the recipe! -Laura