Grilled Greek Chicken Salad Recipe

Topped with delicious slices of grilled lemon garlic chicken, this Grilled Greek Chicken Salad Recipe comes packed with all your favorite crunchy vegetables, tangy feta, creamy avocado, and an easy 5-minute vinaigrette. Enjoy this easy, healthy, main-course salad with a side of tzatziki and fluffy flatbread for a complete meal.

Greek Chicken Salad

There are few things that get me more excited than a big, fat, veggie-filled salad. Lucky for me, main course salads, like this Chopped Shrimp Salad, Chickpea Tomato Salad, or this Greek Chicken Salad, have become huge reader favorites over the years.

Topped with my favorite Greek Marinated Chicken and loaded with crunchy veggies, this Greek Chicken salad is protein-packed, low-carb, gluten-free, and easily modified to be dairy free (simply skip the feta). 

Greek Chicken Salad Ingredients

Scroll down to the recipe card and you’ll discover, what appears to be, a huge list of ingredients. Before you cross this awesome salad off your list, I assure you it’s not as bad as it seems. Here’s a list of the most important ingredients you’ll need to make this salad.

• Olive oil – You will need olive oil for both the vinaigrette and the marinade. I can’t think of a marinade that doesn’t have at least some oil. The olive oil is especially important since this recipe calls for chicken breasts which are naturally lean and low in fat.
• Red wine vinegar – This vinegar is a must-have when you make any kind of Greek vinaigrette. The perfect complement to the olive oil, lemon, and herbs, you’ll want it. Trust me.
• Lemon juice AND zest – Lemon is a popular ingredient in many popular marinades and salad vinaigrettes. The high acidity from the lemon juice helps break down the tough fibers of the chicken helping to infuse the delicious lemony flavor of the marinade. Adding zest simply multiplies the awesome lemon flavor. Fresh lemon juice is an absolute must.
• Garlic – Garlic is a common ingredient in all Greek cooking and is essential to the balance of flavors in this marinade. 
• Fresh herbs – I added thyme, oregano, rosemary, and parsley. I also added fresh chopped herbs as it is a personal preference, but dried herbs may be substituted if needed (simply add half of what the recipe calls for). Don’t skip the herbs. 
• Dried oregano – I know, I’m probably confusing you. To be honest, fresh herbs would probably work in the vinaigrette, however, I have always made my Greek vinaigrette with dried oregano. Typically, when I have a good thing going, I try not to muck it up.
• Dijon mustard – no, my friends. Not yellow mustard, not honey Dijon, or grainy Dijon. Dijon mustard (the right kind) is wonderful at added extra flavor (just be careful not to add too much).

Popular vegetables and additions found in Greek Chicken Salads-

• Vegetables– Romaine lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, and bell pepper.
• Artichoke hearts – The naturally occurring variant of the artichoke is native to the Mediterranean and was eaten by both ancient Greeks and Romans. I’m a big fan of artichoke hearts so they were one of the first things I put in this Greek Chicken Salad, but feel free to leave them out if they’re not your fav.
• Chickpeas – An easy and delicious way to add a little extra protein. 
• Olives – It doesn’t really matter which olives you choose to add. In this case, I added Kalamata olives as their origin is Greece and this is a Greek Salad.
• Avocado – I firmly believe that a salad always tastes better with avocado.
• Feta – Feta cheese adds this amazing tangy layer to this salad that goes really magically with the Grilled Greek Chicken, crunchy lettuce, and creamy avocado. If you’re a fan of dairy, highly recommended.

Ok, so that’s about it. I think…

Of course, this salad is yours, so feel free to add, subtract, or modify to make it exactly how you want it to be.

How to make a Greek Chicken Salad

There are a few steps to achieving this brilliant salad. Again, at first glance, it will appear much more daunting than it really is. To help with this, I’m going to walk you through it. K?

1. Step one. Prepare the marinade and marinate your chicken.
   • Add all ingredients for the marinade (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, salt, and black pepper) to a large shallow mixing bowl. Mix well to combine. Add the chicken and mix well to coat in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes, time allowing.
2. Step two. As the chicken marinates, prepare the Greek vinaigrette.
   • Add all ingredients for the vinaigrette to a medium-sized jar. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until fully combined. Set aside or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.
3. Step three. Grill the chicken.
   • Clean grill grates and lightly oil with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set grill to medium-high heat.
   • Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly on the grill. Discard remaining marinade. Cover the grill and allow the chicken to cook for approximately 5 minutes before reducing heat to medium. Allow chicken to cook for an additional 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each breast over. Grill for an additional 5-7 minutes (or longer), or until the thickest part of your chicken registers 160 degrees F. with a digital meat thermometer.
4. Step four. As the chicken cooks, prepare and chop the salad ingredients.
5. Step five. Allow chicken to rest.
   • Remove chicken breasts from the grill and set aside to a clean plate. Tent with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
6. Step six. Assemble and serve.
   • Add the sliced chicken to your salad and drizzle with prepared Greek vinaigrette. Gently toss to combine.

Tips & Tricks

• Try to marinate your chicken for at least 15-30 minutes. Of course, you can marinate it for longer, or just 2 minutes if that’s all the time that you have, but with this Greek chicken marinade, you don’t really need to marinate it for hours and hours.
• Fresh ingredients are the best ingredients. With the exception of certain herbs, you really want to use only fresh ingredients. This is especially important for any kind of citrus juice and garlic. It is worth the extra few minutes of prep time (trust me).
• If you don’t plan to enjoy this whole salad in one sitting, I do not recommend adding the vinaigrette to the entire salad. Instead, serve an individual serving bowl and drizzle with vinaigrette. Save any leftovers in a sealed container and enjoy the next day.
• Add the avocado to the salad last as it will turn brown.
• Enjoy this marinade and salad recipe with chicken thighs, shrimp, or even beef.
• Never consume used marinade that has not been cooked first.

Love this Grilled Greek Chicken Salad? Check out,

• Greek Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette
• Greek Lemon Chicken Soup Recipe
• Cucumber Salad Recipe
• Mediterranean Grilled Turkey Burgers
• Easy Chopped Mediterranean Salad
• Mediterranean Baked Fish with Artichokes and Olives

If you try making this Greek Chicken Salad, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.

For more salad recipes check out,

• Chinese Chicken Salad Recipe
• Roasted Beet Salad
• Balsamic Tomato Basil Salad
• Autumn Chicken and Pear Salad with Poppyseed Dressing
• Cucumber Salad Recipe
• Chopped Shrimp Salad Recipe with Cilantro Lime Vinaigrette
• Marinated Salmon Apple Salad

DON’T FORGET TO PIN AND SHARE THIS EASY AND DELICIOUS GRILLED GREEK CHICKEN SALAD RECIPE AND ADD IT TO YOUR NEXT WEEKLY MEAL PLAN!

RECIPE CARD

Greek Chicken Salad

4.82 from 11 votes

AuthorAuthor: Jessica Randhawa

Packed with all your favorite crunchy vegetables, tangy feta, creamy avocado, and delicious slices of Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken.

Check out this post for more information about the Grilled Lemon Garlic Chicken.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

marinate (optional) 2 hours hrs

Total Time 2 hours hrs 50 minutes mins

Course Salad

Cuisine Greek

Servings 4 Salads

Calories 565 kcal

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

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For the Marinated Greek Chicken

• ▢ ¼ cups olive oil
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic - minced
• ▢ 1 lemon - juiced
• ▢ ½ lemon - zested
• ▢ 2 teaspoon fresh thyme - minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoon fresh oregano - minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary - minced
• ▢ 2 teaspoon fresh parsley - minced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
• ▢ 3 chicken breasts - (approx. 2 pounds)

For the Greek Vinaigrette

• ▢ ⅓ cup red wine vinegar
• ▢ ¼ cup olive oil
• ▢ 1 lemon - juiced
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic - minced
• ▢ ½ teaspoon dried oregano
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ½ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper

For the Salad

• ▢ 6 cups Romaine lettuce - chopped
• ▢ 1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts - drained and cut in half
• ▢ 10 ounces cherry tomatoes - halved
• ▢ ½ English cucumber - sliced
• ▢ ½ cup pitted Kalamata olives - sliced
• ▢ ½ red bell pepper - seeded and sliced
• ▢ ½ green bell pepper - seeded and sliced
• ▢ ¼ red onion - sliced
• ▢ 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas - drained and rinsed
• ▢ ½ cup feta cheese
• ▢ 1 large avocado - halved, pitted, and sliced
• ▢ Fresh chopped dill and parsley - for serving

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Instructions

 

For the Greek Marinated Chicken

• Prepare the marinade. Add all ingredients for the marinade (olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, fresh thyme, fresh oregano, fresh rosemary, fresh parsley, salt, and black pepper)to a large shallow mixing bowl. Mix well to combine.
• Marinate the chicken. Add the chicken breasts to the marinade and mix well to coat in the marinade. Allow chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes to two hours.
• Prepare the grill. Clean grill grates and lightly oil with vegetable oil or cooking spray. Set grill to medium-high heat.
• Grill the chicken. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place directly on the grill. Discard remaining marinade. Cover the grill and allow chicken to cook for approximately 5 minutes before reducing heat to medium. Allow chicken to cook for an additional 2 minutes, then use tongs to flip each breast over. Grill for an additional 5-7 minutes (or longer), or until the thickest part of your chicken registers 160 degrees F. with a digital meat thermometer.
• Allow chicken to rest. Remove chicken breasts from the grill and set aside to a clean plate. Tent with foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

For the Greek Vinaigrette

• Add all ingredients for the vinaigrette to a medium-sized jar. Cover with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously until fully combined. Set aside or store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

For the Salad

• Prepare and chop vegetables. As the chicken cooks, prepare and chop the vegetables (lettuce, artichoke hearts, cucumber, bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, and olives) and transfer to a large salad bowl. Gently toss to combine.
• Assemble. Slice the grilled chicken breasts and transfer to the salad. Drizzle with the Greek vinaigrette and top with the chickpeas, feta cheese and sliced avocado. Serve garnished with fresh dill and parsley, if desired. Enjoy!

Nutritional Information

Calories: 565kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 44g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 71mg | Sodium: 1481mg | Potassium: 1131mg | Fiber: 9g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 7310IU | Vitamin C: 95.4mg | Calcium: 182mg | Iron: 3.1mg

(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)

Keyword Greek Chicken Salad

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