Grilled Mediterranean Chicken Salad
This enormous grilled Mediterranean chicken salad is loaded with fresh ingredients and all your favorite Mediterranean flavors such as olives, red onion, cucumber, grilled chicken, lemon juice and an array of herbs and spices.
Why You’ll Love This Healthy Salad with Chicken
It’s healthy. This salad is loaded with a rainbow of fresh vegetables, lean grilled chicken and a flavorful dressing that’s lemony and refreshing.
It’s customizable. Add cheese, croutons or your favorite veggies. Swap the chicken for hard boiled eggs or tofu. It’s easy to customize this healthy salad with chicken.
It’s delicious. The double duty Mediterranean grilled chicken marinade is incredibly flavorful and can be used as both the marinade and the dressing. You’ll want to keep a jar of this in your fridge.
Prep Time: 15minutes
Cook Time: 15minutes
Marinating Time: 30minutes
Total Time: 1hour
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Servings: 4 Servings
INGREDIENTS:
For the marinade and dressing
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons parsley chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper powder
6 whole chicken thighs boneless & skinless
For the salad
4 cups Romaine lettuce roughly chopped
1 cup canned chickpeas
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
1 cup Persian cucumber thinly sliced
1 small red onion thinly sliced
⅓ cup kalamata olives
Lemon wedges to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
In a small bowl, whisk the ingredients to marinate the chicken; olive oil, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, honey, parsley, garlic, oregano, basil, crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Reserve half of the marinade for salad dressing and pour the remaining over the chicken thighs. Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes.
Heat a grill pan or outdoor grill; add the chicken thighs and cook over medium heat for 4-5 minutes until the chicken is cooked through with beautiful grill marks. Transfer the grilled chicken to a plate and set it aside.
Meanwhile, prepare the salad ingredients and mix them in a large bowl. Slice the cooked chicken and place it over the salad and drizzle the reserved dressing over the salad, and toss.
Garnish the salad with lemon wedges and serve immediately.
Notes:
Reserve half of the marinade to use as the salad dressing.
Allow the chicken to marinate for at least 30 minutes but up to overnight.
Bring the chicken to room temperature for 30 minutes before grilling.
Skip the whisk and pour all of the marinade ingredients into a lidded jar, and give it a good shake.
Adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to make the dressing more or less spicy.
Use chicken breasts if preferred. Chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F when checked with a meat thermometer. Add sliced avocado, hard boiled eggs, croutons, roasted red peppers or feta cheese to take this salad to a whole other level of goodness. For easy meal prep, store the undressed salad and chicken in separate containers. Combine with the salad dressing just before serving.
Nutritional Info:
Calories: 587kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 31g | Fat: 42g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 8g | Monounsaturated Fat: 21g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 166mg | Sodium: 1020mg | Potassium: 750mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 12g | Vitamin A: 4943IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 86mg | Iron: 3mg