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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.Â
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.
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.Â
This salad was fresh and delicious! I didn’t have chickpeas so I used the cannellini beans I had and they worked very well (absorbed a lot of the delicious flavors from the chicken).
Thanks so much!
Hey there,
Happy Sunday!!🎃 I truly appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!
This pizza was amazing!!! I ended up sticking it back in the oven after topping it with the burrata, so that it would be warm and melty.
Hi Laura,
Thanks so much for making this dish and sharing your review, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! Have a great weekend:) xx
Delicious salad. So fresh and colorful and flavorful. Easy to make too! The dressing was amazing. We had some friends over and everyone loved it. I also got compliments on the croutons.
Hi Kelly,
Wonderful! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for trying it out! Have a great weekend:)
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I just saw it on Butternutbakery’s Instagram story. Jenna seems to love it, and I’m sure I will too!
Thanks so much Darlene! I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xx
This was a great recipe! We thoroughly enjoyed it, and the next-day leftovers were good too. We also kept the leftover marinade along with what was left in the pan after cooking the chicken, and a few days later made a quick pan sauce by adding some cream to it. We wilted some spinach in the sauce, tossed it over gnocchi, and topped it all with some kalamata olives and feta. It made a great and easy second meal!
Hey Andrew,
Wonderful! I am so excited to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for trying it out! xx
This was so good. The marinated chicken was so flavorful and moist and the dressing was amazing. Thank you for this one, I will definitely make this again
Hey Lisa,
Amazing! Thanks for sharing your feedback and making this recipe, I am so glad it was enjoyed:)
This was another terrific dinner salad. If I had been told that my husband and son would have salad for dinner every week and not only love it but actually eat the rest of the big bowl I would NOT have believed it. Truth! They loved the croutons and dressing, but we love Greek flavors in general. So delicious!
Hi Lucy,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for making it and sharing your feedback! Hope you’re off to a great weekend:)
Great recipe!
I also LOVE that salad bowl and servers. Where are they from?
Hi Rachel,
Awesome!! Thanks so much for your review:) Love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try! So sorry, I do not have the links for those. xx
What other dressing would you put on this? I have a sesame allergy in my house so I can’t use tahini but this looks so good. Thanks!
Hey Kristin,
You can use another butter in place of the tahini:) I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Do you prefer the dressing with red wine vinegar or balsamic vinegar? Also, how much sat do you estimate you put in dressing?
Hey Tara,
I like to use red wine vinegar and I just do a pinch of salt. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
I’m 14 and love to cook. I was browsing your page and saw this! I made it for my family. I was nervous since none of them are big salad people, but they loved it! My mom even asked for more croutons!
Hey Kylie,
Fantastic!! I love to hear that the recipe was enjoyed, thanks for giving it a try. Have the best week:)) xT
I just made the dressing and it was absolutely delicious!
Thank you for another fabulous recipe!
Hi Michele,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed!! ?xTieghan
How long will the dressing keep in the fridge?
Hey Josie,
The dressing will be good for 2 weeks in the fridge. Please let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Under ingredients recipe calls for 4 tablespoons olive for the chicken marinade.
under how to recipe calls for 2 tablespoons.
which is it? I thinking 4 T
Hey Nancy,
You are going to use 2 tablespoons in step 1 for the marinade and then 2 tablespoons in step 2 for the croutons. Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xTieghan
Delicious & filling- no matter what time of year!
Hey Kate,
Happy Friday!! Love hearing that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks a bunch for giving it a try! xxT