Now that it's officially spring, I find myself craving salads more often. I used to eat the same salad every day but now that I prepare them for my husband too, I try to keep it as exciting as possible. One of our favorite salads is, without a doubt, this loaded Greek chicken salad. Stuffed with tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, artichoke hearts, and a juicy Greek marinated chicken, this salad has it all. Plus the sun-dried tomato herb vinaigrette doesn't hurt either!
Loaded Greek Chicken Salad
Ingredients
Greek chicken
- 1 lb chicken breast skinless, boneless
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh oregano chopped
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- salt and pepper
Sun-dried tomato herb vinaigrette
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- ¼ cup parsley
- 2 tablespoon fresh dill
- 1 garlic clove
- 2 teaspoon dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup sun-dried tomato oil
- salt and pepper
Remaining ingredients
- 8 cups romaine chopped
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes halved
- 2 avocados pitted, sliced
- 1 cucumber diced
- 12 ounces artichoke hearts
- ½ cup feta crumbled
- ¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes
- ¼ cup fresh dill
Instructions
- Marinate the Greek chicken. Combine the olive oil with balsamic vinegar, lemon zest, garlic, oregano, and paprika. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and pour over the marinade, turning to coat. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
- Meanwhile, make the sun-dried tomato herb vinaigrette. Combine all of the ingredients in a blender (lemon juice - oil) until smooth. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Prepare the remaining salad ingredients including the romaine, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, artichoke hearts, feta, sun-dried tomatoes, and dill.
- Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a saute pan over medium heat. Cook the chicken until the juices run clear. Let rest for 10 minutes and then slice the chicken.
- Assemble the salads with fresh ingredients and Greek chicken. Sprinkle fresh dill on top and toss with the sun-dried tomato herb vinaigrette. Serve immediately.
**Helpful tips and common mistakes
Most of the ingredients for this loaded Greek chicken salad are raw so all you have to do is cook the chicken and make the vinaigrette. Pretty easy, right? This also makes it ideal for meal prep, making it easy to just throw everything together.
To prepare the Greek chicken, first marinate it in balsamic vinegar, olive oil, lemon zest, garlic, fresh oregano, and paprika. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and let it sit for at least 30 minutes and up to overnight. Just by looking at the chicken, I can tell it's going to be delicious!
While the chicken is soaking up those flavors, make the sun-dried tomato herb vinaigrette. Use the oil from the jarred sun-dried tomatoes and blend it with fresh parsley, dill, lemon juice, garlic, and dijon mustard until smooth. Season the dressing with salt and pepper and set it aside.
You can also make the dressing several days in advance. If you're not a fan of sun-dried tomatoes, swap out the oil for olive oil.
Cook the chicken on the stove-top, oven, or grill, until the juices run clear and let it rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Meanwhile, cut and prepare the remaining ingredients including the tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, and romaine.
Assemble the loaded Greek chicken salads and these are ready to be served! With so many fantastic ingredients, it's almost a guarantee that this salad is going to be good!
For more salad inspiration check out this blackened chicken and strawberry salad!
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