Mediterranean Chicken Salad
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Mediterranean Chicken Salad is my go-to for a hearty and wholesome meal, and my kids love it, too! Even better, the marinated rosemary chicken and roasted grapes can be prepped ahead, saving you time on busy weeknights.
This Mediterranean chicken salad is a perfectly balanced meal. The delicious rosemary chicken and roasted grapes sit on a bed of baby spinach, and it’s topped with crumbled cheese and chopped walnuts.
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Why This Recipe is a Favorite
Even though there are several steps involved, it’s easy to make this meal. Not only is it easy, but you can also save time by prepping some of the salad components ahead.
You’ll reserve some of the balsamic chicken marinade to use as the salad dressing, so that’s one less thing to deal with.
This meal has plenty of protein and nutrient-packed greens, with a nice balance of sweetness from the grapes. Of course, my kids love a lot of the fruit in their salad. They eat the spinach and chicken too, so I’m a happy mom.
Happy Kitchen Secrets
Here are my most important mom tested cooking tips for making the Mediterranean chicken salad! I’ve made this countless times to save you from a failed attempt.
- Reserve half of the marinade to use as salad dressing.
- Turn the grapes half way through the cooking time. This will prevent them from becoming too mushy. Obviously, they’ll roll around rather than being easy to flip. Don’t worry about it – just move them around a little bit.
- Feel free to use leftover chicken. The rosemary chicken is delicious, but if it’s easier for you, make this salad with chicken from a previous meal or even a rotisserie chicken.
- Be sure to use a cooking thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. It’s safe to eat when it registers 165°F.
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- boneless skinless chicken breasts or if you prefer dark meat, boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- chicken marinade: The nice thing about the rosemary balsamic marinade is that it doubles as salad dressing. Not to mention, the flavors taste great with cheese and walnuts!
- baby spinach: Feel free to use any greens/lettuce that you or your kids like
- cheese: If you want something fancy, use some crumbled chèvre or creamy goat cheese. Otherwise, feta is a classic Mediterranean choice with a milder flavor, which most kids seem to prefer.
- chopped nuts: I think walnuts taste the great with Mediterranean flavors like rosemary chicken. Either pistachios or slivered almonds are good substitutes.
- seedless grapes: You can use red or green grapes, but either way, be sure they are seedless.
- oil: I like to use walnut oil for roasting the fruit, but olive oil works just as well, and it’s more affordable.
Variations of Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Want a different flavor? The balsamic marinade is really delicious! But, for a different Mediterranean spin, use my lemon garlic chicken marinade recipe. You could even use the Greek marinade that’s in my Mediterranean salmon recipe.
Other salad add-ins:
- olives: Kalamata olives are a classic choice and add a briny, tangy flavor.
- fresh herbs: To brighten the flavors, add some fresh dill, mint, parsley, or basil
- chickpeas (garbanzo beans): A delicious way to add extra protein and fiber!
Roasted Grapes
If you haven’t tasted roasted grapes before, they are super delicious! When the sugar caramelizes, the flavor of the grapes becomes sweeter. Plus, the outer skins of the fruit become sweeter and just a little bit softer.
They are delicious as-is, or you can add them to yogurt parfaits, other salads, or over ice cream. And of course, they’re a fantastic addition to this Mediterranean chicken salad.
How to Make Mediterranean Chicken Salad
- Marinate the chicken for at least 30 minutes. For a stronger rosemary flavor, you can marinate the chicken for up to 8 hours.
- Pan sear the chicken breasts in a skillet until the internal temp reaches 165°F. That’s about 6-7 minutes per side.
- Roast the grapes in a preheated 400°F. oven for 15-20 minutes.
- Prep the other salad ingredients. Wash your greens, chop the nuts, etc.
Alternate Cooking Methods
If you don’t feel like cooking this meal on the stove, you can use grilled chicken, bake it in the oven, or even make air fryer grilled chicken.
Mediterranean Chicken Salad FAQ
Absolutely not! If you don’t care for red grapes, you can roast green grapes, or leave them out of your salad.
If you make this recipe, please give it a star rating and leave a comment below to let me know how it went!
Mediterranean Chicken Salad
Ingredients
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
Marinade
- ⅔ cup olive oil *Reserve 2 tablespoons for cooking the chicken
- ⅓ cup balsamic vinegar
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary chopped
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Salad
- 2 cups seedless red grapes
- 1 tablespoon olive oil or walnut oil
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 4 cups baby spinach
- ¼ cup crumbled goat cheese or feta or chèvre
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife or kitchen shears, trim any fat from the chicken breasts, then use paper toweling to pat them dry. If necessary, use the flat side of a meat mallet to pound them to the an even thickness. Place the chicken in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag or a shallow glass baking dish.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, garlic, rosemary, and pepper.
- Pour half of the marinade over the chicken, and set the other half aside to use as salad dressing. Seal the bag or cover the dish with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400℉.
- Rinse the grapes, use paper toweling to pat them dry, then place them in a bowl. Drizzle oil and salt over the grapes, tossing them lightly to coat.
- Arrange the grapes in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Cook in preheated oven for 12-14 minutes, using tongs to turn grapes over halfway through cook time. When the grapes are soft and bubbling, remove from the oven and allow them to cool on the pan slightly.
- While grapes are roasting, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook the chicken breasts for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through to an internal temperature of 165℉.
- Remove the chicken from heat and set it on a cutting board. Cover lightly with foil and allow it to rest while you assemble the salad, then cut into thin slices or bite sized pieces.
Assemble the Salad
- Assemble the salad by dividing the spinach evenly into four bowls.
- Top the spinach with crumbled cheese, walnuts, roasted grapes, and chicken. Drizzle each salad with dressing just before serving.
Delicious!