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Keeping it healthy today with my loaded Greek Chicken Chopped Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette. Pan-seared Greek chicken tossed together with greens, chickpeas, tomatoes, avocado, feta cheese, cucumbers, and the most deliciously addicting creamy, lemony tahini vinaigrette. It doesn’t get more delicious than this loaded greek salad. It’s simple to toss together, extra colorful, super flavorful, yummy, and even healthy too. The perfect dinner to serve any night of the week from now through summertime.
Monday salad…but the good kind…the loaded kind. I mean, there’s a lot happening with this salad. It’s definitely not your average boring Monday salad. You guys know I don’t do those. I’ve been holding onto this salad for a couple weeks, but it finely feels like the right time to share. For a while, I was really in full-on comfort food mode, as “quarantined life” is very different, and left most of us craving the comfort foods we’d typically enjoy during the fall and winter months.
Thing is…quarantined life is lasting waaay longer than any of us ever expected. Now that the weather is really starting to turn warm and Memorial Day is (shockingly) just one week from today, I’m moving on into summer food mode. And I am so excited about it.
Enter this salad. It’s summertime food, perfect for Monday, perfect for Memorial Day. It’s all-around pretty darn delicious. Plus, there’s feta cheese, homemade croutons, and the best marinated Greek chicken. All the very delicious spring/summer ingredients.
Jumping into details…the chicken.
I marinated this chicken in quite possibly one of my favorite marinades. It’s a combination of olive oil, balsamic vinegar, smoked paprika (which is not really Greek…but it’s good), fresh oregano, shallots (the secret!), garlic, and lots of lemon (always so much lemon). Now, when I say marinate, I really just mean toss the chicken in this mix and let it sit while you get everything else for the bowls together. I’m not sure about you guys, but I can never plan ahead enough to cook a recipe requiring a long marinating time.
It almost never happens…
So, I do a quick marinate. It works.
While the chicken is marinating, toss the salad.
For the salad, you can really use a mix of whatever salad-like ingredients you love most. But you should start with a base of chopped romaine. You could add some Tuscan kale or arugula if you’d like. But I think you need at least a little romaine for a nice refreshing crunch.
And for my toss-ins, I, of course, used my favorite Greek or Greek(lish) ingredients… chickpeas, kalamata olives, cucumbers, lots of fresh cherry tomatoes, and plenty of fresh basil and dill.
Oh, and then avocado too.
And feta cheese. So Much Feta Cheese.
Onto the vinaigrette, I went with something a little different. I made a creamy lemon tahini vinaigrette using tahini, honey, mustard, and vinegar. This makes for an extra creamy, and tangy vinaigrette. It’s become one of my go-to vinaigrettes for weeknight salads.
Once the salad is tossed and the vinaigrette is put together, make the chicken. You can pan-sear it or grill it, but I just did a quick pan sear. Either option is great!
Now, toss everything together in a big salad bowl, and dinner (or lunch) is done. Love a big dinner style salad, especially this time of year.
Now, do a little meal prepping…
The added bonus about this recipe is that it’s so great for weekday meal prep. I recommend making this on a Sunday or Monday night and doubling the recipe. Then simply use the leftovers to make lunch or dinner bowls to enjoy throughout the week!
Cook everything at once…get multiple meals…love that!
Here is what I will note, this recipe has ingredients…many of them. Don’t let this scare you away. I know we all love a less than ten ingredient recipe, but salads are different. Start with this flavorful marinated Greek chicken and pile on. Everything comes together relatively quickly and nothing is the least bit difficult.
And most importantly? This is truly one of those salads you will be excited to eat. It’s full of color, flavor, texture, the best chicken, croutons, and plenty of feta cheese.
So excited to be sharing this recipe with you guys. It’s one of those dishes I hope you’ll enjoy making all spring and summer long.
Looking for other spring/summer salads? Here are my favorites from year’s past.
Grilled Balsamic Chicken Cobb Salad
Corn, Tomato, and Avocado Chickpea Salad
Greek Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette
watch the how to video:
Lastly, if you make this Greek chicken chopped Salad with lemon tahini vinaigrette, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Greek Chicken Chopped Salad with Lemon Tahini Vinaigrette.
Servings: 4
Calories Per Serving: 960 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
Greek Lemon Chicken
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite size chunks
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano (or 2 teaspoons dried oregano)
- 1 small shallot, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- red pepper flakes, kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 cup finely torn ciabatta bread
Salad
- 6 cups shredded romaine lettuce
- 1 (14 ounce) can chickpeas, drained
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 Persian cucumbers, chopped
- feta cheese, fresh herbs, mixed olives, and diced avocado, for serving
Tahini Vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 juice of 2 lemons (about 1/3 cup lemon juice)
- 2 tablespoons red wine or balsamic vinegar
- 2 tablespoons tahini
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons honey
- Kosher salt and black pepper
Instructions
- 1. In a bowl, combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons olive oil, balsamic vinegar, paprika, oregano, shallots, garlic, lemon juice, lemon zest, crushed red pepper flakes, and a large pinch of salt. Marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight in the fridge.2. Meanwhile, make the croutons. Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. When the oil shimmers, add the bread and a pinch of red pepper flakes. Cook, stirring occasionally until golden and toasted all over, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and season with salt. Slide bread crumbs onto a plate. Wipe the skillet clean. 3. Make the salad. Combine all ingredients in a large salad bowl, gently tossing to combine. 4. To make the vinaigrette. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or measuring cup and shake (or whisk) until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Thin the vinaigrette as needed with 2-3 tablespoons water. 5. Heat the same skillet use for the croutons over medium high heat. Add the chicken in a single layer and cook, stirring once or twice, until the chicken is cooked through, about 5-10 minutes. 6. To the salad, add the chicken, croutons, and drizzle with the vinaigrette. Gently toss to combine. Once the salad has been tossed, serve immediately,
Notes
To Grill the Chicken: Set your grill, grill pan or skillet to medium-high heat. Take skewers and thread the chicken pieces on. Grill the skewers until lightly charred and cooked through, turning them occasionally throughout cooking, about 10 to 12 minutes total.
This post was originally published on May 18, 2020
Yum! Made this tonight and we gobbled it up. Great range of flavours. I will use the marinade for the chicken on nights when we grill. Delicious
Thank you so much Adrienne! xTieghan
My husband said best salad ever! I used garlic ciabatta and zucchinni instead of cucumber. We had it with a lovely glass of wine. This recipe will be on repeat!
That sounds like the perfect night! I am so glad you both enjoyed this one, Lynn! xTieghan
I rarely comment on recipes, because I usually make a bunch of modifications, but made this tonight exactly as written and it was amazing.
Wow that is so amazing to hear! Thank you so much Laura! xTieghan
This salad was very good. Made it just like the recipe said. It was delicious. Will try grilling the chicken next time. Make it!!!
Thank you so much Kim!! xTieghan
I can’t wait to make it. I was wondering which vinegar do you use/prefer for this?red wine or balsamic?- both have such different flavors to me. I love everything you make. Currently obsessed with the taquitos!
Hi Suzie,
Honestly I love both! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
This salad was INSANELY delicious!! Didn’t even get to take a picture of it. The dressing is so flavourful. I’m already craving more
Thank you so much Lesley! xTieghan
I made this salad for lunch yesterday for my husband and I – we both really enjoyed it! Love your recipes <3
Thank you so much Chelsea! xTieghan
We can’t get enough of your recipes! This one, the greek chicken chopped salad, was delicious.
It was hearty enough to satisfy our always hungry 21 year old son yet healthy enough for our 22 year old daughter who likes to eat on the light side.
We enjoyed our dinner eating outside while taking in the beautiful sunset in Bermuda.
Thank you. Next time I will take a photo.
Cheers!
Mila
Amazing!! Thank you so much for trying this one, Mila! xTieghan
I made this tonight for dinner and it was a great hearty salad. The raw veggies and chicken were great for my toddler and the whole salad was great for the adults. I did cut the lemon juice in half for the dressing and I also roasted my chicken breasts (450 for 13 minutes) and the shallots and garlic were really nicely caramelized. Thanks for the constant inspiration, after this I have decided to make two of your salads a week!
Thank you Katie! I am so glad you enjoyed this recipe! xTieghan
I am so excited for this salad, especially the idea that I can pick it up for work lunches. Whenever I prep salads overnight they are weepy the next day. How would you pack this one up the night before? Should anything be kept on the side and added the next day? Thanks so much.
Antonia
Hi Antonia,
I would recommend keeping the dressing on the side and then I really like to pack salads in mason jars. It helps to put all of the veggies on the bottom and then the lettuce on the top. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xTieghan
Amazing. I made this tonight, and my husband kept saying how good it is! Tonight, we ate a meal that is restaurant-worthy, and were so satisfied by the favors and textures. Definity adding this to my top favorite recipe list.
Love that!! Thank you so much Jenny! xTieghan
Thanks so much for another great recipe! I always veganize your recipes (which always come out just as amazing in my humble opinion) and this marinade is on point! I know you’re not a fan but I did it with tofu haha 🙂 thanks again!
I love that you veganize them!! Thank you so much for continuing to try all of them, Sarah! xTieghan
This was delicious! I did marinate the chicken for a few hours. Next time i will grill the chicken. But this was so good!
Thank you!! I am really happy to hear that, Angela! I hope you continue to enjoy other recipes of mine as well! xTieghan
Made this for teenagers and was skeptical they’d like it. They loved it!
Amazing! I am so glad this turned out so well for you all! xTieghan
looks so good, I love saladsr
Thank you Ruth! xTieghan